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AN 
 
 HISTORICAL SKETCH 
 
 OF 
 
 Groton, Massachusetts. 
 
 1655-1890. 
 
 BY 
 
 SAMUEL A. GREEN. 
 
 GROTON: 
 1894. 
 

 
 
 s 
 
 
Eo tjje fHnnoru 
 
 OF 
 
 GEORGE DEXTER BRIGHAM 
 
 (Town Clerk, 1855-1893), 
 
 A LIFE-LONG FRIEND AND NEIGHBOR IN MY NATIVE TOWN. 
 
 WHO OFTEN GAVE MOST CHEERFUL HELP IN MY 
 
 LOCAL INVESTIGATIONS, 
 
 THIS SKETCH IS INSCRIBE!). 
 
PREFACE 
 
 T 
 
 HE following pages were written originally 
 for a "History of Middlesex County," 
 published in Philadelphia four years ago ; and a 
 few copies were then separately struck off. They 
 were intended merely as a sketch of the town, 
 and not as a full or formal history. In justice to 
 the writer this statement seems to be necessary, 
 as the annals of Groton, so rich in material, and 
 covering so long a period of time, are here 
 treated in a very scanty way. Through some 
 misunderstanding the work was not divided 
 into Chapters, as had been the intention of the 
 author, who had no opportunity to see the revised 
 proofs. 
 
 With the exception of the notice of Major 
 Palmer, the brief biographies at the end of the 
 book were not written by the author of this His- 
 torical Sketch. Luther Blood, a notice of whom 
 there appears, died on September 22, 1893. 
 
 S. A. G. 
 Boston, March 16. 1894. 
 
AN HISTORICAL SKETCH 
 
 OF THE 
 
 TOWN OF GROTON. 1 
 
 The town of Groton lies in the northwestern part 
 of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, and is bounded 
 on the north by Pepperell and Dunstable ; on the east 
 by Tyngsborough and Westford ; on the south by Lit- 
 tleton and Aver; and on the west by Shirley and 
 Townsend. The First Parish meeting-house— or " the 
 tall-spired church"— is situated in latitude 42° 36 / 
 21A // north, longitude 71° 34' 4" west of Greenwich, 
 according to the latest observations of the United 
 States Coast Survey. It is distant nearly thirty-one 
 miles in a straight line from the State House at Bos- 
 ton, but by the traveled road it is about thirty-four 
 miles. The village of Groton is situated principally 
 on one long' street, known as Main Street, a section 
 of the Great Road, which was formerly one of the 
 principal thoroughfares between Eastern Massachu- 
 setts and parts of New Hampshire and Vermont. 
 The Worcester, Nashua and Rochester Railroad passes 
 
 i Reprinted from "The History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts. 
 
 1 
 
2 GROTON. 
 
 through it, and traverses the township at nearly its 
 greatest length, running six miles or more within its 
 limits. It is reached from Boston by trains on the 
 Fitchburg Railroad, connecting with the Worcester, 
 Nashua and Rochester road at Ayer, three miles dis- 
 tant from the village. 
 
 The original grant of the township was made in the 
 spring of 1655, and gave to the proprietors a tract of 
 land eight miles square; though subsequently this 
 was changed by the General Court, so that its shape 
 varied somewhat from the first plan. It comprised all 
 of what is now Groton and Ayer, nearly all of Pepperell 
 and Shirley, large parts of Dunstable and Littleton, 
 and smaller parts of Harvard and Westford, in Mas- 
 sachusetts, and small portions of Hollis and Nashua, 
 in New Hampshire. The present shape of the town 
 is very irregular, and all the original boundary lines 
 have been changed except where they touch Town- 
 send and Tyngsborough. 
 
 The earliest reference to the town on any map is 
 found in the Reverend William Hubbard's " Narra- 
 tive of the Troubles with the Indians in New-Eng- 
 land," a work published at Boston in the early spring 
 of 1677, and in London during the ensuing summer 
 under a different title. The map was the first one cut 
 in New England, and of course done in a crude man- 
 ner. It was engraved probably by John Foster, the 
 earliest Boston printer. The towns assaulted by the 
 Indians in Philip's War are indicated on the map by 
 figures; and at that period these places were attract- 
 ing some attention both here and in the mother 
 country. 
 
GROTON. 3 
 
 There were two petitions for the plantation of 
 Groton, of which one was headed by Mr. Deane 
 Winthrop, and the other by Lieutenant William 
 Martin. The first one is not known to be in exist- 
 ence, but a contemporaneous copy of the second is in 
 the possession of the New England Historic Genea- 
 logical Society. The signatures vary in the style of 
 handwriting, but they do not appear to be autographs, 
 and may have been written by the same person. The 
 answer to the petition is given on the third page of 
 the paper, and signed by Edward Rawson, secretary 
 of the Colony, which fact renders it probable that this 
 is the petition actually presented to the General Court 
 as the original one, after it had been copied by a 
 skillful penman. It was found many years ago among 
 the papers of Captain Samuel Shepley, by the late 
 Charles Woolley, then of Groton, but who subse- 
 quently lived at Waltham; and by him given to the 
 New England Historic Genealogical Society. The 
 petition is written on the first page of a folio sheet, 
 and the answer by the General Court appears on the 
 third page of the paper. Near the top of the sheet 
 are the marks of stitches, indicating that another 
 paper at one time had been fastened to it. Perhaps 
 the petition headed by Deane Winthrop was attached 
 when the secretary wrote the action of the General 
 Court, beginning, "In Ans r to both theise peticons." 
 The grant of the plantation was made by the Court 
 of Assistants on May 25, 1655— as appears by this 
 document — though subject to the consent of the 
 House of Deputies, which was given, in all proba- 
 bility, on the same day. In the absence of other evi- 
 
4 GROTON. 
 
 dence, this may be considered the date of the incor- 
 poration, which is not found mentioned elsewhere. 
 
 In the early history of the Colony the proceedings 
 of the General Court, as a rule, were not dated day 
 by day — though there are many exceptions — but the 
 beginning of the session is always given, and occa- 
 sionally the days of the month are recorded. These 
 dates in the printed edition of the records are fre- 
 quently carried along without authority, sometimes 
 covering a period of several days or even a week; 
 and for this reason it is often impossible to learn the 
 exact date of any particular legislation, when there 
 are no contemporaneous papers bearing on the subject. 
 
 The petition and endorsement are as follows : 
 
 " To the honored Generall Courte assembled at Boston the humble pe- 
 tion of vs whose names ar here vnder written humbly shoeth 
 
 "That where as youre petioners by a prouidence of god haue beene 
 brought oner into this wildernes and liued longe herein: and being 
 sumthing straightned for that where by subsistance in an ordinarie 
 waie of gods prouidence is to be had, and Considdering the a lowance 
 that god giues to the sunes of men for such an ende : youre petioners 
 request there fore is that you would be pleased to grant vs a place for a 
 plantation vpon the Riuer that runes from Nashaway in tomerimake at 
 a place or a boute a place Caled petaupaubett and waubansconcett and 
 youre petioners shall pray for youre happy prosedings 
 
 " William Martin 
 Richard Blood 
 John Witt 
 WlLIiI»M Lakin 
 
 Richard Hauen 
 Timothy Cooper 
 John Lakin 
 John Blood 
 Mathu Farrington 
 Robert Blood 
 
GROTON. 5 
 
 " In Ans r to both theise peticons The Court Judgeth it nieete to 
 graunt the peticone r s eight miles square in the place desired to make, a 
 Comfortable planta^on wch henceforth shall be Called Groaten forme r ly 
 knowne by the name of Petapawage : that M r Dam forth of Cambridge 
 \\ Tt h such as he shall Asossiate to him shall and hereby is desired to lay 
 it out wi ( h all Convergent speede that so no Incouragement may be 
 wanting to the Peticone r s for a speedy procuring of a godly minister 
 amongst them. Provided that none shall enjoy any part or porr-on of 
 that land by guift from the selectmen of that place but such who shall 
 build hovvses on theire lotts so given them once \v*hin eighteene months 
 from the tjme of the sayd Tovvnes laying out or Townes graunt to such 
 persons ; and for the p r sent M r Deane Wintbrop M r Jn° Tinker M r Tho : 
 Hinckly Dolor Davis. W m . Martin Mathew ffarington John Witt and 
 Timothy Couper are Appointed the selectmen for the sayd Towne of 
 Groaten for one two yeares from the tjme it is layd out, to lay out 
 and dispose cf particular lotts not exceeding twenty acres to each bowse 
 lott, And to Order the prudentiall affairs of tbe place at the end of which 
 tjme other selectmen shall be chosen and Appointed in theire roomes : 
 the selectmen of Groaton giving M r Danforth such sattisfaction for his 
 service & paines as they & he shall Agree ; 
 
 " The magist s haue passed this w% reference to the Consent of theire 
 bretheren the depths hereto 
 
 " Edward Rawson, Secrety 
 
 " 25 of May 1655. 
 
 " The Deputies Consent hereto 
 
 " William Torrey Cleric." 
 
 The entry made by Secretary Eawson in the Gen- 
 eral Court Records, at the time of the grant, is sub- 
 stantially the same as his indorsement on Martin's 
 petition, though it distinguishes between some of tbe 
 names signed to each petition. It is evident that the 
 one headed by Deane Winthrop was also signed by 
 John Tinker and Thomas Hinckley ; and probably 
 by Dolor Davis, Richard Smith and Amos Richard- 
 son, as is inferred from a petition dated May 16, 
 1656, and given later in this account of the town. 
 The Roman letters and Arabic figures within paren- 
 theses refer to the volume and page of the General 
 
6 GROTON. 
 
 Court Records at the State- House. The entry is as 
 follows : 
 
 " In Ans r to the peticon of M r Deane Winthrop M r Jn° Tincker Mr 
 Tho: Hinckly &c & of Lieu Wm Martin Timothy Cooper Ac The Court 
 Judgeth it raeete to Graunt etc." (IV. 204). 
 
 Charles Hastings Gerrish, of Groton, has a contem- 
 poraneous copy of this record made by Secretary 
 Rawson, which was perhaps sent originally to the 
 selectmen of the town. It was found among the pa- 
 pers of the late Hon. John Boynton, at one time town 
 clerk. 
 
 The record of the House of Deputies is also prac- 
 tically the same, though there are a few verbal vari- 
 ations. It begins : 
 
 "There beinge a pet. prferd by M r Dean Winthrop Mr Tho: Hinck- 
 ley & divers others for a plantation vpon the riuer that Runs from Nash- 
 away into Merimacke called petapawage & an other from some of the 
 Inhabitants of Concord for a plantation in the same place to both which 
 the Court returned this answer that the Court Thinkes meet to graunt 
 etc." (III. 462). 
 
 The following letter from the Hon. J. Hammond 
 Trumbull, whose authority in such matters is unques- 
 tioned, gives the meaning and derivation of the In- 
 dian name of the town : 
 
 " Hartford, Dec. 22, 1877. 
 
 "My dear Dr. Green, — Pelaupaulcet and Petapawage are two forms 
 of the same name, the former having the locative postposition (-et), 
 meaning 'at 'or ' on ' a place ; and both are corruptions of one or the 
 other of two Indian names found at several localities in New England. 
 From which of the two your Groton name came I cannot decide without 
 Borne knowledge of the place itself. I leave you the choice, confident 
 that one or the other is the true name. 
 
 " ' PootuppogJ used by Eliot for ' bay,' in Joshua xv. 2, 5, literally 
 means 'spreading' or ' bulging water,' and was employed to designate 
 either a local widening of a river making still water, or an inlet from a 
 river expandiDg into something like a pond or lake. Hence the name 
 
GROTOX. 7 
 
 of a part of (old) Saybrook, now Essex, Conn., which was variously writ- 
 ten Pantapaug, Poattapoge, Potabauge, and, later, Pettipaug, &c, so des- 
 ignated from a spreading cove or inlet from Connecticut River. Potto- 
 poug Pond, in Dana, Mass., with an outlet to, or rather an inlet from 
 Chicopee River, is probably a form of the same name. So is ' Port To- 
 bacco,' Charles County, Md. (the 'Potopaco ' of John Smith's map), on 
 the Potomac. 
 
 " But there is another Algonkiu name from which Petaupauk and 
 some similar forms may have come, which denotes a swamp, bog, or 
 quagmire, — literally, a place into which the foot sinks; represented by the 
 Chippew&y petobeg, a bog or soft marsh, and the Abnaki potepaug. There 
 is a Pautipaug (otherw.se Pootapaug, Portipaug, Patapogue, etc.) in the 
 town of Sprague. Conn., on or near the Shetucket River, which seems 
 to have this derivation. 
 
 "If there was in (ancient) Groton a pond or spreading cove, connected 
 with the Nashua, Squannacook, Nissitisset, 01 other stream, or a pond- 
 like enlargement or ' bulge ' of a stream, this may, without much doubt, 
 be accepted as the origin of the name. If there is none such, the name 
 probably came from some ' watery swamp,' like those into which (as the 
 ' Wonder-workiug Providence' relates) the first explorers of Concord 
 ' sunke, into an uncertaine bottome in water, and waded up to their 
 
 knees.' 
 
 " Yours truly, 
 
 " J. Hammond Trumbull." 
 
 The last suggestion, that the name came from an 
 Algonkin word signifying "swamp" or "bog," ap- 
 pears to be the correct one. There are many bog 
 meadows, of greater or less extent, in different parts 
 of the town. Two of the largest — one situated on 
 the easterly side of the village, and known as Half- 
 Moon Meadow, and the other on the westerly side, 
 and known as Broad Meadow, each containing per- 
 haps a hundred acres of land — are now in a state of 
 successful cultivation. Before they were drained and 
 improved they would have been best described as 
 swamps or bogs. 
 
 It is to be regretted that so many of the Indian 
 words, which have a local significance and smack of 
 
O GROTON. 
 
 the region, should have been crowded out of the list 
 of geographical names in Massachusetts. However 
 much such words may have been twisted and distort- 
 ed by English pronunciation and misapplication, 
 they furnish now one of the few links that connect 
 the present period with prehistoric times in America. 
 " Nashaway," mentioned in the petition, is the old 
 name of Lancaster, though spelled in different ways. 
 Mr. Trumbull has given some interesting facts in re- 
 gard to this Indian word, which I copy from a paper 
 by him in the second volume of the " Collections of 
 the Connecticut Historical Society : " 
 
 " Nashaue (Chip[pewa], ndssawaii and ashaiviwi), 'mid-way,' or 
 'between,' and with ohke or auk added, the 'land between ' or 'the 
 half-way place,' — was the name of several localities. The tract on 
 which Lancaster, in Worcester county (Mass.) was settled, was ' be- 
 tween' the branches of the river, and so it was called 'Nashaway ' 
 or ' Nashawake ' (nashaut-ohke) ; and this name was afterwards trans- 
 ferred from the territory to the river itself. There was another Nasha- 
 way in Connecticut, between Quinebaug and Five-Mile Rivers in 
 Windham county, and here, too, the mutilated name of the nashaue-ohke 
 was transferred, as Ashawog or Assawog, to the Five-Mile River. Nat- 
 chaug, in the same county, the name of the eastern branch of Shetuck- 
 et river, belonged originally to the tract ' between ' the eastern and 
 western branches; and the Shetucket itself borrows a name [nashaue- 
 luk-ut) from its place • between ' Yantic and Quinebaug rivers 
 (page 33)." 
 
 The town is indebted for its name to Deane Win- 
 throp, a son of Governor John Winthrop and one of 
 the petitioners for the grant. He was born at Gro- 
 ton, in the county of Suffolk, England, on March 16, 
 1622-23 ; and the love of his native place prompted 
 him to perpetuate its name in New England. He 
 stands at the head of the first list of selectmen ap- 
 pointed by the General Court, and for a short time 
 
GROTON. 9 
 
 was probably a resident of the town. At the age of 
 exactly eighty-one years he died, on March 16, 1703-04, 
 at Pullen Point, now within the limits of Winthrop, 
 Massachusetts. 
 
 The following letter, written by a distinguished 
 representative of the family, will be read with in- 
 terest : 
 
 " Boston, 27 February, 1878. 
 
 " My dear Dr. Green,— It would give me real pleasure to aid you in 
 establishing the relations of Deann Winthrop to the town of Gro- 
 ton in Massachusetts. But there are only three or four letters of 
 Deane's among the family papers in my possession, and not one of 
 them is dated Groton. Nor can I find in any of the family papers a 
 distinct reference to his residence there. 
 
 "There are, however, two brief notes of his, both dated 'the 16 of 
 December, 1662,' which I cannot help thinking may have been writ- 
 ten at Groton. One of them is addressed to his brother John, the Gov- 
 ernor of Connecticut, who was then in London, on business connected 
 with the Charter of Connecticut. In this note, Deane says as fol- 
 lows : 
 
 " ' I have some thoughts of removing from the place that I now live 
 in, into your Colony, if I could lit of a convenient place. The place 
 that I now live in is too little for me, my children now growing up.' 
 
 "We know that Deane Winthrop was at the head of the first Board of 
 Selectmen at Groton a few years earlier, and that he went to reside of 
 Pullen Point, now called Winthrop, not many years after. 
 
 "I am strongly inclined to think with you that this note of December, 
 
 1662, was written at Groton. 
 
 " Yours very truly, 
 
 " Robert C. Winthrop. 
 " Samuel A. Green, M.D." 
 
 A few years before the incorporation of the town, 
 Emanuel Downing, of Salem, who married Lucy, a 
 sister of Governor John Winthrop, had a very large 
 farm which he called Groton. It was situated in 
 what was afterward South Danvers, but now Peabody, 
 on the old road leading from Lynn to Ipswich, and 
 thus named, says Upham, in his "Salem Witchcraft," 
 
10 GROTON. 
 
 "in dear remembrance of his wife's ancestral home in 
 'the old country"' (I. 43). Downing subsequently- 
 sold it to his nephews, John Winthrop, Jr., and Adam 
 Winthrop, on July 23, 1644, when he speaks of it as 
 "his farme of Groton." The sale is duly recorded in 
 the Suffolk Eegistry of Deeds (I. 57). 
 
 Groton in Connecticut — younger than this town by 
 just half a century, and during the Revolution the 
 scene of the heroic Ledyard's death — was named in 
 the year 1705, during the Governorship of Fitz-John 
 Winthrop, out of respect to the Suffolk home of the 
 family. 
 
 New Hampshire has a Groton, in Grafton County, 
 which was called Cockermouth when first settled in 
 the year 1766. Subsequently, however, the name was 
 changed by an act of the Legislature, in accordance 
 with the unanimous wish of the inhabitants who ap- 
 proved it, on December 7, 1796. Some of its early 
 settlers were from Hollis, New Hampshire, and others 
 from this town. 
 
 Vermont, also, has a Groton, in Caledonia County, 
 which received its charter on October 20, 1789, though 
 it was settled a short time before. A history of the 
 town, written by General Albert Harleigh Hill, ap- 
 peared in Miss Abby Maria Hemenway's " Vermont 
 Historical Gazeteer" (IV. 1145-1168). Taken bodily 
 from this work, a pamphlet edition was also pub- 
 lished, with some slight variations, but with the same 
 paging. The author says : 
 
 '• It received the name of Groton through the influence of its earliest 
 settlers, who were born in Groton, Mass. These sterling old patriots 
 who, mid all the stirring activity of those days, forgot not the old 
 birthtown, but hallowed its memory by giving its name to their new 
 settlement and town in the wilderness" (page 1145). 
 
. GROTON. 11 
 
 New York, too, has a town called Groton, situated 
 in Tompkins County ; and Professor Marvin Morse 
 Baldwin, in an historical sketch of the place, pub- 
 lished in the year 1858, gives the reason for so nam- 
 ing it. He says : 
 
 " At first, the part of Locke thus set off was called Division ; but the 
 next year [1818] it was changed to Groton, on the petition of the in- 
 habitants of the town, some of whom had moved from Groton, Mass., 
 and some from Groton, Ct., thoujrh a few desired the name of York " 
 
 There is also a Groton in Erie County, Ohio. It is sit- 
 uated #n that part of the State known as the fire lands, 
 and so called after the Connecticut town. The name 
 was originally Wheatsborough, and its first settlement 
 was made in the year 1809. 
 
 The latest place aspiring to the honor of the name 
 is in Brown County, South Dakota, which was laid 
 out six or eight years ago on land owned by the Chi- 
 cago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway Company. I 
 am informed that various New England names were 
 selected by the company and given to different town- 
 ships, not.for personal or individual reasons, but be- 
 cause they were short and well sounding, and unlike 
 any others in that State. 
 
 In the middle of the last century — according to the 
 New England Historical and Genealogical Register 
 (XXIV. 56 note, and 60) for January, 1870— there 
 was a place in Roxbury sometimes called Groton. 
 It was a corruption of Greaton, the name of the man 
 who kept the " Grey Hound " tavern in that neigh- 
 borhood. 
 
 Groton, in England, is an ancient place ; it is the 
 same as the Grotena of Domesday Book, in which 
 
1 2 GROTON. 
 
 there is a record of the population and wealth of the 
 town, in some detail, at the time of William the Con- 
 queror, and also before him, under the Anglo-Saxon 
 King, Edward the Confessor. A literal translation of 
 this census-return of the year 1086 is as follows : 
 
 " In the time of King Edward [the Abbot of] Saint Edmund held Gro- 
 ton for a manor, there being one carucate and- a half of land. Always 
 [there have been] eight villeins and five bordarii [a rather higher sort 
 of serfs ; cotters]. Always [there has been] one plouugh in demesne. Al- 
 ways two ploughs belonging to homagers [tenants], and one acre of mead- 
 ow. Woodland for ten hogs. A mill serviceable in winter. Always 
 one work -horse, six cattle, and sixteen hogs, and thirty sheep. Two free 
 men of half a carucate of land, and they could give away and sell their 
 land. Six bordarii. Always one plough, and one acre of meadow [belong- 
 ing to these bordarii]. It was then [i. e., under King Edward] worth 
 thirty shillings, and now valued at forty. It is seven furlongs in length 
 and four in breadth. In the same, twelve free men, and they have one 
 carucate ; it is worth twenty shillings. These men could give away and 
 sell their land in the time of the reign of King Edward. [The Abbot 
 of ] Saint Edmuud has the soc, protection and servitude. Its gelt is 
 seven pence, but others hold there." 
 
 This extract is taken from the fac-simile repro- 
 duction of the part of Domesday Book relating to 
 Suffolk (page clviii), which was published at the 
 Ordnance Survey Office, Southampton, in the year 
 1863. The text is in Latin, and the words are much 
 abbreviated. The writing is peculiar and hard to de- 
 cipher. The same entry is found, in printed char- 
 acters, in the second volume of Domesday Book 
 (page 359. b.), published in the year 1783. 
 
 Some idea of the condensed character of the record 
 may be gathered from the following copy of the 
 beginning of the description of Groton, in which the 
 matter within the brackets is what the Norman 
 scrivener omitted : " Grotenii, [m] t.[empore] r.[egis] 
 
GROTON. 13 
 
 e.[dvardi] teri[uit] S.[anctus] e.[dmundus] p[ro] 
 man.[erio] " etc. A carucate was " a plough land," 
 or a farm that could be kept under tillage with one 
 plough. It is variously estimated at from twelve 
 acres to a hundred. 
 
 It is curious to note the different ways which the 
 early settlers had of spelling the name; and the same 
 persons took little or no care to write it uniformly. 
 Among the documents and papers that I have ex- 
 amined in collecting material for a history of the 
 town, I find it spelled in twenty-one different ways, 
 viz : Groton, Grotton, Groten, Grotten, Grotin, Groa- 
 ten, Groatne, Groaton, Groatton, Grooton, Grorton, 
 Grouten, Grouton, Groughton, Grow ton, Growtin, 
 Groyton, Grauton, Grawten, Grawton and Croaton. 
 From the old spelling of the word, it may be inferred 
 that the pronunciation varied ; but at the present 
 time natives of the town and those " to the manner 
 born " pronounce it Grdw-ton. This method appears 
 to hold good in England, as the Eeverend John W. 
 Wayman, rector of the parent town, writes me, under 
 date of August 13, 1879, "That the local pro- 
 nunciation is decidedly Graw-ton. The name of the 
 parish is described in old records as Grotton, or 
 Growton." I learn from trustworthy correspondents 
 in all the American towns of the name, that the 
 common pronunciation of the word in each one of 
 them is Grdw-ton. With the exception of the town 
 in South Dakota, I have visited all these places, in- 
 cluding the one in England, and my observation con- 
 firms the statement. 
 
 The following paragraph is taken from the Gro- 
 
14 GROTON. 
 
 ton Mercury, of June, 1851, a monthly newspaper 
 edited by the late George Henry Brown, postmaster 
 at that time : 
 
 ",We have noticed amongst the mass of letters received at our Post 
 Office, the word Groton spelled in the following different ways : Grot- 
 ton, Grawton, Graton, Grotown, Groutown, Growtown, Growtan, Grow- 
 ten, Growton, Gratan, Grattan, Grewton, Grothan, Graten, Groten, 
 Grouton." 
 
 The daily life of the founders of Massachusetts 
 would be to us now full of interest, but unfortunately 
 little is known in regard to it. The early settlers were 
 pious folk, and believed in the literal interpretation 
 of the Scriptures. They worked hard during six days 
 of the week, and kept Sunday with rigid exactness. 
 The clearing of forests and the breaking up of land 
 left little leisure for the use of pen and paper ; and 
 letter- writing, as we understand it, was not generally 
 practiced. They lived at a time when printing was 
 not common and post-offices were unknown. Their 
 lives were one ceaseless struggle for existence ; and 
 there was no time or opportunity to cultivate those 
 graces now considered so essential. Keligion was 
 with them a living, ever-present power ; and in that 
 channel went out all those energies which with us 
 find outlet in many different directions. These con- 
 siderations should modify the opinions commonly held 
 in regard to the Puritan fathers. 
 
 The sources of information relating to the early 
 history of Groton are few and scanty. It is only here 
 and there in contemporaneous papers that we find 
 any allusions to the plantation ; and from these we 
 obtain but glimpses of the new settlement. The 
 earliest document connected with the town after its 
 
GROTON. 15 
 
 incorporation is a petition now among the Shattuek 
 Manuscripts, in the possession of the New England 
 Historic Genealogical Society, which contains some 
 interesting facts not elsewhere given. All the signa- 
 tures are in the same handwriting as the body of the 
 document; but those of the committee signing there- 
 port on the back of the petition are autographs. The 
 report itself is in the hand of Joseph Hills. The doc- 
 ument is as follows : 
 
 "Bosf : 16 :3m»: 1656 
 
 "To the Eight Wo' 11 the Gou r no r the wo,' 1 ' Deput Go r no r and Magis- 
 trates with the Worthy Deputies of this Hono rd Court 
 
 "The humble Peticon of Certein the intended Inhabitants of Groten, 
 
 " Humbly Sheweth 
 
 "Thatyo 1 Peticon" hauing obteined theire Request of a Plantacon 
 from this honored Court, they haue made Entranc thervppon, and do 
 Resolue by the Gracious Assistants of the Lord to proceed in the same 
 (though the greatest Number of Peticon 1 " 3 for the Grant haue declyued 
 the work) yet because of the Remotenees of the place, & Considering 
 how heavy and slowe it is like to be Carried an end and with what 
 Charge and difficultie it will be Attended yo r Peticon" humble Requests 
 are 
 
 " 1 That they be not nominated or included in the Country taxes 
 vntil the full end of three years from these p, r nts : (in which time they 
 Account theire expenc will be great to the building a house, procureing 
 and maintaining of a minester &c, with all other nessessary Town 
 Charges: they being but few at present left to Carry on the whole 
 worke) and at the end of the term, shall be redy by gods help to yeald 
 thei r Rates according to thei r Number & abillitie & what shall be im- 
 posed, vppon them 
 
 "2 That they may haue libertie to make Choyce of an other then M> 
 Danford for the Laying out their town bounds because of his desire to 
 be excused by reason of his vrgent ocations otherwise, & that they be 
 not strictly tyed to a square forme in their Line Laying out 
 
 "So shall yo r Peticon." be incoridgedin this great work, and shall as, 
 duty bindes pray for yo r happiness and thankfully Rest 
 
 yo r humble Servants 
 "Dean Winthropp Ja°. Tinker 
 Dolor Davis Richard Smith Jn<>. Lakln 
 
 Will. Martin Robert Blood Amose Richenson 
 
16 GROTON. 
 
 "In Ans. to this Peticon wee Conceiue it needfull that the Town of 
 Groton be freed from Hates for three years from the time of their Grant 
 as is desired. 
 
 "2 d That they may Imploy any other known Artist in the room of 
 M r Danfort as need shall be. 
 
 "3 d That the forme of the Towne may A little varie from A due 
 Square According to the discrecon of the Comitte. 
 
 "21. 3 d m°. (56) "Daniel Gookin 
 
 Joseph Hills 
 John Wiswall 
 "The Deputyes approue of the returne of the Comittee in answer 
 to this petitio & desire the Consent of o r hone rd magists. hereto 
 
 ' ; William Toreev Clerke 
 " Consented to by the magists 
 
 " Edwakd Rawson Secret 
 "[Indorsed for filing :] Grotens Peticon | Entrd & X s secured p d 8 | 
 1656" 
 
 The next document, in point of time, connected 
 with the history of Groton is a petition to the Gen- 
 eral Court from John Tinker, one of the original se- 
 lectmen of the town. It is dated October, 1659, and 
 preserved amoDg the Massachusetts Archives (CXII. 
 120) at the State-House. In this petition Tinker 
 makes some indirect charges against his townsmen, 
 of which the real nature can now be learned only by 
 inference. It would seem that they had taken land 
 in an unauthorized manner, and their proceedings in 
 other respects had obstructed the planting of the 
 town ; and that he felt aggrieved in consequence of 
 such action. Evidently the new plantation did not 
 prosper during the first few years of its settlement. 
 The petition reads thus : 
 
 " Boston To the Hono rd Gen ril Court Assembled at Boston 
 
 8 m° The humble Petition of Jn° Tinker 
 
 1659 Humbly Sheweth that 
 
 " With vnfained Respect to the good and welfare of Church and Com- 
 monwealth yo r Petitioner hath endeauored to answer the expectation 
 
GROTON. 17 
 
 and desires of this hono rd Court and the whole Countrey In erecting set- 
 ling and Carying an End the Afaires of Groaton, Grunted and intended 
 by this hono rd Court for a plantation, which notwithstanding (all in 
 vaine) it Continueth vnpeopled and soe Like to remaine vnless by this 
 hono rd Court some wise and Juditious Comitte be impowered to order 
 and dispose of all things there about, after which no doubt it will goeon 
 and prosper, which is the humble desire and Request of yo. r Petitioner 
 that soe it may be, and that yo r Petitioner be admitted and appoynted 
 faithfully to declare vnto and informe the said Comitte, 1 what hath 
 allredy bin done, 2 what are the Grounds and Reasons wherefore it Re- 
 mainethat the stay it doeth. being so much desired by so many and such 
 Considerable persons as it is, ami 3 what bee Conceuith needfull to the 
 further Continuing what is done according to Right to every person & 
 Cause, and the setleing such due order as may incoridg the Carying on 
 of all things to a prosperous effect, vnto which yo r Petitioner shall redyly 
 adress himselfe, as willing to submitt to the good pleasure of this hon rd 
 Court & such Authorized by them for such due satisfacon for all his 
 Care time cost & paines in and about the said plantation as shall be 
 thought meete and humbly begging the good fauo r of god to Rest vppon 
 you shall ever Remaine to the hono rd Court and Country 
 
 " Yo r humble Serv' Jn<>. Tinker 
 
 " The comittee haveing prsed this peticcon, do Judge y' it wilbe very 
 convenient that a Comittee of 3 : or more meet persons be nominated 
 & impowred to Examine the pticulars therein mencconed. and make 
 returne of w* they find to the Court of Eleccon. 
 
 " Thomas Danforth 
 Anthony Stoddard 
 Roger Clap 
 " 21. (8) 59. The Depu' approue of the ret. of y e Comitee in answ : 
 hereto & haue Nominated M r Danforth M r Ephraim Child Cap 4 . Edw : 
 Johnson to be their Committee desireing o r Hono rd magists [consent] 
 
 hereto 
 
 " William Torrey Cleric. 
 
 " Consented to by y« magists Edw Rawson Secrety " 
 
 It appears from the writing on it that Tinker's peti- 
 tion was referred to a special committee, who recom- 
 mended that the whole matter be considered by 
 another committee with larger powers, who should 
 report to the Court of Election. In accordance with 
 
18 GROTON. 
 
 this recommendation, Mr. Thomas Danforth, Captain 
 Edward Johnson and Ephraim Child were appointed 
 such a committee. I have here given their names 
 in the order in which they are mentioned in the 
 General Court "Records (IV. 324), and not as they 
 appear in the approval of the committee's return on 
 the petition. The original report, made eighteen 
 months afterwards and duly signed by them, is 
 now among the Shattuck Manuscripts of the New 
 England Historic Genealogical Society. It is dated 
 May 23, 166L (" 23 (3) 1661 "), and bears the official 
 action of the Hou?e of Deputies and of the magis- 
 trates. Edward Eawson, the secretary, made his 
 entry on the paper May 29, 1661. In copying the 
 document I have followed the General Court Records, 
 as this version of the petition contains fewer abbre- 
 viations and contractions. The record-book has been 
 paged differently at three separate times ; and the 
 paging marked in red ink has been taken in this 
 copy. The "Committees Keturne ab 1 Groaten & 
 Courts ordr " are as follows : 
 
 "Wee whose names are subscribed being Appointed & impowrd by 
 the Generall Court in octobe r 1659 for the examination of the proceed- 
 ings about Groten plantation & the Intanglements that haue obstructed 
 the planting thereof hitherto=hauing taking pajnes to travajle vnto the 
 sajd place & examine the Records of fprme r proceedings in that plase as 
 also the Capacity of the s d place for the enterteining of a meet noumber 
 of persons that may Carry on the affairs of a Toune, doe App r hend (ac- 
 cording to w< Information we haue had) that the place will Affoord a 
 comfortable accommodation for sixty familjes at least that may subsist in a 
 way of husbandry=And for such familyes as be there already planted w oh 
 are not aboue four or five acres 1 wee doe not finde theire Interest in such 
 
 1 The word "acres" occurs at the end of aline in the manuscript 
 records, and appears to be an interpolation. The sense does not require 
 
GROTON. 1 9 
 
 lands as they claime is legall & Just nor yet consistant w*t> the Courts 
 ends in their graunt of the sajd plantation. 
 
 " And for the further encouragement of such as haue now a desire 
 &c doe present themselvs as williug to plant themselves in that 
 place, 
 
 " Wee craue leaue humbly to leaue our poore app r hentions w th this 
 Honored Court as followeth 
 
 " 1 That the old planters & their Assignes whose names are John 
 Tincker Eich : Smith. ff m Martjn. Ri: blood Rob 1 Blood & Jn<> Lakin 
 that they reteine & keep as theire propriety, (of such lands as they now 
 clajme an Interest in) each of them only twenty acres of meadow twenty 
 acres for the house lott ten acres Intervale land & tenn acres of other 
 vplands & that the same be sett out by a Comittee so as may not vn- 
 equally prejudice such as are or maybe their Neighbo^ 
 
 " 2 That the neere lands & meadows, be so diuided as may accomodate 
 at least sixty familjes & for that end That the first diuision of lands be 
 made in manner following viz 4 such as haue one hundred & fifty pounds 
 estate be allowed equall w th the old planters aboue & that none exceed 
 & that none haue lesse then tenn acres for theire houselott & five acres of 
 meadow two & a halfe acres of Intervale & two & a half of other lands 
 for planting lotts in their first divission & that none be admitted to haue 
 graunts of lotts there but on Condition 3 following viz* 
 
 "1 That they Qoe vp. w<* theire familjes w'Mn 2 years after theire 
 graunts, on penalty of forfeiting theire graunts againe to the Towne & 
 so many tenn shillings as they had acres Graunted them for theire 
 houselotts & that the like Injunction be putt vpon those aboue named 
 as old planters. 
 
 "2 That all towne charges both Civil & Eccleasiasticall be levyed ac- 
 cording to each mans Graunt in this first divition of lands for seuen 
 years next Ensuing Excepting only such whose stocks of Catle shall 
 exceed one hundred & fifty pounds estates. 
 
 " 3 That the power of Admission of Inhabitants & Regulating the af- 
 faires of the sajd place be referred to a Comittee of meete persons Im- 
 powred by this Court thereto, Vntil the plantation be in some good meas- 
 ure (at least) filled w* Inhabitants & be enabled regularly & peaceably 
 to Carry on y e same themselves 
 
 " 4 That this 'honoured Court be pleased to graunt them Imunitjes 
 [from] all Comon & Ordinary Country charges not exceeding a single 
 rate or a Rate & a half p Annu for three years next ensuing. 
 
 it, and the original copy in the library of the New-England Historic, 
 Genealogical Society does not contain it, though the printed edition of 
 the General Court Records gives it. 
 
20 GROTOX. 
 
 "5 That in Graunting of lotts children haue theire due Consideration 
 w* estates theire parent giving securitje to defray y r charges of the 
 place as is before p r mised. 
 
 " THO DANFORTn 
 
 Edward Johnson 
 Ephr. Child 
 " The Court AppVooves of & doe Confirme the returne of the Comittee 
 & doe hereby further orde r & Impower the aforesajd Comittee for the 
 ends aboue mentioned vntill meete men shall be found amongst such as 
 shall Inhabit there & be approoved of by a County Court" 
 (General Court Records, IV. 371.) 
 
 The next document, in point of time, found among 
 the Archives # (I. 21) at the State House and relating 
 to Groton, is the following request for a brandmark, 
 which was wanted probably for marking cattle 
 
 "The Humble Request of Joseph Parker to the Honoured Governo r 
 the Honourd magistrates & deputyes, Humbly Requests in behalfe of 
 the towne of Gravvton that the letter Gr may bee Recorded as the brand 
 mark belonging to the towne I being chosen Counstible this year make 
 bolde to present this, to the Honoured Court it being but my duty, in the 
 townes behalfe thus Hopeing the Honored Court will grant my request 
 I rest yo r Humble Servant : 
 
 " Joseph Parker 
 "Boston : 31th : may : 1666 
 
 " In answer to this motion the Deputies approue of the letters : Gr 
 to be ye brand marke of groaten 
 
 " William Torrey Cleric. 
 " o r Hono. rd magists consentinge hereto 
 " Consented by the magists 
 
 "Edw: Rawson Secrety" 
 
 Joseph Parker, before coming to Groton, had lived 
 at Chelmsford, where his children were born. He 
 was a brother of James, another of the early settlers 
 of the town. 
 
 During this period the town was paying some at- 
 tention to the question of marks for trees as well as 
 for cattle. At a general meeting held on March 5, 
 1665-G6. it was voted that "there should be trees 
 
GROTON. 21 
 
 marked for shade for cattell in all common hy wayes : " 
 and furthermore that " the marke should be a 
 great T." From various expressions found in the 
 early town records, it would seem that the country 
 in the neighborhood was not densely wooded when 
 the settlement was first made. Ac a meeting of the 
 selectmen held in the winter of 1669, an order was 
 passed for the preservation of trees, but the writing 
 is so torn that it is impossible to copy it. At another 
 meeting held on January 13, 1673-74, it was voted 
 that all trees of more than six inches in diameter at 
 the butt, excepting walnut and pine, growing by the 
 wayside, should be reserved for public w r orks, and 
 that the penalty for cutting them down, without 
 authority, should be ten shillings a tree. 
 
 At a general town-meeting on December 21, 1674. 
 leave was granted to William Longley, Jr., to cut 
 down three or four trees standing in the road near his 
 farm and shading his corn, on condition that he give 
 to the town the same number of trees for mending the 
 highways. 
 
 The early settlers of Groton encountered many 
 trials and privations in planting the town. The men 
 worked hard in felling trees and breaking ground, 
 and the women toiled faithfully in their rude houses. 
 They were used to hardships, and they took them 
 with Christian resignation. Their daily life taught 
 them the true principles of philosophy. They lived 
 on the rough edge of civilization, and nothing stood 
 between them and an unbroken wilderness. These 
 pioneers were a devout people ; and the strength of 
 their religious belief is shown in no way so clearly as 
 
22 GROTON. 
 
 in the fortitude with which they met their lot in life. 
 The prowling Indians were their neighbors, whose 
 constant movements required careful watching. There 
 were families of savages scattered along the interval 
 land of the Nashua valley, from Lancaster to the 
 Merrimack River, who at times annoyed the settlers 
 by killing pigs and stealing chickens. Judging from the 
 n umber of stone implements found in the neighborhood , 
 there was an Indian village just above the Red Bridge, 
 on the west side of the Nashua River. It probably 
 consisted of a few families only, belonging to the 
 Nashua tribe, as they were called by the English. 
 Like all their race, these Indians were a shiftless peo- 
 ple, and often changed their abodes, going hither and 
 thither as they found good hunting-grounds or fish- 
 ing-places. They bartered skins and furs with the 
 planters ; and so much business was carried on in this 
 way, that the government sold to individuals the 
 right to trade with them. As early as July, 1657, 
 John Tinker, one of the original selectmen of the 
 town, appointed by the General Court, paid eight 
 pounds for the privilege of trafficking with them at 
 Lancaster and Groton. A few of these natives knew 
 a little English, which they had picked up from con- 
 tact with the whites. Gookin refers to them in his 
 " History of the Christian Indians," when he speaks of 
 " some skulking Indians of the enemy, that formerly 
 lived about Groton, the principal whereof was named 
 Nathaniel, he and his party did this and other mis- 
 chief afterward, in burning several houses at Chelms- 
 ford." 1 This Nathaniel was taken subsequently at 
 
 1 Archseologia Americana, II. 471. 
 
GROTON. 23 
 
 Cocheco (now Dover), New Hampshire, and hanged in 
 Boston. Some of these vagrants took an active part 
 in the burning of Groton during Philip's War. The 
 leader of the savages at this assault was John 
 Monaco or Monoco, nicknamed " One-eyed John," 
 from the loss of an eye. After he had taken by strat- 
 agem a garrison-house, he entered into a long conver- 
 sation with Captain Parker, who was stationed in 
 another house near by, and called him his old neigh- 
 bor. From this fact I infer that " One-eyed John " 
 knew Captain Parker, and had previously lived in the 
 vicinity. Warfare among the aborigines did not 
 require generalship so much as knowledge of places ; 
 and the head of an assaulting party was one familiar 
 with the clearings and the lay of the land in the 
 threatened territory. During the ensuing autumn 
 this leader was brought to the gallows in Boston, 
 where he suffered the extreme penalty of the law. 
 
 The Indians soon acquired from the English the 
 love of strong drink, which is sure to lead to disputes 
 and quarrels. The earliest documents at the State 
 House, relating to Groton and the savages, give an 
 account of a drunken brawl which ended in murder. 
 The affair took place in the Merrimack Valley, and 
 several men of this town were summoned to appear 
 as witnesses at the investigation before the General 
 Court in Boston. In the spring of 1668 Captain 
 Eichard Waldron built a trucking or trading-house 
 at Penacock (now Concord), New Hampshire, where a 
 few weeks later one Thomas Dickinson was murdered 
 by an Indian while under the influence of liquor. 
 The homicide created great excitement, and it has 
 
24 GROTON. 
 
 been supposed to have delayed the permanent settle- 
 ment of the place for many years. A warrant was 
 issued directing the constable of Groton to summon 
 John Page, Thomas Tarbell, Jr., Joseph Blood and 
 Eobert Parish, all of this town, before the General 
 Court in order to give their testimony, which they 
 did under oath. It appeared by the evidence that 
 there had been a drunken row, and that Dickinson 
 was killed by an Indian, who acknowledged the crime 
 and expressed great sorrow for it, but pleaded drunken- 
 ness in extenuation of the deed. The culprit was 
 tried at once by a council of the Indians, who sen- 
 tenced him to be shot, which was done the next day. 
 It is interesting now to note the high temperance 
 stand taken, more than two hundred years ago, by the 
 Chief Tohaunto, which places him abreast of the most 
 earnest opposers of the rum traffic at the present 
 time. 
 
 During a series of years before Philip's War the 
 Indians had been supplied with arms and ammuni- 
 tion, though this was contrary to the laws of the Colo- 
 nies. The French in Canada and the Dutch in New 
 York had carried on considerable traffic with the na- 
 tives in these contraband articles ; and occasionally 
 some avaricious settler would barter with them, giv- 
 ing powder and shot in exchange. The possession of 
 firearms made the Indians bold and insolent, and the 
 tendency of events was toward open hostilities. 
 This tendency was strengthened by a feeling of suspi- 
 cion on the part of the colonists, and by one of 
 iealousy on the part of the savages. Distrust always 
 grows out of suspicion, and the fears of the settlers 
 
GROTON. 25 
 
 began to be excited when they thought of their ex- 
 posed situation. Under these circumstances, it was 
 wise to prepare for all emergencies ; and at an early 
 day a military company was organized in this town. 
 The following entry is made in the manuscript records 
 of the General Court during the session beginning 
 May 6, 1673: 
 
 " James Parker of Groaten hailing had the care of the military Com- 
 pany there for seuerall yeares. is Appointed & ordered to be their leiften- 
 nant & AVm Larkin to be ensigne to the sajd Company there." * 
 
 The two officers of this organization were each pro- 
 moted one grade during the next autumn, which 
 would indicate that the company was filling up in 
 numbers. At the session of the General Court begin- 
 ning October 15, 1673, the record reads : 
 
 " The military Company of Groaten being destitut of military ofcers 
 The Court Judgeth it meet to choose & Appoint James Parker to be their 
 captane W m Lakin to be leiftennant & Nathaniel Lawrence to be their 
 ensigne. 2 
 
 Before this time there had been in Middlesex 
 County a company of troopers, or cavalry, made up 
 of men living in the frontier towns, of which Groton 
 was one— as mentioned in the General Court Eecords 
 of October, 1669. 
 
 One of the prominent men in the history of the 
 Colony at this period was Major Simon Willard. A 
 native of England, he came to Massachusetts in the 
 year 1634. He had lived at Concord, Lancaster and 
 Groton, and in all these places exerted a wide influ- 
 ence. He had filled various civil offices, and in his 
 
 (General Court Records, IV. 718.) 
 (General Court Records, IV. 726.) 
 
26 GROTON. 
 
 day was a noted military man. His farm was sit- 
 uated at Nonacoicus, now included within the limits 
 of Ayer ; and his dwelling-house was the first build- 
 ing burned at the attack on Groton, March 13, 1676. 
 During several months previously he had been en- 
 gaged with his men in scouting along the line of 
 frontier settlements and protecting the inhabitants. 
 At this assault Major Willard came with a company 
 of cavalry to the relief of the town, though he did not 
 reach the place in time to be of service in its defence. 
 He died at Charlestown, on April 24, 1676, a very 
 few weeks after this town was abandoned. Benjamin 
 Thompson, the earliest native American poet, pays 
 the following tribute to his character, in a little 
 pamphlet published during Philip's War, and entitled 
 " New England's Tears." It is certainly rude in ex- 
 pression, and probably just in its conception, but not 
 accurate as to the date of his death : 
 
 "About this Time Died Major Willard Esq.; who had continued one 
 of our Senators many years, and Head of the 3Iassachuset Bands. In 
 23 April 1676. 
 
 " EPITArHIUM. 
 " Great, Good, and Just, Valiant, and Wise, 
 New Euglands Common Sacrifice : 
 The Prince of War, the Bond of Love, 
 A True Heroick Martial Dove : 
 Pardon I croud his Parts so close 
 WJiich all the World in measure knows, 
 We envy Death, and well we may, 
 Who keeps him under Lock and Key." 
 
 Nearly one-and-twenty years had passed since the 
 little settlement in the wilderness was begun, and 
 Groton was fast approaching its majority. The new 
 town had enjoyed a moderate share of prosperity, and 
 
GROTON. 27 
 
 was slowly working out its destiny. The founders 
 were poor in this world's goods, but rich in faith and 
 courage. They had now tasted the hardships of 
 frontier life, but not as yet felt the horrors of savage 
 warfare. The distant thunders of a threatening 
 storm were beginning to be heard, and the occasional 
 flashes put the early settlers on their guard. Philip's 
 War had broken out during the summer of 1675, and 
 the outlying settlements were exposed to new dangers. 
 The inhabitants of this town took such precautions 
 as seemed needful, and trusted in Providence for the 
 rest. They were just beginning to prepare for the 
 work of another season, when a small band of prowl- 
 ing Indians alarmed the town by pillaging eight or 
 nine houses and driving off some cattle. This oc- 
 curred on March 2, 1676, and was a sufficient warn- 
 ing, probably, to send the inhabitants to the garrison- 
 houses, whither they were wont to flee in time of 
 danger. These places of refuge were usually houses 
 surrounded by a strong wall of stone or timber, built 
 up as high as the eaves, with a gateway, and port- 
 holes for the use of musketry. 
 
 In Groton there were five such garrison-houses, 
 and under their protection many a sleepless, anxious 
 night was passed by the in mates. Four of these 
 houses were very near each other, and the fifth was 
 nearly a mile away. The sites of some of them are 
 well known. One was Mr. Willard's house, which 
 stood near the High School ; another was Captain 
 Parker's house, which stood just north of the Town 
 Hall ; and a third was John Nutting's. house, on the 
 other side of James's Brook. The fourth was proba- 
 
28 GKOTON. 
 
 bly north of John Nutting's, but perhaps south of 
 Mr. Willard's. There is a tradition that one stood 
 near the house formerly owned and occupied by the 
 late Eber Woods, which would make the fifth 
 garrison-house " near a mile distant from the rest." 
 Eichard Sawtell, the first town-clerk, was living on 
 this site at that time, and his house would have been 
 a convenient rallying-point for his neighbors. With- 
 out doubt he was the Eichard Sawtell who served in 
 Major Appleton's company during Philip's War. 
 
 It is recorded in the inventory of his estate, on file 
 in the Middlesex Probate Office at East Cambridge, 
 that Timothy Cooper, of Groton, was " Sleine by the 
 Indeins the Second day of march, 1675-6." Cooper 
 was an Englishman by birth, and lived, probably, 
 somewhere between the Baptist meeting-house and 
 the beginning of Farmers' Row. It is not known that 
 there was other loss of life at this time, but the affair 
 was serious enough to alarm the inhabitants. They 
 sought refuge immediately in the garrison-houses, as 
 the Indians were lurking in the vicinity. On March 
 9th the savages again threatened the beleaguered 
 town, and by a cunningly contrived ambush, man- 
 aged to entrap four men at work, of whom one was 
 killed and one captured, while the other two escaped. 
 This second assault must have produced great alarm 
 and consternation among the people of the town. 
 The final and main attack, however, came on the 
 13th, when the enemy appeared in full body, — thought 
 to be not less than four hundred in number. The 
 inhabitants at this time all were gathered into the 
 several garrisons for protection. During the previous 
 
GROTON. 29 
 
 3or- 
 
 night the savages scattered throughout the neighk 
 hood, and the first volley of shot on the morning of 
 the 13th was a signal for the general burning of the 
 town ; and in this conflagration the first meeting- 
 house of Groton was destroyed, together with about 
 forty dwelling-houses. This building, erected at the 
 cost of many and great privations, was the pride of 
 the inhabitants. With its thatched roof, it must have 
 burned quickly ; and in a very short time nothing was 
 left but a heap of smoking embers. Although it had 
 never been formally dedicated to religious worship, 
 it had been consecrated in spirit to the service of God 
 by the prayers of the minister and the devotion of the 
 congregation. In this assault John Nutting's garri- 
 son was taken by stratagem. The men defending it 
 had been drawn out by two Indians, apparently 
 alone, when the savages in ambush arose and killed 
 one of the men, probably John Nutting himself, and 
 wounded three others. At the same time the garrison- 
 house, now defenceless, was attacked in the rear and 
 the palisades pulled down, allowing the enemy to 
 take possession. The women and children, compris- 
 ing those of five families, escaped to Captain Parker's 
 house, situated between James's Brook and the site of 
 the Town-House. 
 
 There is a family tradition, worthy of credence, that 
 John Nutting was killed while defending his log- 
 house fort during Philip's War. His wife's name 
 appears a few months later in the Woburn town- 
 records as " Widow Nutting," which is confirmatory 
 of the tradition. 
 
 Several printed accounts of Philip's War appeared 
 
30 GROTON. 
 
 very soon after it was ended, and these furnish all 
 that is known in regard to it. At that time there was 
 no special correspondent on the spot to get the news ; 
 and, as the means for communication were limited, 
 these narratives differ somewhat in the details, but 
 they agree substantially in their general statements. 
 
 With the exception of Hubbard's Narrative, the 
 contemporary accounts of this assault on the town 
 are all short ; and I give them in the words of the 
 writers, for what they are worth. The first is from 
 " A Brief History of the Warr with the Indians in 
 Newe England," by Increase Mather, published in the 
 year 1676. This account, one of the earliest in print, 
 is as follows : 
 
 " March the IQth. Mischief was done, and several lives cut off by the 
 Indians this day, at Groton and at Sudimry. An humbling Providence, 
 inasmuch as many Churches were this day Fasting and Praying. (Page 
 23.) 
 
 " March 13. The Indians assaulted Groton, and left but few houses 
 standing. So that this day also another Candlestick was removed out of 
 its place. One of the first houses that the enemy destroyed in this 
 place, was the House of God, h. e. which was built, and set apart for the 
 celebration of the publick "Worship of God. 
 
 " When they had done that, they scoffed and blasphemed, and came 
 to Mr. Willard (the worthy Pastor of the Church there) his house (which 
 being Fortified, they attempted not to destroy it) and tauntingly, said, 
 What will you do for a house to pray in novj we have burnt your Meeting- 
 house f Tbus hath the enemy done wickedly in the Sanctuary, they 
 have burnt up the Synagogues of God in the Land ; they have cast fire 
 into the Sanctuary ; they have cast down the dwelling place of his name 
 to the Ground. God, how long shall the Adversary approach f shall the 
 Enemy Blaspheme thy Name for ever f ichy withdrawest thou thinehand, even 
 thy right handf pluck it out of thy bosome.' 1 '' (Page 24.) 
 
 Several accounts of the war appeared in London 
 in 1676, only a few months after the destruction of 
 this town. They were written in New England, and 
 
GROTON. 31 
 
 sent to Old England, where they were at once 
 published in thin pamplets. The authors of them 
 are now unknown, but undoubtedly they gathered 
 their materials from hearsay. At that time Indian 
 affairs in New England atti acted a good deal of at- 
 tention in the mother country. One of these pamphlets 
 is entitled : " A True Account of the most Consider- 
 able Occurrences that have hapned in the Warre 
 between the English and the Indians in New Eng- 
 land, ... as it hath been communicated by 
 Letters to a Friend in London." This narrative 
 says : 
 
 " On the 13th of March, before our Forces could return towards our 
 Parts, the Indians sent a strong party, and assaulted the Town of Growton, 
 about forty miles North-west from Boston, and burn'd all the deserted 
 Houses ; the Garrison'd Houses, which were about ten, all escaped but 
 one, which they carryed, but not the English in it ; for there was but 
 one slain and two wounded." (Page 2.) 
 
 Another account, entitled : " A New and Further 
 Narration of the State of New England, being a con- 
 tinued account of the Bloudy Indian-war," gives the 
 following version : 
 
 " The 14th of March the savage Enemy set upon a Considerable Town 
 called Groughton, and burnt 31aj or Wilberds House first (who with his 
 family removed to Charts Town) and afterwards destroyed sixty Five 
 dwelling-houses more there, leaving but six houses standing in the 
 whole Town, which they likewise furiously attempted to set on fire ; 
 But being fortified with Arms and Men as Garisons, they with their 
 shot, killed several of the Enemy, and prevented so much of their 
 designe ; Nor do we hear that any person on our side was here either 
 slain or taken captive." (Page i.) 
 
 A few pages further on it says : " Grantham and 
 Nashaicay all ruined but one house or two." (Page 
 14.) Few persons would recognize this town under 
 the disguise of Grantham. 
 
32 GROTON. 
 
 A third one of these London pamphlets, bearing 
 the title of " News from New England," says : 
 
 "The 1th of March following these bloody Indians march't to a con- 
 siderable Town called Croaton where they first set fire to Major Willards 
 house, and afterwards burnt 65 more, there being Seaventy two houses 
 at fiist so that there was left standing but six houses of the whole Town." 
 (Page 4.) 
 
 The details of the burning of the town are found 
 in " A Narrative of the Troubles with the Indians in 
 New England," written by the Keverend William 
 Hubbard, and printed in the year 1677. It is the 
 fullest history of the events relating to Groton ap- 
 pearing near the time; and very likely many of the 
 facts were obtained from the Reverend Mr. Willard. 
 The account is not as clear as might be desired, and 
 contains some glaring discrepancies, but it is too long 
 to be quoted here. 
 
 The Indians were a cowardly set and never at- 
 tacked in open field. They never charged on works 
 in regular column, but depended rather on craft or 
 cunning to defeat their adversary. The red hell- 
 hounds — as they were sometimes called by our pious 
 forefathers — were always ready to attack women and 
 children, but afraid to meet men. The main body of 
 the savages passed the night following the final at- 
 tack in "an adjacent valley," which cannot now be 
 easily identified, but some of them lodged in the gar- 
 rison-house, which they had taken ; and the next 
 morning, after firing two or three volleys at Captain 
 Parker's house, they departed. They carried off a 
 prisoner, — John Morse, the town clerk, — who was 
 ransomed a short time afterward. The following 
 reference to him in an undated letter, written by the 
 
GROTON. 33 
 
 Rev. Thomas Cobbet to the Rev. Increase Mather, 
 shows very nearly the time of his release : 
 
 "May ye 12th [167G] Good wife Diuens [Divoll] and Good wife Ketle 
 vpon ransom paid, came into concord. & vpon like ransom presently 
 [ajfter John Moss of Groton & lieftenaut Carlors [Kerley's] Daughter of 
 Lancaster were set at liberty & 9 more. w l out ransom." (Mather 
 Manuscripts in the Prince Collection, at the Boston Public Library, 
 I. 76.) 
 
 The ransom for John Morse was paid by John 
 Hubbard, of Boston, and amounted to "about five 
 pounds." Morse's petition to the Council, to have 
 Hubbard reimbursed, is found among the Massachu- 
 setts Archives (LXIX. 48). 
 
 Fortunately the loss of life or limb on the part of 
 the inhabitants of the town was small, and it is not 
 known that more than three persons were killed — 
 of whom one was Timothy Cooper, and another, with- 
 out doubt, John Nutting — and three wounded ; two 
 w 7 ere made prisoners, of whom one escaped from the 
 savages and reached Lancaster, and the other, John 
 Morse, was ransomed. 
 
 The lot of these early settlers was indeed hard and 
 bitter ; they had seen their houses destroyed and their 
 cattle killed, leaving them nothing to live on. Their 
 alternative now was to abandon the plantation, which 
 they did with much sadness and sorrow. The settle- 
 ment was broken up, and the inhabitants scattered in 
 different directions among their friends and kindred. 
 In the spring of 1678, after an absence of two years, 
 they returned and established anew the little town on 
 the frontier. 
 
 In the autumn of 1879 the town of Groton erected 
 a monument to commemorate the site of the meeting- 
 3 
 
34 GROTON. 
 
 house which was burned during this assault. It bears 
 the following inscription : 
 
 "near this spot 
 
 STOOD THE FIRST MEETING HOUSE OF GROTON 
 
 Built in 1666 
 
 and burnt by the indians 
 
 13 March 1676" 
 
 The monument, in connection with two others 
 relating to the history of the town, was dedicated 
 with appropriate exercises in the Town Hall on Feb. 
 20, 1880, when an address was delivered by Dr. Sam- 
 uel A. Green, which was subsequently printed. 
 
 After Philip's War the colonists were at peace 
 with the Indians, but it was a suspicious kind of 
 peace. It required watching and a show of strength 
 to keep it ; there was no good-will between the na- 
 tive race and the white intruders. The savages at 
 best made bad neighbors ; they were treacherous and 
 addicted to drink. The following entries in the town 
 records show that they were a shiftless and drunken 
 set : 
 
 " Jnneuary 31 1681 It [was] agred upon by the select men That the 
 Indanes shall be warned out of the Toune forth with and if the shall 
 neiglect the warning and if any of them be taken drounke or in drinke 
 or with drinke Then these parsons ar to be sezed and brout be foure 
 the select men either by constable or by any other parson and be poun- 
 esed accordin as the law doth direct and the Informal- shall be sattised 
 for his paines" 
 
 " March 28 1682 two Indian squaws being apprehended In drinke & 
 with drinke brought to y e select men one squaw Nehatchechin swaw 
 being drouncke was sentanced to receive & did receive ten stripes the 
 other John Nasquuns sway was sentanced to pay 3 s 4<* cash and loose 
 her two quart bottle and the Liquour in it awarded to Sarg nt Laken who 
 seized them." 
 
 During this period the Indians began again to be 
 
GROTON. 35 
 
 troublesome, and for the next fifteen or twenty 
 years continued their occasional depredations by 
 murdering the inhabitants, burning their houses, 
 destroying their crops or killing their cattle. Into 
 these garrison-houses the neighboring families gath- 
 ered at night, where they were guarded by armed 
 men who warned the inmates of any approach of 
 danger. 
 
 At times troops were stationed here by the Colonial 
 authorities for the protection of the tbwn ; and the 
 orders and counter orders to the small garrison show 
 too well that danger was threatening. In the mean- 
 while King William's War was going on ; and the 
 enemy had material and sympathetic aid from the 
 French in Canada. The second attack on the town 
 came in the summer of 1694, and the accounts of it I 
 prefer to give in the words of contemporary writers. 
 Sometimes there are discrepancies, but, in the main, 
 such narratives are trustworthy. 
 
 The attack was made on Friday, July 27th, and Cot- 
 ton Mather, in his " Magnalia," thu3 refers to it : 
 
 " Nor did the Storm go over so : Some Drops of it fell upon the Town 
 of Grotou, a Town that lav, one would think, far enough off the Place 
 where was the last Scene of the Tragedy. 
 
 " On July 27. [1694,] about break of Day Groton felt some surprising 
 Blows from the Indian Hatchets. They began their Attacks at the 
 House of one Lieutenant Lakin, in the Out-skirts of the Town; but met 
 with a Repulse there, and lost one of their Crew. Nevertheless, in 
 other Parts of that Plantation (when the good People had been so tired 
 out as to lay down their Military Watch) there were more than Twenty 
 Persons killed, and more than a Dozen carried away. Mr. Gershom Ho- 
 hart, the Minister of the Place, with part of his Family, was Remark- 
 ably preserved from falling into their Hands, when they made them- 
 selves the Masters of his House ; though they Took Two of his Chil- 
 dren, whereof the one was Killed, and the other some time after hap- 
 pily Rescued out of his Captivity." (Book VII. page 86.) 
 
36 GROTON. 
 
 Governor Hutchinson, in his " History of the 
 Province of Massachusetts Bay," published during 
 the following century, writes : 
 
 "Having crossed Merrimack, on the 27th of July [1694] they fell upon 
 Groton, about 40 miles from Boston. They were repulsed at Lakin's 
 garrison house, but fell upon other houses, where the people were off 
 their guard, and killed and carried away from the vicinity about forty 
 persons. Toxus's two nephews were killed by his side, and he had a 
 dozen bullets through his blanket, according to Charlevoix, who adds 
 that he carried the fort or garrison and then went to make spoil at the 
 gates of Boston ; in both which facts the French account is erroneous." 
 (II. 82.) 
 
 In the assault of July, 1694, the loss on the part of 
 the inhabitants w T as considerably greater than when 
 the town was destroyed in the attack of 1676. It is 
 said that the scalps of the unfortunate victims were 
 given to the Count de Frontenac, Governor of Can- 
 ada. A large majority, and perhaps all, of the pris- 
 oners taken at this time were children. The Indians 
 had learned that captives had a market value; and 
 children, when carried off, could be more easily 
 guarded than adults. It was more profitable for the 
 savages to exchange prisoners for a ransom, or sell 
 them to the French, than it was to kill them. It is 
 now too late to give the names of all the sufferers, 
 but a few facts in regard to them may be gathered 
 from fragmentary sources. The families that suffered 
 the severest lived, for the most part, in the same gen- 
 eral neighborhood, which was near the site of the first 
 meeting-house. Lieut. William Lakin's house, 
 where the fight began, was situated in the vicinity of 
 Chicopee Row. 
 
 The following list of casualties, necessarily incom- 
 
GROTON. 37 
 
 :i 
 
 plete and in part conjectural, is given as an approx: 
 mation to the loss sustained by the town : 
 
 Killed. Captured. 
 
 John Longley's family " 3 
 
 Kev. Mr. Hobart's " 1 
 
 John Shepley's " 4? 1 
 
 James Parker, Jr.' s" 2 
 
 Alexander Bouse' s " 2 
 
 Mr. Gershom Hobart, the minister, whose house was 
 captured in this assault, lived where the Baptist 
 meeting-house now stands. One of his boys was 
 killed, and another, Gershom, Jr., was carried off. 
 There is a tradition extant that a third child was con- 
 cealed under a tub in the cellar*, and thus save* from 
 the fury of the savages. Judge Sewall writes in his 
 diary, under the date of May 1, 1695 : 
 
 "Mr. Hobarts son Gershom is well at a new Fort a days Journey 
 above Nerigawag [Norridgewock], Masters name is Nassacombfiwit, a 
 good Master, and Mistress. Master is chief Captain, now Bambazeen is 
 
 absent." 
 ("Massachusetts Historical Collections," V. Fifth series, 403, 404.) 
 
 According to a letter written by the Reverend 
 John Cotton to his wife at Plymouth, and dated 
 " Election-night, Boston » (May 29, 1695), he was res- 
 cued from captivity during that month. The inscrip- 
 tion on the Shepley monument says that "the Indi- 
 ans massacred all the Sheples in Groton save a John 
 Sheple 16 years old who the[y] carried captive to 
 Canada and kept him 4 years, after which he returned 
 to Groton and from him descended all the Sheples 
 or Shepleys in this Vicinity ;" but there is no record 
 to show how many there were in this family. Mr. 
 Butler, in his History (page 97), makes substantially 
 
38 GROTON. 
 
 the same statement, but does not mention any num- 
 ber. In my list it is placed at five, which is conjec- 
 tural ; of this number probably four were slain. 
 Shepley Jived near where the Martin's Pond Road 
 starts off from the North Common. The knowledge 
 which the boy John obtained of their language and 
 customs, while a prisoner among the Indians, was of 
 much use to him in after-life. Tradition says that, 
 when buying furs and skins of them, he used to put 
 his foot in one scale of the balance instead of a pound 
 weight. In the summer of 1704, while he and thir- 
 teen other men were reaping in a field at Groton, they 
 were attacked by a party of about twenty Indians. 
 After much skirmishing Shepley and one of his com- 
 rades, Butterfield by name, succeeded in killing one 
 of the assailants, for which act they were each granted 
 four pounds by the Provincial authorities. He was 
 the direct ancestor of the late Honorable Ether 
 Shepley, of Portland, formerly chief justice of the 
 Supreme Judicial Court of the State of Maine, 
 and his son, the late Gen. George Foster Shep- 
 ley, formerly a justice of the Circuit Court 
 of the First Circuit of the United States. 
 John's petition to the General Court, asking 
 that an allowance be made for this service, and giv- 
 ing the particulars of the attack, is found among the 
 Massachusetts Archives (XXX, 496, 497) at the State- 
 House. 
 
 Among the " Nams of thos Remaining Still in 
 hands of the french at Canada," found in a document 
 dated October, 1695, are those of "Lidey Langly 
 gerl" and " Jn° Shiply boy." In this list the resi- 
 
GROTON. 39 
 
 dences of both these children are incorrectly written, 
 Lydia's being given as Dover, New Hampshire, and 
 John's as Oyster River. They both belonged in this 
 town, and were taken at the assault of July 27, 1694. 
 The name of Thomas Drew appears in the same list 
 as of Groton, which is a mistake, as he was of Oyster 
 River. (Archives, XXXVIII. A 2.) 
 
 This expedition against Groton was planned in 
 part by the Indians at a fort called Amsaquonte above 
 Norridgewock, in Maine. It was arranged also in the 
 plan of operations that Oyster River — now Durham, 
 New Hampshire — should be attacked on the way ; and 
 the assault on that town was made July 18th nine days 
 before the one on Groton. At Oyster River more 
 than ninety persons were either killed or captured; 
 the prisoners from the two towns appear to have been 
 taken to Maine, where they were brought frequently 
 together during their captivity. On January 21, 1695, 
 Lieutenant-Governor William Stoughton issued a 
 proclamation, in which he refers to the " tragical out- 
 rages and barberous murders" at Oyster River and 
 Groton. He says that several of the prisoners taken 
 at these places "are now detained by the said Indians 
 at Amarascoggin and other adjoining places." 
 
 Hezekiah Miles, alias Hector, a friendly Indian, at 
 one time a captive in the enemy's hands, made a 
 deposition before the Lieutenant-Governor and Coun- 
 cil, at Boston, May 31, 1695, which gives some details 
 of the preparation for the attack ; and Ann Jenkins, 
 in a deposition on June 11, 1695, adds other particu- 
 lars. These papers may be found among the Massa- 
 chusetts Archives (VIII. 39, 40). 
 
40 GEOTON. 
 
 The story of William and Deliverance Longley's 
 family is a sad one to relate. They were living, with 
 their eight children, on a small farm, perhaps a mile 
 and a quarter from the village, on the east side of the 
 Hollis road. Their house was built of hewn logs, and 
 was standing at the beginning of the present century. 
 The old cellar, with its well-laid walls, was distinctly 
 visible forty years ago, and traces of it could be seen 
 even to very modern times. The site of this house 
 has recently been marked by a monument bearing the 
 following inscription : — 
 
 HERE DWELT 
 
 WILLIAM AND DELIVERANCE LONGLEY 
 
 WITH THEIR EIGHT CHILDREN. 
 
 On the 27th of July 1694 
 
 the indians killed the father and mother 
 
 and five of the children 
 
 and carried into captivity 
 
 the other three. 
 
 The monument was erected in the autumn of 1879, 
 at the expense of the town, on land generously given 
 for the purpose by Mr. Zechariah Fitch, the present 
 owner of the farm ; and it was dedicated with appro- 
 priate exercises on February 20, 1880. 
 
 On the fatal morning of July 27, 1694, the massa- 
 cre of this family took place. The savages appeared 
 suddenly, coming from the other side of the Merri- 
 mack Kiver, and began the attack at Lieutenant 
 William Lakin's house, where they were repulsed 
 with the loss of one of their number. They followed 
 it up by assaulting other houses in the same neigh- 
 
GROTON. 41 
 
 borhood. They made quick work of it, and left the 
 town as speedily as they came. With the exception 
 of John Shepley's house, it is not known that they 
 destroyed any of the buildings ; but they pillaged 
 them before they departed. They carried off thirteen 
 prisoners, mostly children, — and perhaps all, — who 
 must have retarded their march. There is a tradition 
 that, early in the morning of the attack, the Indians 
 turned Longley 's cattle out of the barnyard into the 
 cornfield and then lay in ambush. The stratagem 
 had the desired effect. Longley rushed out of the 
 house unarmed, in order to drive the cattle back, 
 when he was murdered and all his family either killed 
 or captured. The bodies of the slain were buried in 
 one grave, a few rods northwest of the house. A 
 small apple-tree growing over the spot and a stone 
 lying even with the ground, for many years furnished 
 the only clue to the final resting-place of thi3 unfor- 
 tunate family, but these have now disappeared. 
 
 William Longley was town clerk in the year 1687, 
 and also from 1692 till his death, in 1694 ; and only 
 one week before he was killed he had made entries 
 in the town records. His father, William Longley, 
 Sr., also had been town clerk during the years 1666 
 and 1667, and died November 29, 1680. The father 
 was one of the earliest settlers of the town, as well as 
 the owner of a thirty-acre right in the original Groton 
 plantation. Lydia, John and Betty were the names 
 of the three children carried off by the savages, and 
 taken to Canada. Lydia was sold to the French and 
 placed in the Congregation of Notre Dame, a convent 
 in Montreal, where she embraced the Roman Catho- 
 
42 GROTON. 
 
 lie faith, and died July 20, 1758, at the advanced age 
 of eighty-four years. Betty perished soon after her 
 capture from hunger and exposure ; and John, the 
 third child, remained with the savages for more than 
 four years, when he was ransomed and brought away 
 much against his own will. At one time during his 
 captivity he was on the verge of starving, when an 
 Indian kindly gave him a dog's foot to gnaw, which 
 for the time appeased his hunger. He was known 
 among his captors as John Augary. After he came 
 home his sister Lydia wrote from Canada urging him 
 to abjure the Protestant religion ; but he remained 
 true to the faith of his early instruction. 
 
 Their grandmother, the widow of Benjamin Crispe, 
 made her will April 13, 1698, which was admitted to 
 probate in Middlesex County on the 28th of the fol- 
 lowing December ; and in it she remembered these 
 absent children as follows: 
 
 " I give and bequeath Vnto my three Grand-Children yt are in Cap- 
 tivity if they returne Vizdt these books one of y m a bible another a Ser- 
 mon booke treating of faith and the other a psalme book." 
 
 The old lady herself, doubtless, had read the " Ser- 
 mon booke treating of faith ; " and it must have 
 strengthened her belief in Divine wisdom, and been a 
 great consolation in her trials. She did not know at 
 this time that her granddaughter was already a con- 
 vert to the Roman Catholic religion. The knowledge 
 of this fact would have been to her an affliction 
 scarcely less than the massacre of her daughter's 
 family. 
 
 John Longley returned about the time when the 
 grandmother died; and subsequently he filled many 
 
GKOTON. 43 
 
 important offices both in the church and the town. 
 Like his father and grandfather, he was the town 
 clerk during several years. Among the papers (Knox 
 Manuscripts, Waldo Papers, L. 13) in the possession 
 of the New England Historic Genealogical Society is 
 a deposition made by Longley, giving a short account 
 of his captivity among the Indians. 
 
 In the month of July, 1877, I was in Montreal, 
 where I procured, through the kindness of the Mother 
 Superior at the Congregation of Notre Dame, a copy 
 of the French record of Lydia's baptism, of which the 
 following is a translation : 
 
 "On Tuesday, April 24, 1696, the ceremony of baptism was performed 
 on an English girl, named Lydia Longley, who was born April 14, 1674, 
 at Groton, a few miles from Boston in New England. She was the 
 daughter of William Longley and Deliverance Crisp, both Protestants. 
 She was captured in the month of July, 1694, by the Abenaqui Indians, 
 and has lived for the past month in the house of the Sisters of the Con- 
 gregation of Notre Dame. The godfather was M. Jacques Leber, mer- 
 chant ; the godmother was Madame Marie Madeleine Dupont, wife of 
 M. de Maricourt, Ecuyer, Captain of a company of Marines: she named 
 this English girl Lydia Madeleine. 
 
 Signed "Lydia Madeleine Longley, 
 
 " Madeleine Dupont, 
 
 " Leber, 
 
 "M. Caille, acting curate." 
 
 After this attack of July 27th the town was left in 
 straitened circumstances, and the inhabitants found it 
 difficult to meet the demands made on them. In 
 this emergency they petitioned the General Court for 
 relief, which was duly granted. 
 
 Cotton Mather says that one man was killed at Gro- 
 ton in the year 1697, and another, with two children, 
 carried into captivity. (Magnalia, Book VII. page 
 91.) He does not give the date clearly, but inferen- 
 
44 GROTON. 
 
 tially it is June. The prisoner was Stephen Holden, 
 who was captured, with his two oldest sons, John and 
 Stephen, Jr. John was released in January, 1699, at 
 which time the father and the other boy were yet 
 remaining in the hands of the savages. It was not 
 long, however, before they too were freed ; for, in the 
 following June, the House of Representatives voted 
 three pounds and twelve shillings for the expenses 
 that had been incurred in bringing them back. 
 
 Queen Anne's War, as it is commonly called in 
 America, broke out in the year 1702, when England 
 declared war against France and Spain ; and the 
 American Colonies were drawn into the contest. The 
 Indians in New England were in sympathy with the 
 French ; and they kept the frontier settlements con- 
 tinually on the alert. Strict vigilance, on the part of 
 the colonists Avas the price of their safety. Military 
 companies were still held under discipline and drill, 
 and from time to time were reviewed by the proper 
 officers. In the year 1702, Chief Justice Samuel Sewall 
 accompanied Governor Joseph Dudley through Mid- 
 dlesex County on a tour of inspection; and in his 
 Diary, under date of October 28th, he writes: 
 
 " Went to Groton, saw Captain Prescot and his company in Arms. (Gov 1 
 bad sent to them from Dunatable that would visit them). Lancaster is 
 about 12 Miles Southward from Groton. Concord is 16 Miles % and 
 Ten-Rod from Groton." 
 
 (Massachusetts Historical Collections, VI. fifth series, 67.) 
 
 After these alarms there was a short respite, which 
 continued till 1704, when the frontier towns were 
 again exposed to savage warfare, and this town suf- 
 fered with the others. 
 
 Samuel Penhallow, in " The History of the Wars 
 
GROTON. 4>"> 
 
 of New England" (Boston, 1726), thus refers to the 
 attack on this place in August, 1704 : The Indians — 
 
 " afterwards fell on Lancaster, and Groaton, where they did some Spoil, 
 but not what they expected, for that these Towns were seasonably 
 strengthened. . . . 
 
 " And yet a little while after they fell on Groaton, and Nashaway [Lan- 
 caster], where they kill'd Lieut. Wyler [Wilder], and several more. 
 (Pages 24, 25.) 
 
 In the library of the Massachusetts Historical So- 
 ciety is a manuscript diary of John Marshall, of 
 Braintree, which has the following entry : 
 
 The begining of this month of august [1704] the Indians did mischief 
 at Lancaster Killed. 3 or -A persons burnt their meeting house : and did 
 some harm allso at Groton. the same week. Killed one or more : about 
 200 men went out after them who weer gone 20 days under major Taylor, 
 but Returned Without doing any spoill on them." 
 
 The attack on Lancaster was on July 31st, and 
 that on Groton probably within a day or two of the 
 same time. 
 
 It was during this assault that Matthias Farns- 
 worth, Jr., was captured and taken to Canada, where 
 he remained permanently. He was afterward mar- 
 ried to a French wife, and his numerous posterity are 
 still living in Canada. The name is found written 
 now Farnet, Farnef and Phaneuf. 
 
 A party of Indians, numbering about thirty, made 
 their appearance in town, and killed a man on the 
 night of October 25, 1704. Pursuit was at once made 
 for them, but it was unsuccessful. The Boston Neivs- 
 Letter, October 30, 1704, gives the following account 
 of the affair ; 
 
 " On Wednesday night [October 25] an English man was kill'd in the 
 woods at Groton by the Indians which were afterwards descryed in the 
 night by the Light of their Fires, by a Person Travailing from Groton 
 
46 GROTON. 
 
 to Limcatter, and judged they might be about Thirty in number ; pur- 
 suit wae made after them, but none could be found." 
 
 From ''Marshall's Diary" we learn the name of 
 the man who was slain. It is there recorded : 
 
 "on the 25 day [October, 1704], mr Breck was ordained at marlbor- 
 rough. the next day a man was killed and scalped by the indians he 
 belonged to the town of Groton his name was davis : a very useful man 
 and much Lamented." 
 
 It has been a tradition that John Davis was killed 
 by the Indians, but the date of his death was un- 
 known ; this entry, however, seems to fix it. It is 
 said to have happened in the early part of the even- 
 ing, while he was taking in some clothes which had 
 been washed and hung out to dry. He lived near the 
 Groton School, where W. Dickson resided when the 
 map in Mr. Butler's History was made; and Davis's 
 Fordway, in the Hver near by, named after him, is 
 still remembered by the older people of that neigh- 
 borhood. 
 
 It is not surprising that the inhabitants, upon the 
 renewal of hostilities, were obliged to ask for help 
 from the General Court. They had already suffered 
 much in life and property, and were little able to 
 bear new burdens. They represented to the Gover- 
 nor that they had been greatly impoverished by their 
 Loss of horses and cattle, of corn and hay, and that 
 they were scarcely able to hold out much longer ; 
 but the crowning calamity of all was the illness of the 
 minister, Mr. Hobart, which prevented him from 
 preaching. Their means were so limited that they 
 could not support him and supply his place besides. 
 They were obliged to earn their living at the peril of 
 their lives ; and some were thinking to leave the 
 
GROTON. 47 
 
 town. They spent so much time in watching and 
 guarding that they seemed to be soldiers rather than 
 farmers. Under these discouraging circumstances 
 they asked for help from the Province, and were al- 
 lowed out of the public treasury twenty pounds to 
 assist them in procuring another minister, besides ten 
 pounds to be divided among those who had been the 
 greatest sufferers in the late attack upon them. 
 
 Two years later another assault was made on the 
 town, though with little damage. I again quote from 
 Penhallow's History of the Wars of New England : 
 
 " [July 21, 1706]. Several Strokes were afterwards made on Chelms- 
 ford, Sudbury and Groton, where three Soldiers as they were going to 
 publick Worship, were way-laid by a small Party, who kill'd two, and 
 made the other a Prisoner." (Page 30.) 
 
 A few additional particulars of these "Strokes" 
 are found in the Rev. John Pike's Journal, printed 
 in the Proceedings of the Massachusetts Historical 
 Society for September, 1875: 
 
 "July 21, 1706. Sab: 2 souldiers slain & one carried away by the 
 enemy at Groton. They were all new-Cambridge [Newton] men & were 
 returned to their Post from one Bloods house, who had invited y m to 
 Dinner." (XIV. 143.) 
 
 Marshall, in his Diary, briefly alludes to this affair, 
 thus : 
 
 1 ' on the 21 [July] they Killed 2 and took one captive at groton. 
 
 The Rev. Jonathan Homer, in his History of 
 Newton, as published in the Massachusetts Histori- 
 cal Collections, V. 273, gives the names of these men 
 as John Myrick, Nathaniel Healy and Ebenezer Se- 
 ger, and says they were all three killed by the Indians. 
 This statement, however, is inaccurate, as John My- 
 rick was not one of the three soldiers, and, further- 
 
48 GROTON. 
 
 more, was alive after this date. It is sufficiently 
 clear from contemporaneous petitions among the 
 Massachusetts Archives (LXXI. 345,419), that two 
 of these men were brothers, by the name of Seger, 
 and the third one was Nathaniel Healey. It was 
 Ebenezer Seger who was killed, and, probably, Henry, 
 Jr., who was taken prisoner. 
 
 At various times in its early history, the town was 
 threatened by bands of roving Indians, who did what- 
 ever damage lay in their power to do. Such incur- 
 sions kept the inhabitants on the alert, and from time 
 to time companies were organized for the purpose of 
 scouring the neighborhood. 
 
 On March 12, 1694-95, an Act was passed by the 
 General Court, which prohibited the desertion of fron- 
 tier towns by the inhabitants unless permission was 
 first granted by the Governor and Council. There were 
 eleven such towns, and Groton was one of them. The 
 law required the inhabitants of these out-towns, who 
 owned land or houses, to take out a special license, 
 on pain of forfeiting their property, before they could 
 quit their homes and live elsewhere. Tt was thought 
 that the interest of the Crown would be prejudiced, 
 and encouragement given to the enemy, if any of 
 these posts were deserted, or exposed by lessening 
 their strength. Many towns were threatened by the 
 Indians about this time, and a few were attacked. It 
 is recorded that some of the settlers here left the 
 town, and there was probably a movement among the 
 inhabitants in other places to do the same. This 
 fact undoubtedly occasioned the enactment, which was 
 to remain in force " unto the end of the session of the 
 
GROTON. 49 
 
 general assembly to convene in May, one thousand 
 six hundred ninety-six (if the present war so long 
 last), and no longer, nor afterwards." 
 
 A similar Act was again passed on March 22, 1699- 
 1700, which embraced fourteen frontier towns, of 
 which Groton was one, and seven other towns that 
 " lye more open than many others to an attack of an 
 enemy." This enactment had a limitation in point of 
 time similar to the preceding one. Subsequently this 
 Act was revived on June 8, 1702, with the limitation, 
 though no towns are specified by name; again on 
 June 28, 1706, it was re-enacted, to remain in force 
 until June 29, 1707 ; and still later, but not for the 
 last time, it was passed on June 10, 1707. This con- 
 tinuous legislation to prevent the desertion of the 
 frontiers shows clearly the unsettled condition of the 
 outlying towns during Queen Anne's War, and Groton 
 was no exception. The inhabitants were now living 
 in constant dread of the savages. Sometimes an ex- 
 posed farm-house was attacked and burned, some of 
 the inmates killed and others carried away in captiv- 
 ity ; sometimes the farmer was shot down while at 
 work in the field, or while going or coming. This 
 was the fate of John Shattuck, and his eldest son John, 
 a young man nineteen years of age, who were killed 
 on May 8, 1709. 
 
 They were returning from the west side of the Na- 
 shua River, where Mr. Shattuck owned land, and 
 were attacked just as they were crossing the Stony 
 Fordway, near the present site of Hollingworth's pa- 
 per-mills, where they were killed. At the time of his 
 death Mr. Shattuck was one of the selectmen of the 
 4 
 
50 GROTON. 
 
 town. During the autumn of 1882 Messrs. Tiieston 
 and Hollingworth, of Boston, at that time the owners 
 of the mill, caused a suitable stone to be placed by 
 the wayside, bearing the following inscription : 
 
 NEAR THIS SPOT 
 
 JOHN SHATTUCK, 
 
 A SELECTMAN OF GROTON, 
 AND 
 
 his son john 
 were killed by the indians, 
 
 May 8, 1709, 
 while crossing stony fordway, 
 
 JUST BELOW THE PRESENT DAM. 
 1882. 
 
 A remarkable fatality seems to have followed Mrs. 
 Shattuck's kindred. Her husband and eldest son 
 were killed by the Indians, as has just been mentioned. 
 Her father, James Blood, was likewise killed, Sep- 
 tember 13, 1692. So also were her uncle, William 
 Longley, his wife and five children, July 27, 1694 ; 
 and three others of their children were carried away 
 into captivity at the same time. A relative, James 
 Parker, Jr., and his wife were killed in this assault, 
 and their children taken prisoners. Her step-father, 
 Enoch Lawrence, received a wound in an engagement 
 with the Indians, probably in the same attack of July 
 27, 1694, which almost wholly prevented him from 
 earning a livelihood for himself and family. The 
 three Tarbell children, who were carried off to Canada 
 by the Indians, June 20, 1707, were cousins of Mrs. 
 Shattuck. John Ames, who was shot by the savages 
 
GROTON. 51 
 
 at the gate of his own garrison, July 9, 1724, was the 
 father of Jacob, who married her niece, Euth Shat- 
 tuck. And lastly, her son-in-law, Isaac Lakin, the 
 husband of her daughter Elizabeth, was wounded in 
 Lovew^elPs Fight at Pequawket, May 8, 1725. These 
 calamities covered a period of only one generation, 
 extending from the year 1692 to 1725. 
 
 In a list of prisoners held by the French and In- 
 dians in Canada, March 5, 1710-11, are the names of 
 "Zech: Tarbal, John Tarbal, Sarah Tarbal, Matt. 
 Farnsworth [and] Lydia Longley " (Archives, LXXI. 
 765), all of Groton, though no date of capture is 
 given. Lydia Longley was taken by the Indians on 
 July 27, 1694, and the particulars of her case have 
 already been told ; Matthias Farnsworth was captured 
 in the summer of 1704; and the Tarbell children were 
 carried off on June 20, 1707* Sarah, John and Zech- 
 ariah were children of Thomas and Elizabeth (Wood) 
 Tarbell, who with a large family, lived on Farmers' 
 Row, near where James Lawrence's house now stands. 
 Sarah was a girl nearly fourteen years of age, John a 
 lad of twelve years and Zechariah only seven, at the 
 time when they were taken. They were near kindred 
 of the Longley family, who had been massacred 
 thirteen years before. The father was unquestionably 
 the Corporal Tarbell who commanded, in the autumn 
 of 1711, one of the eighteen garrisons in the town. 
 
 The story of their capture and captivity is a singu- 
 lar one, and sounds like a romance. They were 
 picking cherries early one evening, — so tradition re- 
 lates, — and were taken before they had time to get 
 down from the tree. It should be borne in mind that 
 
52 groton. 
 
 the date of capture, according to the new style of 
 reckoning, was July 1st, when cherries would be ripe 
 enough to tempt the appetite of climbing youngsters. 
 These children were carried to Canada, where, it 
 would seem, they were treated kindly, as no induce- 
 ment afterward was strong enough to make them re- 
 turn permanently to their old home. The girl, Sarah, 
 was sold to the French, and placed in a convent at 
 Lachine, near Montreal ; but what became of her 
 subsequently I am unable to say. 
 
 Thomas Tarbell, the father of these children, made 
 his will September 26, 1715, which was admitted to 
 probate six weeks later, and is now on file at the 
 Middlesex Probate Office in East Cambridge. After 
 making certain bequests to different members of his 
 family, he says : 
 
 "all the rest and residue of myfReall Estate I give to be Equally di- 
 vided between my three children, John, Zachary, & Sarah Tarbell, upon 
 their return from Captivity, or In Proportion unto any of them that 
 shall return, & the rest, or the parts belonging to them that do not re- 
 turn, shall be Equally divided among the rest of my children." 
 
 During my visit at Montreal in the summer of 
 1877, I saw the Congregation of Notre Dame, the 
 French record, of which the following is a trans- 
 lation : 
 
 " On Monday, July 23, 1708, the ceremony of baptism was performed 
 on Sarah Tarbell, who was born at Groton in New England, October 9, 
 1693. Her parents were Thomas Tarbell and Elizabeth Wood, both 
 Protestants, and she was baptized by the minister shortly after her 
 birth. Having been taken by the savages on Monday, June 20, 1707, 
 she was brought to Canada ; she has since been sold, and has lived with 
 the Sisters of the Congregation of Notre Dame, established at Lachine, 
 where she abjured her religion on May 1. Her godfather was M. 
 Jacques Urbaiu Robert de Lamorandi^re, Secretary of M. 1' Intendaut ; 
 
GROTOX. 53 
 
 and her godmother was Madame Marguerite Bouat, wife of M. Etienne 
 Pascaud, the deputy treasurer of the King in this country. 
 Her name Sarah has been changed to Marguerite. 
 " Signed, 
 
 "M<;te Bouat, 
 
 "Pascaud, 
 
 " Lamokandibre, 
 
 "Meeiel, Pretre." 
 
 The boys remained for many years with their cap- 
 tors at Caughnawaga, an Indian village on the right 
 bank of the St. Lawrence River, directly opposite to 
 Lachine. 
 
 It is supposed that they left this place about the 
 year 1760, when they moved up the river, in order to 
 establish another settlement. 
 
 In the year 1713 John Stoddard and John Wil- 
 liams were appointed by Governor Joseph Dudley to 
 go to Quebec and treat with the Governor-General 
 of Canada for the release of the New England pris- 
 oners. They were accompanied by Thomas Tarbell, 
 — probably the elder brother of the boys, — and we 
 find his petition presented to the House of Repre- 
 sentatives June 1, 1715, "praying consideration and 
 allowance for his Time and Expences in going to 
 Canada, with Major Stoddard & Mr. Williams, Anno 
 1713, to recover the Captives." 
 
 The petition was referred, and, on the next day, — 
 
 "Capt. Noi/es, from the Committee for Petitions, made Beport on the 
 Petition of Thomas Tarboll, viz. That they are of Opinion that nothing 
 is due from the Province to the said Tarboll, since he proceeded as a 
 Volunteer in that Service to Canada, & not imployed by the Govern- 
 ment, but recommended him to the favour of the House." 
 
 The report was accepted, and, in consideration of 
 TarbelPs services, he was allowed ten pounds out of 
 
54 GROTOX. 
 
 the public treasury. Captain Stoddard's Journal, 
 giving an account of the negotiations, is printed in 
 "The New England Historical and Genealogical 
 Begister" (v. 26), for January, 1851, and Tarbell's 
 name is mentioned in it. 
 
 We find no further trace of these boys, now grown 
 up to manhood, during the twenty-five years follow- 
 ing this attempt to release the New England pris- 
 oners. In the winter of 1739 John and Zechariah 
 Tarbell came back to Groton in order to visit their 
 kinsfolk and see their native town. They were so 
 young when carried away that their recollections of 
 the place were of course very indistinct. It is not 
 known now under what circumstances or influences 
 they returned. An itemized bill of the expense in- 
 curred in bringing them back from Canada was 
 made out against their brothers, Thomas and Samuel, 
 and perhaps paid by them. Shortly afterward Thomas 
 Tarbell petitioned the General Court for means to 
 enable him to meet the necessary charges of the 
 journey, besides the expenses of an interpreter; and 
 a conditional loan was granted. The record does not 
 say whether it was ever paid back by him. The pa- 
 pers relating to the subject are among the Massachu- 
 setts Archives (XV. A, 15-19). 
 
 On April 20, 1739, Governor Belcher brought the 
 case of these captives to the attention of the Council 
 and the House of Representatives, when he made a 
 speech, in which he said : 
 
 " There are lately come from Canada some Persons that were taken 
 by the Indians from Groton above thirty Years ago, who (its believed) 
 may be induced to return into this Province, on your giving them some 
 proper Encouragement : If this Matter might be effected, I should 
 
GROTON. 55 
 
 think it would be not only an Act of Compassion in order to reclaim 
 them from the Errors and Delusions of the Romish faith ; but their 
 living among us might, in Time to come, be of great Advantage to the 
 Province." 
 
 On the same day the subject was referred to a 
 Committee of the House, who reported a resolution 
 which was sent to the Council for concurrence ; and 
 on several occasions within a short time the same 
 question came up in different forms. 
 
 All these efforts, however, to reclaim the two men 
 from savage life proved unavailing ; for it is known 
 that they remained with the Indians and became nat- 
 uralized, if I may use the expression. They married 
 Indian wives, and were afterward made chiefs at 
 Caughnawaga and St. Regis, villages in Canada. 
 Their descendants are still living among the Indians, 
 and the Tarbells of the present day, in this town, are 
 their collateral kindred. Nearly forty years after 
 their capture, Governor Hutchinson met them in 
 New York State, and in his " History of the Province 
 of Massachusetts Bay" refers to them thus :— 
 
 "I saw at Albany two or three men, in the year 1744, who came in 
 with the Indians to trade, and who had been taken at Groton in this, 
 
 that is called Queen Ann's war. One of them, Tarbell, was said 
 
 to be one of the wealthiest of the Cagnawaga tribe. He made a visit in 
 his Indian dress, and with his Indian complexion (for by means of 
 grease and paints but little difference could be discerned) to his rela- 
 tions at Groton, but had no inclination to remain there." (II. 139.) 
 
 Some years after this time, these two young men— 
 now occupying the position of chiefs— moved up the 
 St. Lawrence River, accompanied by several others, 
 all with their families, and established the village of 
 St. Regis. This Indian settlement is pleasantly situ- 
 ated on the right bank of the St. Lawrence, the 
 
56 GROTOX. 
 
 boundary line which separates the State of New York 
 from Canada running through it. From its peculiar 
 position, it was agreed, during the last war with Eng- 
 land, that the Indians should remain neutral, but the 
 compact was often broken. In the summer of 1852 
 the tribe numbered about eleven hundred persons, of 
 whom it is said that not one was of pure Indian origin. 
 
 Many interesting facts concerning the Tarbells at 
 St. Regis are found in the " History of St. Lawrence 
 and Franklin Counties, New York" (Albany, 1853), 
 by Dr. Franklin B. Hough. A part of the village 
 comes within the limits of Franklin County ; and the 
 author has gathered up some of the stories still told 
 about these two brothers in that neighborhood. 
 
 In former years the St. Regis Indians had certain 
 rights in a land reservation in the State of New York ; 
 and more than once treaties were made between the 
 Governor of the State and the chiefs of the tribe, 
 among whom were descendants of these Tarbell boys. 
 A treaty was signed on February 20, 1818, in behalf of 
 the Indians, by Loran Tarbell and Thomas Tarbell, 
 and two other chiefs. Another treaty was signed on 
 September 23, 1825, by eleven chiefs and trustees of 
 the tribe, including Peter Tarbell, Thomas Tarbell, 
 Mitchel Tarbell, Louis Tarbell, and Battice Tarbell. 
 Some of these names, I am sure, will sound familiar 
 to the older inhabitants of Groton. It is very likely 
 that Battice is the same as Sabattis, an Indian name, 
 which is said to be a corruption of Saint Baptiste. 
 
 Dr. Hough writes about one of the earlier members 
 of the family as follows : — 
 
 " A half-breed Indian, who usually was known as Peter the Big 
 

 GROTON. 57 
 
 Speak, was a son of Lesor Tarbell, one of the lads who had been 
 stolen away from Groton by the Indians, and who subsequently be- 
 came one of the first settlers who preceded the founding of St. Regis. 
 
 " He was a man of much address and ability as a speaker, and waa 
 selected as the mouthpiece of the tribe on the more important occasions 
 that presented themselves." (Page 182.) 
 
 The statement is wrong, however, that Lesor was 
 the name of one of the captured boys. It is perfectly 
 well known that their names were John and Zecha- 
 riah, but it is not improbable that one of their sons 
 was named Lesor. If such was the case, it was in- 
 tended, doubtless, for Eleazer, the name of their 
 youngest brother, who was less than two months old 
 when they were carried off. It certainly would be a 
 touching tribute to their childish recollections if they 
 had remembered this little babe at home and carried 
 him in their thoughts for so many years. 
 
 In the summer of 1877 I visited St. Regis, where I 
 met a grandson of one of the Tarbell captives. He 
 was more than eighty years old, and could speak only 
 Indian ; and I had to talk with him through an inter- 
 preter. I learned that he was aware that his grand- 
 father had been taken when a boy, from a town near 
 Boston, and that he had kinsfolk still living there. 
 What interested me exceedingly was the physical re- 
 semblance between him and some of his collateral 
 relations, who lived and died at Squannacook within 
 my recollection. He was a man of ordinary size, with 
 a sunburnt face and gray hair, though somewhat bald. 
 There was but little appearance of Indian blood in his 
 veins, and he would have passed anywhere for a good- 
 looking old man. He lived with one of his sons in a 
 small house that was clapboarded and painted, — and 
 
58 GROTON. 
 
 one of the best in the village, — where, surrounded by 
 his grandchildren, he was passing the declining years 
 of his life in comfortable ease. 
 
 During the summer of 1723 " the Indian enemy" — 
 as the early settlers were wont to call them — still 
 threatened the western frontier towns. On August 
 16, 1723, according to the printed Journal of the 
 House of Representatives, Lieutenant-Governor Dum- 
 mer, at that time the acting Governor of the Prov- 
 ince, was desired immediately to order detachments 
 of men, varying from three to six, from the inhabit- 
 ants of the several towns along the line of outer set- 
 tlements, to be constantly employed in scouting and 
 ranging the woods in their respective towns ; and un- 
 der this order Groton was to have six. On August 
 24th it was ordered by the House of Representatives 
 that these scouts should be placed under the direction 
 of the chief military officer of the several towns, and 
 such officer should receive five shillings a week for 
 his services. Owing to informalities in the matter, a 
 dispute arose between the House and the Lieutenant- 
 Governor, who within two days sent two messages 
 to that body, and some slight modifications were 
 made in the original draft. 
 
 Penhallow, in " The History of the Wars of New- 
 England," speaking of the Indians at this period, 
 says: 
 
 " The next damage they did was at Groton, but were so closely pur- 
 sued, that they left several of their Packs behind." (Page 102.) 
 
 It was on Thursday, July 9, 1724, that John Ames 
 was shot by an Indian, one of a small party that 
 attacked his garrison in the northwesterly part of the 
 
GROTOX. 59 
 
 town. Ames lived on the north side of the Nashua 
 River, a short distance below the Hollingsworth 
 paper-mills. He is said to be the last person killed 
 by an Indian within the township. The Indian him- 
 self was immediately afterward shot by Jacob Ames, 
 one of John's sons. The Boston Gazette, July 13, 
 1724, thus refers to the event : 
 
 " A man was kill'd last Week at Groton, by the Indians, and 't is sup- 
 pos'd one Indian was kill'd by one of our Men in the Garrison ; the In- 
 dians left their Packs, 5 in number, which were taken and secur'd by the 
 English." 
 
 In the Gazette of July 27th it is said that "An Indian 
 Scalp was brought to Town last Week from Groton." 
 
 The New England Courant, July 13, 1724, reports 
 that " Last Week the Indians kill'd a Man at Groton, 
 and had one of their own Men very much wounded.'' 
 The same newspaper, in its issue of July 27th, says 
 that " The Scalp of an Indian lately kill'd at Gro- 
 ton is brought to Town." 
 
 Jacob Ames' petition for an "Allowance" or boun- 
 ty, for killing the savage, is found in the printed 
 Journal of the House of Representatives, November 
 20, 1724. 
 
 In the summer of 1722 the Provincial governments 
 of Massachusetts and New Hampshire offered a bounty 
 of a hundred pounds for every Indian's scalp that 
 should be taken and shown to the proper authorities. 
 This legislation incited volunteers to scour the wilder- 
 ness for the purpose of hunting the savages, and with 
 this motive Captain John Lovevvell, of Dunstable, 
 organized a company which soon became famous. 
 
 The story of Lovewell's Fight was for a long time 
 
60 GROTON. 
 
 repeatedly told in this neighborhood, and there is 
 scarcely a person who has not from early infancy 
 heard the particulars of that eventful conflict. It 
 was in the spring of 1725 that Captain Lovewell, with 
 thirty-four men, fought a famous Indian chief, named 
 Paugus, at the head of about eighty savages, near the 
 shores of a pond in Pequawket, now within the limits 
 of Fryeburg, Maine, and known as Lovewell's Pond. 
 Of this little Spartan band ; seven belonged in this 
 town; and one of them, John Chamberlain by name, 
 distinguished himself by killing the Indian leader. 
 
 The fullest account of the Fight is found in a 
 pamphlet entitled, " Lovewell Lamented, or, A 
 SERMON occasion'd by the Fall of the Brave Capt. 
 John Lovewell and Several of his Valiant COM- 
 PANY, in the late Heroic Action at Piggwacket Pro- 
 nounc'd at Bradford, May 16, 1725 By Thomas 
 Symmes,V.DM." (Boston, 1725.) The sermon con- 
 tains an historical preface, duly attested by three of 
 the company, which gives many particulars of this 
 ill-fated expedition. It includes a list of the men who 
 took part in the fight, with the names of the killed 
 and wounded. According to this list, the following 
 Groton men were members of Lovewell's company 
 and present during the action : John Jefts, Daniel 
 Woods, Thomas Woods, John Chamberlain, Elias 
 Barron, John Gilson [Isaac Lakin ?], Joseph Gil- 
 son ; of whom Thomas Woods, Daniel Woods and 
 John Jefts were killed in the fight, and Elias Bar- 
 ron, John Chamberlain and John Gilson [Isaac 
 Lakin?], wounded. It is stated by Mr. Symmes, in 
 his preface, that Barron subsequently " strayed from 
 
GROTON. 6 1 
 
 the rest, and got over Ossipy River, by the side of 
 which his Gun Case was found, & he has ner been 
 heard of since." (Page viii.) Joseph Gilson was the 
 only one of this quota who escaped injury. 
 
 The first edition of the sermon was pub- 
 lished on July 1st, and exhausted in a very few days. 
 A second edition was issued about the middle of 
 July, with a title-page somewhat changed from the 
 original one, as follows : " Historical Memoirs Of the 
 Late Fight at Piggwacket, with a SERMON Occa- 
 sion'd by the Fall of the Brave Capt John Lovewell 
 And Several of his Valiant Company ; in the late 
 Heroic Action there. Pronouuc'd at Bradford, May 
 16, 1725 By Thomas Symmes, V.D.M. The Sec- 
 ond Edition Corrected." (Boston, 1725.) In this 
 edition the running title of " An Historical 
 PREFACE " is changed to " Memoirs of the Fight at 
 Piggwacket." A few corrections are made ; in the 
 list both of the soldiers and of the wounded, the 
 name of Isaac Lakin is given in the place of John 
 Gilson's. 
 
 Captain Lovewell, the commander of the company, 
 was a brave officer and a noted man. He w r as at this 
 time in the prime of life, and ambitious to distinguish 
 himself. He had previously led two successful expe- 
 ditions against the Indians, and his very name in- 
 spired confidence. Only a few weeks before, his sec- 
 ond expedition had returned to Dover, New Hamp- 
 shire, where he made a triumphal entry at the head 
 of his company. They bore ten Indian scalps 
 stretched on hoops, and were received with great joy 
 and excitement; thence they proceeded to Boston, 
 
62 GROTON. 
 
 where they were paid a large bounty by the govern- 
 ment. The following Groton men were members of 
 the company which went on this second expedition : 
 Jacob Ames, Ephraim Farnsworth, Reuben Farns- 
 worth, Benjamin Parker, Samuel Shattuck, Samuel 
 Tarbell and Henry Willard. Throughout New Eng- 
 and, Lovewell's daring was made the subject of talk, 
 and the public looked to him as a natural leader in 
 border warfare. 
 
 With the small force now at his command, the 
 heroic captain pressed forward to meet, the enemy, 
 and in a few days reached the borders of Saco Pond, 
 since known as Lovewell's Pond, southeast of the 
 present village of Fryeburg, Maine. On the morn- 
 ing of Saturday, May 8th, while engaged at prayers 
 they heard a gun, and shortly afterward discovered 
 an Indian on a point of land which ran into the 
 pond. They were distrustful of an ambush, and a 
 consultation was held in order to see whether they 
 should advance or retreat. Their decision was to pro- 
 ceed at all hazards. They said: "We came out to 
 meet the Enemy ; we have all along prayed GOD we 
 might find 'em ; and we had rather trust Providence 
 with our Lives, yea Dy for our Country, than try to 
 Return without seeing them, if we may, and be called 
 Cowards for our Pains." After this answer, Lovewell 
 ordered his men to move forward cautiously ; and 
 they soon reached a place where they halted and took 
 off their packs, and piled them up together. Leaving 
 these behind without a guard, and advancing a short 
 distance, they came upon the Indian whom they had 
 previously descried. He was returning to his com- 
 
GROTON. 63 
 
 panions with some game that he had killed. Several 
 guns were instantly discharged at him, when he in 
 turn fired and wounded Captain Lovewell and another 
 man; after which he was killed and scalped. The 
 company then turned back, and with their wounded 
 leader repaired to the place where they had left their 
 packs. In the meanwhile Paugus, the far-famed 
 chief of the Pequawkets, at the head of eighty war- 
 riors on their way home from a marauding expedi- 
 tion, had discovered the pile of packs, and, counting 
 them, had learned the number of the English. Find- 
 ing that the force was much less than his own, Paugus 
 placed his men in ambush and awaited the return of 
 Lovewell. When the company came up for their 
 packs, the Indians with hideous yells rushed forth 
 suddenly from their hiding-places and began to fire. 
 The brave captain ordered his men to return it, which 
 was done with terrible effect. Lovewell himself fell 
 at the first shot, and eight of his men soon shared the 
 same fate. Ensign Wyman, of Woburn, then as- 
 sumed the command, and, perceiving that the Indians 
 were trying to surround them, ordered a retreat to the 
 pond, where he took his stand. A ledge of rocks pro- 
 jecting into the water on one side of him, and a deep 
 brook on the other, made a position favorable for de- 
 fence. The fighting continued, and during the day 
 the savages vainly endeavored to compel the valiant 
 band to surrender ; but they would not listen to the 
 proposition. Paugus was slain in the action by John 
 Chamberlain, of Groton. After the death of their 
 chief the Indians became somewhat disheartened, 
 and for a time withdrew from the skirmish. Later in 
 
64 GROTON. 
 
 the day the combat was resumed, when, it is supposed, 
 the enemy received reinforcements, but with no deci- 
 sive result. As night approached they again with- 
 drew, and left this little forlorn band masters of the 
 field. 
 
 About midnight the survivors, with the excep- 
 tion of three men mortally wounded and unable to 
 travel, fell back and directed their course to the fort, 
 where they expected to find their former companions ; 
 but in this hope they were sadly disappointed. It 
 seems that, at the beginning of the fight, a member of 
 the company, escaping, made his way to the fort, and 
 reported that Lovewell and his men were all cut to 
 pieces, which he may have believed. Disappointed 
 at finding the fort abandoned, the survivors of this 
 memorable command made their way back to the set- 
 tlements as best they could, coming in at different 
 places along the frontier line. 
 
 The name of Lovewell at once became famous, and 
 the story of the expedition was told in every house- 
 hold, and even in the pulpit. It was made the subject 
 of ballads, which w r ere sung at family firesides, and 
 excited the popular heart with the memory of the 
 brave and adventurous leader. Peace soon followed 
 the action at Pequawket, and deep and sincere was 
 the public feeling at its restoration. 
 
 John Chamberlain, the surviving hero of LovewelPs 
 Fight, was the son of Thomas and Elizabeth Cham- 
 berlain, of Chelmsford, where he was born March 29, 
 1692. The father was a carpenter and miller, who 
 afterwards removed to Groton, and lived about a 
 quarter of a mile northerly of Wattle's Pond, on the 
 
GROTON. 65 
 
 left-hand side of the road to Hollis. He is supposed 
 to have died about the year 1709. After the fight 
 the sou was known as "Paugus John," and bore that 
 name through life. He owned a mill, situated near 
 Brown Loaf, on a small stream formed by the con- 
 fluence of Martin's Pond Brook and another, now 
 called Paugus Brook. 
 
 His death took place about the year 1756, though 
 no record of it is found. The appraisal of his estate 
 was made on March 31, 1756, according to papers on 
 file in the Middlesex Probate Office at East Cam- 
 bridge. 
 
 If ever young Paugus came to Groton in order to 
 avenge his father's death, and it seems probable from 
 tradition that he did, it was undoubtedly at this place, 
 Furthermore, there is a deep hole in Paugus Brook, 
 known since the last century as Paugus Hole, where- 
 in it is said that Chamberlain sunk the body of the 
 Indian, after he had killed him. A small elm stands 
 on the south bank of the brook, very near the place. 
 
 Many other tales about the Indians have come 
 down by tradition, and some of them are probably 
 true. The following story, told me by the late Charles 
 Woolley, refers to Isaac Lakin, one of Lovewell's 
 men : 
 
 Lakin lived in a log-house near the Nashua River, 
 in the north part of the town. The house had no 
 glass windows, but had shutters instead, and a door 
 that swung on wooden hinges. One day an Indian 
 was seen lurking about the house, and hiding behind 
 the stumps, apparently bent on mischief. Lakin 
 seized his gun, and, standing 1 at a crack in the 
 5 
 
66 GROTON. 
 
 shutters, told his wife to swing the door so that it 
 would creak on its hinges. Hearing the noise, and 
 seeing the door open, the Indian sprang from behind 
 a stump, and started for the house, when Lakin fired 
 and shot him dead. Seeing no sign of other Indians, 
 after dark he dug a hole and buried him. 
 
 In the year* 1744 war was again declared between 
 England and France, called by the English colonists 
 King George's War. Civilization had now pushed 
 the belt of frontier towns far into the wilderness; and 
 Groton was no longer exposed to the assaults of the 
 Indians, though at times threatened with danger. 
 Her sons and soldiers, however, were still found 
 during this period, on the outer rim of settlements, 
 whenever and wherever their services were needed, 
 either to extend the borders or to defend them. A 
 military organization was kept up in the town, ready 
 for emergencies here or elsewhere in the neighbor- 
 hood. 
 
 The first settlement of Charlestown, N. H.— then 
 known as No. 4, — was made in the year 1740, by three 
 brothers, Samuel, David, and Stephen Farnsworth, 
 natives of Groton ; and they were soon followed by 
 Isaac Parker and his sons, and Obadiah Sawtell, also 
 of this town. The Farnsworths were leading men at 
 Charlestown, and they distinguished themselves on 
 several occasions in fights with the Indians. Samuel 
 Farnsworth, the eldest brother, was killed in a 
 skirmish, May 2, 1746. David was taken prisoner 
 by a party of French Indians, April 20, 1757, and 
 carried to Canada. He managed to escape, and 
 reached home not a long time probably after his cap- 
 
GROTOX. 67 
 
 ture. Stephen, the youngest brother, had also his 
 bitter experience with the enemy. He was captured 
 April 19, 1746, and taken to Montreal, where he re- 
 mained seventeen long months before he was ex- 
 changed. His health was so broken down by the 
 hardships of his captivity that he never fully regained 
 it. He died September 6, 1771, leaving behind the 
 reputation of a brave man and a good citizen. 
 
 Ebenezer Farnsworth, a native of Groton and a 
 kinsman of the three brothers just mentioned, was 
 captured August 30, 1754, by the St. Francis Indians, 
 at Charlestown. He was carried to Montreal and held 
 a prisoner during three years. His ransom was paid 
 in the summer of 1755, but he was not then set at 
 liberty. Mrs. Susanna Johnson and her sister, Miriam 
 Willard, were taken at the same time. They were 
 both daughters of Moses Willard, who had formerly 
 lived in the south part of this town. A full account of 
 the affair is given in " A Narrative of the Captivity 
 of Mrs. Johnson," published at Walpole, New Hamp- 
 shire, in 1796. Two years later, on June 18, 1756, 
 Moses Willard, the father, was killed by the Indians, 
 at Charlestown ; and in the same attack his son, 
 Moses, Jr., had a narrow escape from death by the 
 hands of the savages, being severely wounded at the 
 time. 
 
 Lieutenant Isaac Parker was taken by the In- 
 dians at the same time with Stephen Farnsworth, 
 and remained in captivity until the following winter, 
 when he was returned to Boston under a flag of 
 truce. 
 
 The Sawtell family is also largely represented in 
 
68 GROTOX. 
 
 Charlestown, where the name is now spelled Sartwell. 
 It is a numerous family in that town, and they sprang 
 from the early settler, Obadiah. who went from 
 Groton. He, too, had a sad experience in savage 
 warfare, and once was captured by the Indians. He 
 was taken by them on May 24, 1746, and remained a 
 prisoner until August 20, 1747. He finally met his 
 death at their hands on June 17, 1749, being attacked 
 while ploughing in his corn-field, unsuspicious of any 
 danger. 
 
 Charles Holden, Isaac Holden and Seth Walker, 
 natives of Groton, were early settlers and proprietors 
 of Charlestown. Moses Wheeler was another pioneer 
 and a distinguished soldier, taking part in some of 
 the fiercest encounters of the French and Indian 
 War. He was a large man and noted for his strength. 
 He was called by the Indians " the strong man." 
 Moses Willard, Isaac Farwell and Micha Fuller, other 
 settlers, were also from this town. Eleazer Priest, 
 son of Joseph Priest, of Groton, arid a soldier, was 
 captured by the Indians, on March 15, 1748, at 
 Charlestown, and died at Louisburg, Nova Scotia, in 
 September of that year, while on his way home. 
 
 The earliest minister of Groton was the Reverend 
 John Miller, who graduated at Gonvil and Caius Col- 
 lege, Cambridge, England, in the year 1627, and came 
 to this country in 1637. For a short time he lived in 
 Roxbury, where he was one of the elders in Eliot's 
 church. From the year 1639 to 1641, and perhaps 
 later, he was settled in the ministry at Rowley as as- 
 sistant to the Reverend Ezekiel Rogers ; and during 
 this period he filled the office of town clerk. He was 
 
GROTON. 69 
 
 made a freeman of Massachusetts on May 22, 1639. In 
 the autumn of 1641 he was waited on by messengers from 
 Woburn, who desired his services for their church ; 
 but they found " Mr. Roggers loth to part with him." 
 Johnson, in his " Wonder- Working Providence of 
 Sion's Saviour, in New England," refers to him both 
 in prose and verse. The following is a specimen of 
 the poetry : — 
 
 " With courage bold Miller through Seas doth venter, 
 To Toyl it out in the great Western wast, 
 Thy stature low one object high doth center; 
 Higher than Heaven thy faith on Christ isplac't: " 
 
 —Chap. XI., p. 131. 
 
 From Rowley Mr. Miller removed to Yarmouth, 
 where he was settled as a preacher, though the date of 
 his removal to that town is not recorded. Nor is it 
 known exactly when he came to Groton,but probably 
 at some time during 1662, as in that year the town 
 voted to build a house for the minister. On March 
 18, 1663, a vote was passed asking him " to continue 
 still with vs for our further edincat[ion]," which 
 shows that he was preaching at that date; but in three 
 short months his labors ceased and he went to take 
 his reward. In the first return of deaths, made by 
 the town clerk of Groton to the recorder of the 
 county, it says: — 
 
 " M r . Jn°. Miller, minister of Gods holy word died. 
 June 12 th 1663." 
 
 The second minister of Groton was the Reverend 
 Samuel Willard, a son of Major Simon and Mary 
 (Sharpe) Willard, and born at Concord, on January 
 31, 1639-40. He graduated at Harvard College in 
 
70 GROTOX. 
 
 the class of 1659, and was the only member who 
 took his second degree. He began to preach at Gro- 
 ton probably late in the year 1662, or early in 1663. 
 In the latter year, on the 21st of June, it was voted 
 " that M r . Willard if he accept of it shall be 
 their minester as long as he liues w c M r . Willard ac- 
 cepts Except a manifest providenc of God apears to 
 take him off." 
 
 Mr. Willard was a scholar and writer of consider- 
 able note in his day, and even now would be con- 
 sidered such. But little is known of his early history ; 
 and no church-record during his ministry at Groton 
 is extant. Coming here in the vigor of young man- 
 hood, at the age of twenty-three, — if we may judge 
 him from the high position he afterward attained, — it 
 is fair to assume that he exerted a strong influence in 
 this neighborhood. It is probable that his early ex- 
 periences on the outer rim of civilization fitted him 
 for the places of honor and dignity that he was subse- 
 quently called upon to fill. A few weeks after his 
 settlement he married Abigail, a daughter of John 
 Sherman, minister of Watertown ; and, after her 
 death, he married, as his second wife, Eunice, daughter 
 of Edward Tyng. He had a large family of children, 
 of whom five were born in this town. One of his 
 great-grandsons, Robert Treat Paine, was a signer of 
 the Declaration of Independence. 
 
 In the year .1673, Mr. Willard published a volume 
 of sermons entitled, " Useful Instructions for a pro- 
 fessing People in Times of great Security and Degen- 
 eracy : delivered in several Sermons on Solemn 
 Occasions." 
 
GROTON. 71 
 
 It consists of three sermons, of which one was 
 preached on the occasion of a case of witchcraft which 
 occurred in Groton. It is evident, from a reference in 
 the sermon, that the fame or notoriety of the case had 
 spread far from this town. Mr. Willard says : " There 
 is a voice in it to the whole Land, but in a more es- 
 pecial manner to poor Groton; it is not a Judgement 
 afar off, but it is near us, yea among us." 
 
 The book is inscribed, " To his Beloved Friends the 
 Inhabitants of Groton." Like all the publications of 
 that time, it is purely theological, and contains 
 nothing now of particular interest. If he had given 
 us even a few lines of town history, it would be almost 
 invaluable. We look in vain through its pages for any 
 thing that throws light on the manners and customs 
 of the early settlers. We do find, however, the modes 
 and habits of thought that were prevalent in those 
 days ; and with these we must be content, for the ser- 
 mons furnish nothing more. 
 
 After the town was burned by the Indians in the 
 spring of 1676 and the settlement deserted, Mr. Wil- 
 lard became the pastor of the Old South Church in 
 Boston, w T here he died on September 12, 1707. 
 
 The third minister was the Reverend Gershom Ho- 
 bart, a son of the Reverend Peter Hobart, of Hing- 
 ham, and a graduate of Harvard College in the class 
 of 1667. In the early spring of 1678, just two years 
 after the attack on the town, the old settlers returned 
 to their former houses ; and Mr. Hobart accompanied 
 them, or soon followed. He was not ordained, how- 
 ever, until November 26, 1679; and soon afterward 
 troubles between the people and the preacher began 
 
72 GROTON. 
 
 to spring up. There was the usual controversy about 
 the site of the new meeting-house, which is not pecu- 
 liar to this town or to that period, but is common to- 
 day here and elsewhere ; and there was a dispute over 
 the minister's salary. Mr. Hobart's pastorate was 
 anything but happy and harmonious, and he appears 
 to have left Groton about 1690. The records of this 
 period are very meagre, but contain brief allusions to 
 his absence. During the next two years there was 
 no settled minister of the town, though the inhabit- 
 ants were not without stated preaching. The Reverend 
 John Hancock filled the pulpit for several months 
 and received a call to become the minister, which 
 was declined. He was the grandfather of John Han- 
 cock, Governor of the Commonwealth and signer of 
 the Declaration of independence. 
 
 The fourth minister was the Reverend Samuel Car- 
 ter, who came on an invitation given by the town, on 
 October 21, 1692. It is evident, from the scanty records, 
 that he accepted the call and remained with his peo- 
 ple until the time of his death, which took place in 
 the autumn of 1693. According to papers on file in 
 the Middlesex Probate Office at East Cambridge, ad- 
 ministration on his estate was granted on October 
 30th of that year. Mr. Carter was the eldest son of 
 Thomas Carter, first minister of Woburn, and born 
 on August 8, 1640. He graduated at Harvard Col- 
 lege in the class of 1660, and, before coming to Gro- 
 ton, had been preaching at Lancaster for a consider- 
 able length of time. He was followed in time by 
 Gershom Hobart, who became the fifth minister as 
 well as the third, in the order of settlement. Mr. 
 
GROTON. 73 
 
 Hobart came back to his former parish in the autumn 
 of 1693, but it is not now known how the reconcilia- 
 tion was brought about between him and the town, 
 as the church records of that period are lost ; perhaps 
 t was throu gh an ecclesiastical council. He contin- 
 ued to preach here until about the end of the year 
 1704, when he gave up his charge. His dwelling 
 stood on the site of the present Baptist meeting- 
 house, and, at one time during the Indian wars, was 
 used as a garrison-house. On July 27, 1694, it was 
 captured by the savages, when one of Mr. Hobart's 
 children was killed, and another, Gershom, Jr., a lad 
 eight or ten years old, was carried off a prisoner 
 and held in captivity during nearly a year. Mr. Ho- 
 bart, the father, died at Groton on December 19, 
 1705. 
 
 During the year 1705 the pulpit appears to have 
 been filled by John Odly, as the records have it, and 
 probably the same as John Odlin, a native of Boston 
 and a graduate of Harvard College in the class of 1702. 
 On July 3, 1705, he received a call to be the " town's 
 minister and the church's officer," which was not ac- 
 cepted. 
 
 The fifth minister was the Reverend Dudley Brad- 
 street, a son of Dudley Bradstreet, of Andover, and 
 a grandson of Governor Simon Bradstreet. He was 
 born at Andover on April 27, 1678, and a graduate of 
 Harvard College in the class of 1698. He was the 
 first master of the grammar school in his native town, 
 where he was teaching as early as the year 1704, and 
 perhaps earlier. 
 
 It is highly probable that he was connected with 
 
74 GROTON. 
 
 this school when he received his invitation to come 
 to Groton. On May 4, 1704, he was married to Mary 
 Wain w right, and they had three sons, and perhaps 
 other children. Mr. Bradstreet was preaching here 
 as early as March, 1706, but was not ordained until 
 November 27th of that year. Under a vote of May 8, 
 ,1706, a house " of 38 foot long and 18 foot wide " was 
 built for the minister, which is still standing, and in 
 a state of good preservation. It is situated on the 
 east side of Hollis Street, and the present measure- 
 ments conform very nearly to the dimensions given 
 in the records. 
 
 In the summer of 1712 Mr. Bradstreet was dismissed 
 from his charge in this town, presumably for his 
 Episcopal tendencies ; and soon afterward he went 
 to England to apply for orders in the Anglican 
 Church. It appears from a copy of the original docu- 
 ment in Latin, made in a manuscript volume, (page 
 90), by President John Leverett now deposited 
 among the archives of Harvard University in the 
 College Library, that he was ordained a deacon by 
 the Bishop of London, on April 18, 1714, and a priest 
 one week later, on April 25th. He died of small-pox 
 during the next month, only two or three weeks after 
 receiving priestly orders ; and tidings of his death 
 reached this country in the following summer. 
 
 The sixth minister was the Reverend Caleb Trow- 
 bridge, a son of Deacon James Trowbridge, of New- 
 ton. He was born on November 17, 1692, and grad- 
 uated at Harvard College in the class of 1710. On 
 March 10, 1715, he was married, first, to Sarah Oliver, 
 of Newton; and on September 18, 1718, to Hannah 
 
GROTON. t 5 
 
 Walter, of Roxbury. Mr. Trowbridge was blessed 
 w T ith a family of nine children, and until recently 
 some of his descendants were living at Groton. He 
 died on September 9, 1760, and lies buried in the old 
 burying-ground, where the inscription on a slab of 
 slate laid over his grave makes a just statement of his 
 religious and social character. 
 
 The seventh minister was the Reverend Samuel 
 Daua, son of William Dana, and born in that part of 
 Cambridge which is now Brighton, on January 14, 
 1738-39. He was a graduate of Harvard College in 
 the class of 1755, and ordained in the ministry at 
 Groton on June 3, 1761. No articles of faith or 
 church covenant appear on the church records until 
 the period of his settlement. On May 6, 1762, he 
 was married to Anna Kenrick, of Newton ; and they 
 had five children born at Groton. His pastorate 
 appears to have been harmonious until the political 
 troubles of the Revolution began to crop out, when a 
 sermon preached by him in the early spring of 177-3 
 gave great offence to his parish. Mr. Dana's sympa- 
 thies were with the Crown, while those of the people 
 were equally strong on the other side; and the ex- 
 citement over the matter ran so high that he was 
 compelled to give up his charge. After his dismissal 
 from the town and church he remained at Groton 
 during some years, preaching for a year and a half to 
 a Presbyterian society, then recently organized ; and 
 later he removed to Amherst, New Hampshire, 
 where he died on April 2, 1798. 
 
 The eighth minister was the Reverend Daniel 
 Chaplin, a son of Jonathan Chaplin, of Rowley, 
 
76 GROTON. 
 
 where he was born on December 30, 1743. He grad- 
 uated at Harvard College in the class of 1772, and 
 studied theology under the tuition of the Reverend 
 Samuel Haven, of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. He 
 was ordained at Groton on January 1, 1778, when he 
 became pastor of the First Parish, and he continued 
 to hold this relation until the time of his death, on 
 April 8, 1831, being the last minister settled by the 
 town. The degree of D.D. was conferred upon him 
 by his Alma Mater in the year 1817. On June 24, 1779, 
 he was married to Susanna, eldest daughter of the 
 Honorable James and Susanna (Lawrence) Prescott, 
 of Groton. After their marriage they lived for awhile 
 in the house built by Colonel William Lawrence, who 
 was Mrs. Chaplin's grandfather. It was situated on 
 the north corner of Main and Court Streets, lat- 
 terly the site of Liberty Hall, which was burned 
 on March 31, 1878; and subsequently they removed 
 to the dwelling built by Major William Swan, and 
 situated on School Street, north of the burying- 
 ground. 
 
 Dr. Chaplin's youngest daughter, Mrs. Sarah 
 (Chaplin) Rockwood, died in Cortland, Cortland 
 County, New York, on November 26, 1889, at the re- 
 markable age of 104 years and eighteen days. 
 
 The ninth minister was the Reverend Charles Rob- 
 inson, the eldest son of Caleb Robinson, of Exeter, 
 New Hampshire, where he was born on July 25, 
 1793. He graduated at Harvard College in the class 
 of 1818, and was ordained over the Unitarian Church 
 at Eastport, Maine, where he remained two years and 
 a half. Mr. Robinson was installed at Groton on No- 
 
 ! 
 
GROTON. 
 
 77 
 
 vember 1, 1826, and resigned his charge in October, 
 1838. He was afterward settled at Medfield and at 
 Peterborough, New Hampshire, but in the year 1860 
 he returned to Groton, where he resided until his 
 death, on April 9, 1862. During his residence here 
 he was married, on July 3, 1827, to Jane, only daugh- 
 ter of the Honorable Stuart John Park, of Groton, 
 who died on March 23, 1828 ; and subsequently to 
 three other wives. 
 
 The tenth minister was the Rev. George Wads- 
 worth Wells, son of Seth and Hannah (Doane) Wells, 
 of Boston, where he was born on October 17, 1804. 
 He graduated at Harvard College in the class of 
 1823, and then pursued his theological studies at the 
 Harvard Divinity School. For a while he preached 
 in Boston and Baltimore, and, on October 24, 1827, 
 was ordained at Kennebunk, Maine, as colleague pas- 
 tor of the first Congregational Church in that town, 
 where he remained during eleven years. On Novem- 
 ber 21, 1838, Mr. Wells was installed over the First 
 Parish in Groton, where he preached with great ac- 
 ceptance and success until his death, which took 
 place on March 17, 1843. The last time that he of- 
 ficiated in the pulpit was on Sunday, February 5th of 
 that year. He was married on May 30, 1833, to 
 Lucia Gardner, daughter of John Fairfield, of Bos- 
 ton. Just before graduation at college, his middle 
 name was inserted by an Act of the Legislature, on 
 June 14, 1823. 
 
 The eleventh minister was the Reverend Joseph 
 Couch Smith, a native of Waltham, where he was 
 born on July 18, 1819. He graduated at Bowdoin 
 
78 GROTON. 
 
 College in the class of 1838, and subsequently passed 
 two years at the Andover Theological Seminary. On 
 October 11, 1842, he was ordained in Portland as an 
 Evangelist. After Mr. Wells's death he came to Gro- 
 ton, and was installed on July 12, 1843. Here he re- 
 mained during eight years, working diligently and 
 faithfully in the cause of his Master, to which he had 
 devoted his life. Finally the loss of his health com- 
 pelled him to ask a dismission, and his relations to 
 the society ceased in August, 1851. After passing 
 six or eight months in foreign travel, and returning 
 home much invigorated, he was called to the Chan- 
 ning Congregational Church, at Newton. Here he 
 preached for four years, when his physical infirmi- 
 ties again compelled him to seek retirement from his 
 cares and labors ; and he sailed for the Sandwich Isl- 
 ands in the hope that he would still be able to act as 
 an agent of the American Unitarian Association, but 
 in this he was disappointed. After a rapid decline 
 he died at Honolulu, of consumption, on December, 
 29, 1857. 
 
 Mr. Smith was twice married,— first, on August 31, 
 1843, to Augusta Hepsibah, daughter of Ivory and 
 Louisa (McCulloch) Lord, of Kennebunk, Maine ; 
 and secondly, on December 8, 1846, to Margaret Ann, 
 daughter of George and Margaret (Shattuck) Brig- 
 ham, of Groton. His first wife died at Groton, on 
 June 20, 1844, and his widow in Lowell, on March 
 31, 1864. 
 
 The twelfth minister was the Eev. Crawford Night- 
 ingale, a son of Samuel and Elizabeth Kinnicut, 
 (Thompson) Nightingale, and born in Providence? 
 

 GROTON. 79 
 
 R. I., on November 3, 1816. He graduated at Brown 
 University in the class of 1834, and at the Harvard 
 Divinity School in 1838, and was ordained as an 
 Evangelist, in Providence, on November 7, 1838. He 
 was married, on May 13, 1846, to Mary Hoyt, daugh- 
 ter of William Henry and Frances Wiswall (Hum- 
 phrey) Williams, of Athol. Mr. Nightingale was 
 settled over the parish on January 26, 1853, and 
 received his dismissal on September 1, 1866, though 
 he continued to be a resident of the town until the 
 year 1875. Before coming here he held a pastorate 
 at Chicopee, and had previously acted as a mission- 
 ary in Toledo, 0., and in Chicago. He has now re- 
 tired from the laborious duties of his profession, 
 though he preaches occasionally, and is living at 
 Dorchester. 
 
 The thirteenth minister was the Rev. George Mc- 
 Kean Folsom, a son of Charles and Susanna Sarah 
 (McKean) Folsom, and born in Cambridge on Feb- 
 ruary 6, 1837. He graduated at Harvard College in 
 the class of 1857, and at the Harvard Divinity School 
 in 1866. He was ordained at Groton on December 
 12, 1866, and married, on January 8, 1867, to Susan 
 Cabot, daughter of Charles, Jr., and Susan (Cabot) 
 Jackson, of Boston. In April, 1869, he left Groton 
 and removed to Dedham, where he was installed 
 over another parish. He died in Boston on May 20, 
 1882, and his wife at Dedham on June 27, 1871. An 
 only child, a daughter, born at Groton on November 
 16, 1867, survives the parents. 
 
 The fourteenth minister was the Rev. John Martin 
 Luther Babcock, a son of James Babcock, of Ando- 
 
80 GROTON. 
 
 ver, Me., where he was born on September 29, 1822. 
 His father's family removed to Boston in the year 
 1825, where he remained until 1846. In early life he 
 studied for the Baptist ministry, and joined the cleri- 
 cal profession in 1852, though he was not ordained 
 until January, 1854. He held pastorates at different 
 towns in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont, but 
 later he changed his denominational relations and 
 entered the Unitarian pulpit, being settled at Lancas- 
 ter, N. H., before coming to this town. He was in- 
 stalled over the First Parish on April 26, 1871, though 
 he had been preaching here since December 1, 1870, 
 and received his dismission on August 31, 1874, 
 though he continued to fill the pulpit until April 1, 
 1875. Since leaving Groton he has given up the 
 profession. On November 30, 1843, he was married 
 (first) to Martha Day Ayer, of Plaistow, N. H., who 
 died on January 26, 1846 ; and, secondly, on April 5, 
 1849, to Miriam Clement Tewksbury, of Wilmot, who 
 died at New Hampton, N. H., on September 22, 1888. 
 The fifteenth minister was the Rev. Joshua Young, 
 a son of Aaron and Mary (Coburn) Young, and born 
 at Pittston, Me., on September 29, 1823. He gradu- 
 ated at Bowdoin College in the class of 1845, and at 
 the Harvard Divinity School in 1848. He was mar- 
 ried, on February 14, 1849, to Mary Elizabeth, daugh- 
 ter of Dr. Sylvanusand Mary Bell (Warland) Plymp- 
 ton, of Cambridge. Mr. Young was settled in Gro- 
 ton at the beginning of 1875, and still continues to 
 be the minister of the parish. Before coming to this 
 town he had held pastorates in Burlington, Vt., and 
 in Hingham and Fall River. On commencement, 
 

 GROTOX. 81 
 
 June 26, 1890, he received the honorary degree of 
 Doctor of Divinity from his Alma Mater. 
 
 The formation of a second church in Groton dates 
 back to the summer of 1825, when the venerable Dr. 
 Chaplin, enfeebled by age, became so infirm that he 
 required the help of an assistant. At that time he 
 was well past eighty years, and the powers of a vig- 
 orous manhood were beginning to fail him. On Sun- 
 day afternoon, July 10, 1825, a very hot day, Dr. 
 Chaplin, near the end of his sermon, fainted in his 
 pulpit ; and soon after the question of settling a col- 
 league pastor came up. This matter gave rise to 
 much controversy and discussion, and resulted in a 
 division of the old parish into two societies. 
 
 It happened during a period when throughout 
 the Commonwealth many of the Congregational 
 Churches were undergoing great changes in their 
 creed, and were forming new lines of theological be- 
 lief. Few persons of the present day are aware of the 
 bitter animosity that prevailed in New England at 
 that time, when these churches were torn asunder by 
 internal dissensions, and of the sectarian feeling that 
 followed the division of the parishes. At the begin- 
 ning of the troubles the Reverend John Todd, a grad- 
 uate of the Andover Theological Seminary in the class 
 of 1825, had received a call to become a colleague pas- 
 tor with Rev. Dr. Chaplin, but which, owing to cer- 
 tain informalities, was never recognized by the town, 
 and over his settlement the main controversy had 
 arisen. The second society, made up of those who 
 had now separated from the First Parish, was duly 
 organized and a house of worship built, which was 
 6 
 
82 GROTON. 
 
 dedicated to the service of God on January 3, 1827, 
 and at the same time Mr. Todd was ordained in the 
 ministry. He remained as pastor of this society, 
 which became known as the Union Congregational 
 Church, until January 8, 1833, when he was dismissed 
 at his own request. 
 
 The Keverend John Todd was the eldest child of 
 Dr. Timothy and Phebe (Bud) Todd, and born in 
 Rutland, Vt., on October 9, 1800. He graduated at 
 Yale College in the class of 1822, and then entered 
 the Theological Seminary at Andover. On March 11, 
 1827, he was married to Mary Skinner, daughter of 
 the Reverend Joab Brace, of Newington, Conn., who 
 died at Pittsfield on April 29, 1889. After leaving 
 Groton, Dr. Todd held pastorates at Northampton, 
 Philadelphia and Pittsfield, where he died on August 
 24, 1873, after an illness of three months. In the year 
 1845 the degree of Doctor of Divinity was conferred 
 upon him by Williams College. He was the author 
 of more than thirty volumes, besides many sermons 
 and pamphlets, including among them "The Stu- 
 dent's Manual," a work which has exerted a wide in- 
 fluence on the young men of the country. 
 
 The second minister of the Union Church was the 
 Reverend Charles Baker Kittredge, a son of Josiah 
 and Mary (Baker) Kittredge, and born at Mount Ver- 
 non, N. H., on July 4, 1806. He graduated at Dart- 
 mouth College in the class of 1828, and at the Ando- 
 ver Theological Seminary in 1832. He was ordained 
 at Groton on October 15, 1833, but the time of his 
 ministry here was short, as he was dismissed on 
 August 31, 1835. After leaving this town he was set- 
 

 GROTON. 83 
 
 tied over various parishes in different places, and died 
 at Westborough on November 25, 1884. Mr. Kit- 
 tredge was married, on July 9, 1830, to Sarah, daugh- 
 ter of Charles and Susanna (Bayliss) Brigham, of 
 Grafton, who died on March 26, 1871. 
 
 The third minister was the Reverend Dudley 
 Phelps, a native of Hebron, Conn., where he was 
 born on January 25, 1798, and a graduate of Yale 
 College in the class of 1823, and of the Andover The- 
 ological Seminary in 1827. He was ordained at 
 Haverhill on January 9, 1828, where he remained 
 until the year 1833, and during 1834 and 1835 was 
 the editor of the Salem Landmark. Mr. Phelps was 
 installed at Groton on October 19, 1836, where he 
 continued as pastor of the church until his death, 
 which took place on September 24, 1849. He was 
 the father of the late Hon. Benjamin Kinsman Phelps, 
 district attorney of New York, an only child by the 
 first wife, who was Ann Kinsman, of Portland, Me. 
 The second wife was Lucretia, daughter of the Hon. 
 Benjamin Mark and Lucretia (Gardner) Farley, of 
 Hollis, N. H., and of Groton, to whom he was mar- 
 ried on October 12, 1837. 
 
 The fourth minister was the Reverend Edwin 
 Adolphus Buikley, a son of Erastus and Mary (Wal- 
 bridge) Buikley, and born in Charleston, S. C, on 
 January 25, 1826. He graduated at Yale College in 
 the class of 1844, and at the Union Theological Sem- 
 inary in 1848, and was married, on September 28, 
 1848, at Huntington, Long Island, N. Y., to Cath- 
 arine Fredrica, daughter of Daniel and Catharine 
 Fredrica (Kunze) Oakley. Mr. Buikley was installed 
 
84 GKOTON. 
 
 over the society on September 18, 1850, and dismissed 
 on January 10, 1864. Before coming to Groton he 
 was settled at Geneva, N. Y., and on leaving this 
 town he went to Plattsburg. At the present time he 
 has charge of a Presbyterian Church at Rutherford, 
 N. J. He has been blessed with eight children, of 
 whom three survive, and five of the eight were born 
 at Groton. In the year 1868 the degree of D.D. was 
 conferred upon him by the University of Vermont. 
 
 The fifth minister was the Reverend William 
 Wheeler Parker, a son of Ebenezer and Hannah 
 Brooks (Merriam) Parker, and born at Princeton on 
 March 2, 1824. He graduated at the Andover Theo- 
 logical Seminary in 1858, and on August 24th, of that 
 year, he was married at Holden to Emily, daughter of 
 Joel and Diodamia Walker. Mr. Parker was in- 
 stalled at Groton on May 16, 1865, and dismissed at 
 his own request on August 25, 1868. Since leaving 
 this town he has lived in several places, but is now 
 residing at Harwich Port. 
 
 The sixth minister was the Reverend Jeremiah 
 Knight Aldrich, a son of Nehemiah Knight and 
 Sarah Bowen (Branch) Aldrich, and born in Provi- 
 dence, R. I., on May 20, 1826. He became a licen- 
 tiate after an examination before the Windham 
 County (Connecticut) Association of Congregational 
 Ministers, on June 4, 1862, and was ordained at Cen- 
 tral Village, Plainfield, in that State, on February 17, 
 1863. He was settled at Groton on June 1, 1870, and 
 dismissed at his own request on May 18, 1873. Mr. 
 Aldrich was married, on June 3, 1848, in Providence, 
 R. I., to Sarah Hamer, of Taunton. 
 
GROTON. * 85 
 
 The seventh minister was the Reverend Benjamin 
 Adams Robie, a son of Thomas Sargent and Clarissa 
 (Adams) Robie, and born at Gorham, Maine, on Sep- 
 tember 9, 1836. He graduated at the Bangor Theo- 
 logical Seminary in the class of 1865, and was mar- 
 ried on July 6, 1869, at Vassalborough, to Lucy 
 Hedge Wiggin, of that town. He was settled as 
 pastor-elect on April 1, 1874, and resigned on April 
 1, 1884. 
 
 The eighth minister was the Reverend George 
 Austin Pelton, a son of Asa Carter and Ophelia 
 (Austin) Pelton, and born at Stockbridge, on April 
 15, 1833. He graduated at Yale College in the class 
 of 1861, and at Andover Theological Seminary in 
 1864. He was licensed to preach by the Essex South 
 Association in February, 1864, and ordained " to the 
 work of the Gospel ministry " without installation, at 
 Franklin, on August 9, 1865. Mr. Pelton was mar- 
 ried in New Haven, Conn., on April 27, 1864, to 
 Catharine Sarah, daughter of Seth Warner and Cath- 
 erine Post Brownson. He was settled as pastor-elect 
 on May 15, 1884, and resigned on May 15, 1886. 
 
 The ninth minister was the Reverend John Bar- 
 stow, a son of Ezekiel Hale and Eunice (Clark) Bar- 
 stow, and born at Newton Centre on February 16, 
 1857. He graduated at Dartmouth College in the 
 class of 1883, and at the Andover Theological Sem- 
 inary in 1887. He began his labors at Groton on 
 April 1, 1887, and was ordained and installed on June 
 29th, of the same year. Mr. Barstow was married at 
 Wethersfield, on July 5, 1887, to Mary Weller Wol- 
 Hfcott, of that town. He was dismissed at his own re- 
 
86 GROTON. 
 
 quest on September 12, 1889, and is now settled over 
 a society at Glastonbury, Conn. At one time his 
 father was the principal of Lawrence Academy. 
 
 The tenth minister is the Reverend Edward Leeds 
 Gulick, the present pastor. He is a son of the Rev- 
 erend Luther Halsey and Louisa (Lewis) Gulick, and 
 born in Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands, on March 21, 
 1862. He graduated at Dartmouth College in the 
 class of 1883, and at the Union Theological Seminary, 
 New York, in 1887. He began his labors on October 
 27, 1889, and was ordained on December 23d of the 
 same year. 
 
 A Baptist Society was organized on December 5, 
 1832, and the Rev. Amasa Sanderson was the first 
 minister. Captain Josiah Clark, one of the members, 
 generously gave them the use of a commodious hall 
 in the third story of a house at the south corner of 
 Main Street and Broad Meadow Road. In the year 
 1841 the society erected a meeting-house on the spot 
 where the Rev. Mr. Hobart's dwelling stood, which 
 was a garrison-house in the summer of 1694. 
 
 Mr. Sanderson was a native of Gardner, Mass., 
 where he was born on April 16, 1796. He was married, 
 first, at Weston, in 1822, to Abigail Rand, who died 
 on January 3, 1867 ; and, secondly, at Nashua, New 
 Hampshire, in July, 1867, to Mrs. Mary Rebecca 
 (Batch elder) Woodbury, widow of Seth Woodbury. 
 Mr. Sanderson supplied the pulpit until May, 1843, 
 when from feeble health he resigned his charge. He 
 died in Nashua, New Hampshire, on June 1, 1877, 
 and buried at Ayer. 
 
 The Rev. Alfred Pinney, of Auburn, New YorkfP 
 
GROTON. 87 
 
 was the second minister, and had charge of the society 
 from August, 1843, to August, 1844. He is a son of 
 Joshua Lasselle and Mary (Lake) Pinney, and 
 born at Middlefield, Otsego County, New York, 
 on October 15, 1812. In early life he studied the 
 profession of medicine, which he practised for a 
 while, but soon afterward gave up in order to enter 
 the ministry. He began a course of study in the 
 academic department of Madison University at Ham- 
 ilton, Xew York, with a view to graduate from the 
 college and the Theological Seminary, but owing to 
 trouble with his eyes lie was compelled to abandon 
 the plan. On June 8, 1841, Mr. Pinney was married 
 in Troy, New York, to Olivia Marcia Brownell ; and 
 he is now living at No. 95 Madison Street, Brooklyn. 
 
 The Eev. Lewis Holmes, a native of Plymouth, was 
 the third minister. Born on April 12, 1813, he grad- 
 uated at Waterville College (now Colby University) 
 in the class of 1840. He was settled at Groton in 
 May, 1845, and remained until May, 1849. Mr. 
 Holmes was settled over various societies in Massachu- 
 setts, and died at Plymouth on May 24, 1887. 
 
 The Rev. John Allen was the fourth minister, and 
 his pastorate extended from June, 1849, to September, 
 1853. He was born at Mansfield on March 27, 1792, 
 and died at East Providence Centre, Rhode Island, on 
 November 28, 1882. He was married, first, in the 
 year 1816, at Easton, to Sally Bonney ; and secondly, 
 on April 22, 1856, in Boston, to Mrs. Anna (Carpenter) 
 Carpenter, daughter of Caleb Carpenter, and a native 
 of Rehoboth. His father's name was Joseph Allen. 
 
 The Rev. George Everett Tucker was the fifth min- 
 
88 GKOTON. 
 
 ister, and his service began in November, 1853, and 
 lasted until June, 1857. Born at Canton on February 
 29, 1820, he fitted for college at Pierce Academy, of 
 Middleborough and graduated at Brown University 
 in the class of 1842: He has held pastorates at var- 
 ious places in Ehode Island and Maine, and died at 
 Dedham on October 24, 1888, while on a visit, though 
 his home was at Brunswick, Maine. 
 
 The Rev. Lucius Edwin Smith was the sixth min- 
 ister, and served the society from December, 1857 to 
 September, 1865. Mr. Smith is a native of Williams- 
 town, where he was born on January 29. 1822, and a 
 graduate of Williams College in the class of 1843. 
 He first studied law in his native town and was ad- 
 mitted to the bar in the year 1845 ; afterward studied 
 divinity and graduated at the Newton Theological 
 Seminary in 1857. His editorial services have been 
 extensive, and he is now associate editor of the 
 Watchman (Boston). The degree of D.D. was con- 
 ferred upon him by his Alma Mater in 1869. 
 
 The Rev. Oliver Ayer was the seventh minister, and 
 had charge of the society from April, 1866, till March 
 29, 1874. He is a son of Daniel and Nancy (Day) 
 Ayers, and was born at Plaistow, New Hampshire, on 
 August 2, 1810. He graduated at Brown University 
 in the class of 1834, in the same class with the Rev. 
 Crawford Nightingale, of Groton, and immediately 
 after graduation became the principal of Rockingham 
 Academy at Hampton Falls, New Hampshire. In 
 the year 1837 he was ordained at Littleton, Massachu- 
 setts, where he was the pastor of the Baptist Church 
 until 1843, and then, after a settlement at Dover, 
 

 GROTON. 89 
 
 Claremont and Deerfield, all in the State of New 
 Hampshire, he came to Groton in the spring of 1866. 
 
 After leaving his town he was settled for six years 
 over a society at North Oxford, since which time he 
 has been living in Providence, with no pastoral charge. 
 Mr. Ayer was married, first, on November 5, 1835, 
 to Caroline Persis, daughter of William and Elizabeth 
 (How) Garland, of Portsmouth, who died on Sep- 
 tember 23, 1857 ; and, secondly, on September 16, 
 1862, to Susan French Sargent, of Lebanon, New 
 Hampshire. 
 
 The Reverend Benjamin Franklin Lawrence was 
 the eighth minister, and settled over the society from 
 July, 1874, to August, 1880. He graduated at Colby 
 University in the class of 1858, and studied at the 
 Newton Theological Institution during the years 
 1859 and 1860. He has had charge of various 
 parishes in New England, and is now at East Jeffer- 
 son, Maine. 
 
 The Reverend Herman Franklin Titus served the 
 church from December, 1880, to February, 1881, with- 
 out settlement. He is a son of Moses and Sophronia 
 (Patch) Titus, former residents of the town. 
 
 The Reverend Thomas Herbert Goodwin was the 
 ninth minister, and settled over the society from 
 October, 1881, to January, 1884. He is a son of 
 Benjamin and Lucy Adams (Mixer) Goodwin, and 
 born in Manchester, New Hampshire, on July 4,1847. 
 He was married, on March 23, 1871, at New London, 
 New Hampshire, to Arviila Olive Pattee, and is now 
 living at North Hanover. 
 
 The Reverend Frank Curtis Whitney was the tenth 
 
90 GROTON. 
 
 minister, and settled over the church from August 1, 
 1884, to October 1, 1889. When he left the society he 
 went to Minnesota. 
 
 The Reverend Samuel Bastin Nobbs, the present 
 pastor, is the eleventh minister, and took charge of 
 the congregation on December 1, 1889. He is a son 
 of James and Eliza (Haynes) Nobbs, and born at 
 Charlton Kings/Gloucestershire, England, on July 1, 
 1862. After a short residence in Australia he joined 
 his parents in their removal from England to New 
 York in September, 1881. Receiving his preparatory 
 education at Gloucester. England, he entered the 
 Theological Seminary at Hamilton, New York, in the 
 year 1885, where he graduated in 1888. His first 
 pastorate was at Newport, Vermont. Mr. Nobbs was 
 married, on July 1, 1886, to Loue Maud Richardson, 
 of Hamilton, New York. 
 
 During the year 1885 a house of worship was built 
 at West Groton, which was dedicated on October 7, 
 according to the ritual of the Methodist Church. The 
 Congregational, Baptist, and Episcopal Societies of the 
 town were well represented on the occasion, and 
 everybody seemed to feel that the new building was a 
 benediction to the village. In the " Life of John 
 Todd " (page 181), written by his son, there is an early 
 allusion to a chapel built during the winter of 1827, 
 as follows : " My friends are preparing me a pretty 
 chapel over at this spot [West Groton], and as soon as 
 it is finished I am to open a battery there." All 
 recollection of this building among the inhabitants of 
 the village has now passed away. 
 
 During the first three years after the present church 
 
GROTON. 91 
 
 was built, services therein were conducted under the 
 auspices of the Methodist denomination, but since 
 that period the society has made arrangements with 
 the Congregational minister at Groton to supply the 
 pulpit, and he preaches on each Sunday afternoon. 
 
 Services of the Episcopal Church were begun in 
 connection with the Groton School at its opening in 
 October, 1884. The parish is called St. John's Chapel 
 of Groton School, and the sittings in the church are 
 free. The services are conducted by the head master, 
 Reverend Endicott Peabody. The present chapel was 
 built in the year 1887, and consecrated on January S, 
 1888, by the Bishop of the Diocese. 
 
 Lawrence Academy. — During the early part of 
 the year 1792 a voluntary association was formed at 
 Groton, by certain people of the town and neighbor- 
 hood, in order to establish an academy where a 
 higher education could be obtained than was given 
 at the district schools of that period. A subscription 
 paper was circulated for the purpose of procuring 
 funds to erect a suitable building. A subscription of 
 five pounds currency was the smallest sum received 
 from any person, and was denominated a share; ten 
 pounds was called two shares; and soon. On April 
 27, 1792, the association organized by choosing trustees 
 and the other customary officers; and from this as a 
 beginning sprang the institution known formerly as 
 Groton Academy, but now as Lawrence Academy. 
 When it was first opened, in the spring of 1793, the 
 exercises were held in the district school -house, on 
 Farmers' Row. By a resolve of the Legislature, on 
 Feb. 27, 1797, a grant of land was given to the academy, 
 
92 GROTON. 
 
 which consisted of half a township situated in Wash- 
 ington County, District of Maine. It comes now in 
 Hodgdon, Aroostook County, and lies on the eastern 
 frontier of the State, just south of Houlton. 
 
 Among the early friends and benefactors of the 
 institution may be mentioned, — Benjamin Bancroft, 
 Timothy Bigelow, James Brazer, Aaron Brown, Fran- 
 cis Champney, Daniel Chaplin, Samuel Dana, Na- 
 than Davis, Zechariah Fitch, Samuel Hemenway, 
 Samuel Lawrence, Joshua Longley, Joseph Moors, 
 William and Oliver Prescott, Samuel Rockwood, 
 William Swan and Samson Woods. 
 
 During the summer of 1841 the Academy building 
 was remodeled for the first time and somewhat en- 
 larged by an addition to the rear, at a cost of $2000, 
 generously given for the purpose by Amos Lawrence, 
 Esq., of Boston. The grounds also were improved, 
 and a fence, consisting of stone posts and chains, 
 placed in front of the yard, as well as on the south 
 side, separating it from the Brazer estate. • 
 
 In the spring of 1844 William Lawrence, Esq., of 
 Boston, an elder brother of Amos, gave the sum of 
 $10,000 to be added to the permanent funds of the 
 institution. In consequence of this liberal gift and 
 other manifestations of their interest in the school, 
 on the part of the two brothers, the trustees voted 
 the annual meeting, on August 20, 1845, to petition 
 the General Court to change the corporate name of 
 the school to " The Lawrence Academy of Groton." 
 At the next session of the Legislature the petition 
 was duly presented and granted on February 28, 
 1846. 
 
GROTON. 93 
 
 The benefactions of the Lawrence brothers did not 
 cease with the change of name in the school. During 
 the month of July, 1846, Amos Lawrence, Esq., 
 bought the Brazer estate (so called), adjoining the 
 Academy lot on the south, and formerly belonging to 
 James Brazer, Esq., for the sum of $4400, and soon 
 afterward conveyed it by deed to the trustees of 
 Lawrence Academy. He also requested that all the 
 buildings and fences on the place should be put in 
 complete repair at his expense, which was accord- 
 iugly done at a cost of more than $1200. During the 
 next month William Lawrence, Esq., wrote to the 
 trustees, offering to give $5000 to be used for the 
 enlargement of the Academy building, for the erec- 
 tion of a substantial stone and iron fence in front of 
 the grounds, including the Dana and Brazer estates, 
 and for the purchase of another bell for the school. 
 The Dana estate, adjoining the Academy lot on the 
 north, had formerly belonged to the Hon. Samuel 
 Dana, and was bought by the trustees in the sum- 
 mer of 1836. With this sum, thus generously placed 
 in their hands, the trustees, during the ensuing au- 
 tumn, enlarged the Academy by an extension on its 
 north side, and very soon afterward carried out his 
 wishes in the other matters. At Mr. Lawrence's 
 death, which occurred on October 14, 1848, he be- 
 queathed the sum of $20,000 to the institution. 
 
 Unfortunately, the main building of the Academy 
 was burned to the ground on July 4, 1868, and a 
 structure of brick and stone erected on the same site, 
 which was dedicated June 29, 1871. 
 
 A celebration in connection with the history of 
 
94 GROTON. 
 
 Lawrence Academy took place on July 12, 1854, 
 when an address was delivered by the Rev. James 
 Means, a former principal of the institution. It was 
 a distinguished gathering, and known at that time 
 as the " Jubilee." A full account of the proceedings 
 was afterward published, with a general catalogue of 
 the school from its beginning. Another re-union was 
 held on June 21, 1883, when a dinner was given in 
 the Town Hall to the old pupils. The assemblage 
 was not so large as the previous one, but quite as 
 enthusiastic. The wish was generally expressed that 
 the centennial anniversary of the school, which 
 comes in the year 1893, should be duly celebrated. 
 The proceedings on this occasion also were printed 
 in a pamphlet form. 
 
 During the early days of New England there was 
 no distinct class of men following the profession of 
 medicine, but the practice was taken up in connec- 
 tion with some other calling. In every community 
 either the minister or the schoolmaster or some 
 skilled nurse was expected to act in cases of need, 
 and, for the most part, such persons performed the 
 duties now undertaken by the faculty. In the early 
 part of 1672 the Rev. Samuel Willard wrote a long 
 account of a case of witchcraft which befell Eliza- 
 beth Knapp, of Groton, and he relates how the 
 "Physitian'' came to see her on November 5, 1671, 
 when he gave his judgment on the case, or, in other 
 words, made the diagnosis. It would be an interest- 
 ing fact to know who was the doctor then practicing 
 in the neighborhood, but this is now beyond the reach 
 of historical inquiry. 
 
GROTON. 9S 
 
 The earliest physician in Groton, mentioned by 
 name, of whom I have found any trace, is Dr. Henry 
 Blasdell, who was impressed into the public service 
 by Colonel Edmund Goffe. On May 28, 1725, he pe- 
 titioned the General Court that an allowance be 
 made him for his professional services and for medi- 
 cines furnished during the campaign of the previous 
 autumn, while he was surgeon to the western forces. 
 The amount of his bill was £26 14-?. and the General 
 Court allowed him £17 9s. 
 
 Dr. Ezekiel Chase, of Groton, wa? married at New- 
 bury, on May 20, 1729, to Priscilia Merrill, of that 
 town. She was a daughter of Nathan and Hannah 
 (Kent) Merrill, and born at Newbury, on October 16, 
 1703. 
 
 Dr. Benjamin Morse was a son of Dr. Benjamin 
 and Abigail (Dudley) Morse, and born at Sutton on 
 March 20, 1740. He was married; on November 27, 
 1760, to Mary, daughter of Isaac and Sarah Barnard, 
 also born at Sutton, on September 13, 1741 ; and 
 while living in that town they had a family of six 
 children. 
 
 Dr. Morse came to Groton probably during the 
 Revolutionary period, aad was a Representative to 
 the General Court in the session of 1784, and several 
 succeeding ones ; and he w r as also a delegate to the 
 Convention for adopting the Constitution of the Uni- 
 ted States, in the year 1788, where he opposed the 
 adoption. He lived in the south part of the town, 
 near the present village of Aver ; and the site of his 
 house is laid down on the map of Groton, published 
 in 1832. He died on May 31, 1833, aged ninety-three 
 
96 GROTON. 
 
 years, and his widow, on December 16, 1835, aged 
 ninety-four years. 
 
 Dr. Ephraim Ware, a physician of Groton, was 
 married at Cambridge, on October 13, 1785, to Mrs. 
 Abigail Gamage. He was a native of Needham, and 
 born on January 14, 1725. His first wife was Martha, 
 daughter of Josiah and Elizabeth Parker, of Groton, 
 where they were married on July 26, 1764. She was 
 born on January 7, 1737, and died at Groton on 
 April 4, 1776. After their marriage they went to 
 Dedham to live, as the records of that town say : 
 " The Selectmen on the 2d Day of Augt., 1765, gave 
 Orders to Israel Everett, Constable, to warn Ephraim 
 Ware, Martha Ware [and three others] to depart this 
 Town in 14 Days, or give Security to indemnify the 
 Town." Such orders were in accordance with an old 
 practice, then common throughout the Province, which 
 aimed to prevent the permanent settlement of families 
 in towns where they might become a public burden. 
 Their two eldest children, both boys, were born at Ded- 
 ham ; and three other children — a daughter, Sarah, 
 and two sons, who both died in infancy — were born 
 at Groton. Sarah, born on September 18, 1769, was 
 married to Richard Sawtell, of Groton, on March 10, 
 1796, and died on March 23, 1851, having been the 
 mother of nine children. 
 
 Dr. Ephraim Woolson was practicing medicine 
 at Groton in the year 1766. He was a son of Isaac 
 and Sibyl Woolson, and born at Weston on April 11, 
 1740. He graduated at Harvard College in the class 
 of 1760, and was married to Mary Richardson on July 
 29, 1765. Dr. AVoolson appears to have been living 
 
GROTON. 07 
 
 at Weston just before his residence at Groton, and in 
 the year 1767 he bought land at Princeton, where six 
 of his children were born. He was a justice of the 
 peace, and is said to have died in the year 1802. 
 
 Dr. Jonathan Gove was a son of John and Tabitha 
 (Livermore) Gove, and born in that part of Weston 
 which is now Lincoln, on August 22, 1746. He grad- 
 uated at Harvard College in the class of 1768, and 
 studied medicine under the instruction of Dr. Oliver 
 Prescott, of Groton. About the year 1770 he was mar- 
 ried to Mary, daughter of Nathan and Mary (Patter- 
 son) Hubbard, of this town, and here John and Lu- 
 cinda, their two eldest children, were born and baptized. 
 This son graduated at Dartmouth College in the class 
 of 1793, studied law and died at Chillicothe, Ohio, in 
 the year 1802. From Groton Dr. Gove removed to 
 New Boston, New Hampshire, where three more 
 children were born. His wife was born at Groton on 
 January 9, 1748, and died at New Boston. He was 
 married, secondly, on January 6, 1791, to Polly Dow, 
 who became the mother of three children. Dr. Gove 
 subsequently removed to Goffstown, New Hampsl^e, 
 and died there on March 24, 1818. 
 
 Dr. Samuel Farns worth was the youngest child of 
 Isaac and Anna (Green) Farns worth, and born at 
 Groton on September 29, 1767. He was married, on 
 November 25, 1788, to Betsey, daughter of Captain 
 Zachariah and Lydia (Tuck) Fitch, and they had a 
 family of eight children, of whom two sons, Samuel 
 and Benjamin Franklin, were graduates of Dartmouth 
 College in the class of 1813. Dr. Farnsworth subse- 
 quently removed to Bridgeton, Maine, where he had a 
 
98 GROTON. 
 
 successful career as a physician. His eldest child, 
 Betsey, was born at Groton on July 2, 1789, and the 
 next one, Samuel, at Bridgton on October 9, 1791 ; 
 and the removal from this town took place in the 
 year 1790. He died on November 4, 1817. 
 
 These several physicians practiced their profession 
 in the neighborhood of Groton, though they had never 
 taken medical degrees. Before the present century 
 this was a common custom throughout the country ; 
 and the instances were very exceptional where prac- 
 titioners could rightfully append M.D. to their names. 
 As a class they were men of shrewd sense and acute 
 observers, and their practice was attended with suc- 
 cess. Perhaps they made a better use of their oppor- 
 tunities than we make to-day with our richly endowed 
 medical schools and numerous hospitals. 
 
 During the last century Dr. Oliver Prescott was 
 an eminent physician of Groton, and he took high 
 professional rank throughout the Province. He was 
 the youngest of three distinguished brothers, of whom 
 the eldest was Judge James Prescott, who filled many 
 important positions in civil life as well as in military 
 circles ; and the second was Colonel William Prescott, 
 who commanded the American forces at the Battle of 
 Bunker Hill. Both Dr. Oliver Prescott and his son, 
 Dr. Oliver Prescott, Jr., occupied exceptional place 
 among the physicians of Middlesex County. 
 
 Dr. Oliver Prescott was a son of the Honorable 
 Benjamin and Abigail (Oliver) Prescott, and born at 
 Groton on April 27, 1731. He graduated at Harvard 
 College with the highest honors in 1750, and then 
 studied medicine under the tuition of Dr. Ebenezer 
 
GEOTON. 99 
 
 Eobie, of Sudbury. On October 19, 1756, he was 
 married to Lydia, daughter of David and Abigail 
 (Jennison) Baldwin, of Sudbury, and they had eight 
 children. His high standing in the profession gave 
 him a place as a charter member of the Massachu- 
 setts Medical Society in 1781, and at the commence- 
 ment of 1791 Harvard College conferred upon him the 
 honorary degree of M.D. He was also the president 
 of the Middlesex Medical Society during the whole 
 period of its existence. Apart from his professional 
 laurels he likewise enjoyed many civil and military 
 honors. 
 
 Dr. Prescott was town clerk during thirteen years, 
 and selectman during thirty-two years. Before the 
 Revolution he held the offices of major, lieutenant- 
 colonel, colonel and general, respectively, in the 
 militia. Subsequently, in the year 177S, he was ap- 
 pointed third major-general of the militia, and in 
 1781 second major-general, but soon afterward, on ac- 
 count of ill health, he resigned the position. He 
 was a justice throughout the Commonwealth, a mem- 
 ber of the Board of War, a member of the Council of 
 Massachusetts, until he declined the office, and, in the 
 year 1779, was appointed Judge of Probate, and con- 
 tinued as such until his death. He took an active 
 part in suppressing Shays's Rebellion, which had 
 many supporters in this neighborhood. Dr. Prescott 
 was one of the original trustees of Groton Academy, 
 and the first president of the board ; and he was also 
 a member of the American Academy of Arts and 
 Sciences. He died on November 17, 1804, aged sev- 
 enty-three years, and his wife on September 27, 1798, 
 aged sixty-two years. 
 
 L.ofC. 
 
100 GROTON. 
 
 Dr. Oliver Prescott, Jr., was the eldest son of Dr. 
 Oliver Prescott, and born at Groton on April 4, 1762. 
 He pursued his preparatory studies under Master 
 Moody at Dummer Academy, and graduated at Har- 
 vard College in the class of 1783. He studied medi- 
 cine under the direction of his father and Dr. James 
 Lloyd, of Boston, and established himself in practice 
 in his native town. With every social advantage in 
 his favor he at once took high rank as a physician, 
 and soon enjoyed a wide reputation. On Feb. 22, 
 1791, he was married to Nancy, daughter of Captain 
 Leonard and Ann (Hall) Whiting, of Hollis, N. H., 
 and they had nine children. His wife died on Sept. 
 13, 1821, aged fifty-eight years ; and he was married, 
 secondly, on Nov. 6, 1823, to Mrs. Elizabeth (Atkins) 
 Oliver, who was born on Dec. 30, 1762, and died on 
 May 21, 1835. Dr. Prescott was the town clerk and 
 chairman of the selectmen from the year 1804 to 1811, 
 and represented the town in the General Court dur- 
 ing the sessions of 1809 and 1810. He was a trustee 
 of Groton Academy from the time of its incorpora- 
 tion until 1811, when he removed to Newburyport, 
 
 where he died on September 26, 1827. 
 
 Dr. Joseph Mansfield was a son of Richard and 
 Elizabeth ( Whittemore) Mansfield, and born in Lynn 
 on December 17, 1770. He graduated at Harvard 
 College in the class of 1801, and among his class- 
 mates were Tyler Bigelow, Thomas Bond, James Ab- 
 bot Cummings, Timothy Fuller, Luther Lawrence, 
 Stephen Minot and William Bant Sullivan, either na- 
 tives or at some time residents of Groton. Both while an 
 undergraduate, and while studying his profession, he 
 
GROTON. 101 
 
 kept the district school on Farmer's Row, and 
 even after he had acquired his profession he 
 taught the same school with the understanding that 
 his hours of instruction should conform somewhat to 
 the needs of his practice. While in college he took 
 high rank as a scholar, and, at an exhibition near the 
 end of hisjunior year, he delivered a poem which, at- 
 tracted some attention in literary circles, and subse- 
 quently was printed. He studied medicine with Dr. 
 Oliver Prescott, Jr., and, on June 11, 1805, was mar- 
 ried to Abi, daughter of Benjamin and Meriel (Nich- 
 ols) Hartweli. About the year 1810 he built the 
 large dwelling, with brick ends, near the Baptist 
 meeting-house, where he resided until his death, 
 which took place on April 23, 1830. 
 
 His son, Dr. George Mansfield, born at Groton on 
 October 8, 1807, studied medicine and graduated at 
 the Harvard Medical School in the class of 1832. He 
 was married, on November 15, 18^2, to Hannah Maria 
 Curtis, of Boston, and died at Janesville, Wisconsin j 
 on July 25, 1869. 
 
 Dr. Amos Bancroft was a son of Edward and Rach- 
 el (Howard — Barron) Bancroft, of Pepperell, where 
 he was born on May 23, 1767. He graduated at 
 Harvard College in the class of 1791, and from the 
 same institution took the degree of Bachelor of Med- 
 icine in the year 1794. He began the practice of his 
 profession at Westford, but soon afterwards removed 
 to Weston, where he remained until the year 1811. 
 He was married— first, on August 29, 1796, to Abigail, 
 daughter of Captain Leonard and Ann (Hall) Whit- 
 ing, of Hollis, New Hampshire, who was born on 
 
] 02 GROTON. 
 
 March 25, 1772, and died at Weston, on December 4, 
 1799; secondly, on October 7, 1800, to Sarah, daugh- 
 ter of Henry and Faith (Savage) Bass, of Boston, 
 who was born on April 21, 1768, and died on April 
 30, 1837 ; thirdly, on October 17, 1839, to Eliza Doane, 
 of Boston, who died on November 11, 1840 ; and 
 fourthly, on October 31, 1841, to Mary, daughter of 
 Kichard and Martha (Hall) Kneeland, of Westford. 
 who was born on February 25, 1789, and died on 
 April 22, 1862. 
 
 Dr. Bancroft had a large practice and, at various 
 times, a considerable number of medical students under 
 his tuition, including among them the brothers James 
 Freeman Dana and Samuel Luther Dana, who were 
 grandsons of the Eeverend Samuel Dana, a former 
 minister of the town, and graduates of Harvard Col- 
 lege in the class of 1813. He was frequently called 
 in consultation by other physicians, and often at a 
 long distance from home. In those days there were 
 no railroads, and traveling was attended with many 
 difficulties. During the winter, when the roads were 
 blocked up with snow, he was obliged, sometimes, to 
 travel on snow-shoes; and, as his patients lived many 
 miles apart, he was often absent from home for sever- 
 al successive days. To add to his discomfort on such 
 occasions it was difficult to obtain proper food, though 
 there were at that period but few dwellings where he 
 could not obtain some New England rum or other 
 spirit to help restore exhausted nature. In the year 
 1811 bis Alma Mater conferred upon him the honor- 
 ary degree of M.D. 
 
 On July 12, 1848, while walking down State Street, 
 
GROTON. 103 
 
 in Boston, he stepped from the sidewalk, in order to 
 cross the way, when a wagon, coming along rapidly, 
 knocked him down, and injured him so severely that 
 he died in the course of a few hours. 
 
 Dr. Mansfield and Dr. Bancroft were the last phy- 
 sicians of the town, who, while visiting patients, used to 
 ride on horseback with saddle-bags, although they 
 also drove much in sulkies. In early days, owing to 
 bad roads, physicians on their professional rounds 
 were in the habit of riding, and it was near the be- 
 ginning of the present century, in this neighborhood, 
 that the sulky, or covered gig, came into fashion 
 among them. At the present time the four-wheeled 
 buggy solely is used by physicians. 
 
 Dr. Joshua Green was a son of Joshua and Mary 
 (Mosley) Green, and born at Wendell, on October 8, 
 1797. He attended school at the academies in New 
 Salem, Westfield and Milton, and graduated at Har- 
 vard College in the class of 1818. He studied medi- 
 cine in the office of Dr. John Collins Warren, of Bos- 
 ton, and took the degree of M.D. at the Harvard 
 Medical School in the year 1821. Soon after taking 
 this degree he was appointed apothecary at the 
 Massachusetts General Hospital, then just opened 
 for the reception of patients, where he remained for 
 one year. At that time the apothecary, in addition 
 to his own duties, performed those of the house- 
 physician and the house-surgeon. In March, 1823, 
 Dr. Green began to practice his profession at Sunder- 
 land, and on January 5, 1824, was married to Eliza, 
 daughter of Major Samuel and Susanna (Parker) 
 Lawrence, of Groton. His wife was born on March 
 
104 GROTON. 
 
 13, 1796, and died on August 20, 1874. During a 
 winter of his college course he taught a district school 
 at Groton, now known as the Moors School, and 
 boarded in the family of Major Lawrence, who lived 
 on Farmers' Row. 
 
 In the spring of 1825 Dr. Green removed to Gro- 
 ton, where he continued the practice of medicine, but 
 after about ten years, owing to ill health, he gradually 
 gave up his profession. In the year 1832 a pulmon- 
 ary hemorrhage compelled him to pass a winter in 
 the island of Cuba, where to a fair degree he regained 
 his Health. He joined the Massachusetts Medical 
 Society in 1826, and for many years was one of its 
 councillors. He represented the town in the Legis- 
 lature during the years 1836 and 1837, and was one 
 of the trustees of Lawrence Academy from 1831 to 
 1867, and during most of this time either the secre- 
 tary or the president of the board. On the seventy- 
 fourth anniversary of his birth (October 8, 1871) he 
 had a paralytic stroke, from the effects of which he 
 never fully recovered. After the death of his wife he 
 went to live with his only daughter, Mrs. Elizabeth 
 Lawrence (Green — Kendall) Swan, at Morristown, 
 New Jersey, where he died on June 5, 1875. 
 
 Dr. Micah Eldredge was a son of Hezekiah and 
 Abigail (Whiton) Eldredge, and born at Ashford, 
 Connecticut, on May 24, 1776. He studied medicine 
 with an elder brother, Dr. Hezekiah Eldredge, and 
 in 1798 began the practice of his profession at 
 Dunstable, where he resided for many years, living 
 first on one side of the State line and then on the 
 other. On October 1, 1797, Dr. Eldredge was married 
 

 GROTON. 105 
 
 to Sally, daughter of Tilly and Abigail (Hale) But- 
 trick, of Princeton. In 1826 he removed to Groton, 
 where he remained for two years, when he established 
 himself at Dunstable, New Hampshire, (now Nashua). 
 The honorary degree of M.D. was conferred upon him 
 by Dartmouth College in 1841. He died at Milford, 
 New Hampshire, on July 2, 1849, and was buried in 
 the Hollis Street Cemetery at Nashua. 
 
 Dr. Jacob Williams was a son of Jacob and Han- 
 nah (Sheple) Williams, and born at Groton on July 
 16, 1789. About the year 1816 he was practicing med- 
 icine at the Gilmanton Iron Works, New Hampshire, 
 and in June, 1822, he was married to Irene Locke, of 
 Epsom. In the year 1828 he returned to his native 
 town and established himself as a physician ; and 
 while here his wife died on March 11, 1831. During 
 the next year he was married, secondly, to Betsey 
 Wakefield, of Kennebunk, Maine. He remained at 
 Groton until the year 1835, when he removed to Ken- 
 sington, New Hampshire, where he died on July 7, 
 1857. 
 
 Dr. James Wilson was a son of the Honorable Abiel 
 and Abigail (Putnam) Wilson, and born at Wilton, 
 N. H., December 4, 1796, on the farm where his great- 
 grandfather, Jacob Putnam, began a settlement in the 
 year 1739. He studied medicine under the tuition of 
 Dr. John Wallace, of Milford, New Hampshire, and 
 graduated at the Dartmouth Medical School in the 
 class of 1821. He was practicing his profession at 
 Boston in the early part of 1825, as his name appears 
 in the directory of that year, and he removed to Gro- 
 ton near the beginning of 1828. He was married, in 
 
106 GROTON. 
 
 February of that year, to Elizabeth P. Wilson, of Bos- 
 ton, a daughter of the city crier; and he came here 
 under the patronage of Dr. Amos Bancroft, who de- 
 sired some respite from a large practice, and acted 
 as his sponsor in the community. After living at 
 Groton during two years he returned to Boston and 
 passed a brief period, and then removed to New 
 York, where he remained for a short time. Soon af- 
 terward he went to Cuba, where he spent the remain- 
 der of his days, and died in Matanzas on November 
 23, 1868. 
 
 Dr. George Stearns was the youngest child of Eph- 
 raim and Molly (Gilman) Stearns, and born at Wal- 
 pole, New Hampshire, on May 10, 1802. He gradu- 
 ated at the Harvard Medical School in the class of 
 1827, and began the practice of his profession in Bos- 
 ton, where he remained about three years, when he 
 settled at Groton. He was married, on July 2, 1868, 
 to Mrs. Ann (Moulton) Gilson, widow of Joshua Gil- 
 son, of Groton. Dr. Stearns was the last survivor of 
 thirteen children, and died on March 7, 1882, at which 
 time he was the oldest physician in the town. 
 
 Dr. Amos Farnsworth was a son of Major Amos and 
 Elizabeth (Rockwood) Farnsworth, and born at Gro- 
 ton on August 30, 1788. He studied his profession 
 with Dr. Calvin Thomas, of Tyngsborough, and with 
 Dr. John Collins Warren, of Boston, but before his 
 graduation he was commissioned as surgeon's mate in 
 the Fourth Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, on 
 April 14, 1812, just before war was declared by the 
 United States with Great Britain ; and two months 
 later, on June 15th, his regiment left South Boston for 
 
GROTON. 107 
 
 Burlington, Vermont, for service on the frontier. He 
 remained with the Fourth Infantry during thirteen 
 months, when he resigned his commission on May 14, 
 1813. During the following summer he graduated at 
 the Harvard Medical School, and began the practice 
 of his profession in Boston, where he remained until 
 the year 1832, when he removed to his native town. 
 On March 21, 1823, Dr. Farnsworth was married to 
 Mrs. Mary (Bourne) Webber, widow of Captain. Seth 
 Webber, of Boston. He died in Roxbury on July 31, 
 1861, and his wife in Boston, on October 27, 1828, 
 aged thirty-seven years. 
 
 Dr. Amos Bigelow Bancroft w r as a son of Dr. Amos 
 and Sarah (Bass) Bancroft, and born at Groton on 
 April 3, 1811. He graduated at Harvard College in 
 the class of 1831, and at the Harvard Medical School 
 in 1834. He began the practice of his profession at 
 Groton in connection with his father ; and on June 
 11, 1840, was married to Marietta, daughter of Nathan 
 and India (Emerson) Shepley, of Pepperell. Dr. Ban- 
 croft remained in town until the spring of 1853, when 
 he removed to Charlestown, where for more than ten 
 years he was physician to the State Prison. Under 
 the administration of Gen. Grant he was appointed 
 superintendent and surgeon in charge of the Marine 
 Hospital at Chelsea, which position he held from Au- 
 gust 1, 1869, to June 30, 1877, when he took up his 
 residence in Boston. While traveling abroad with 
 his family he died in Florence, Italy, on November 
 8, 1879, much lamented by a wide circle of friends 
 and patients at home, — leaving a widow and two 
 daughters to mourn his loss. 
 
1 08 GROTON. 
 
 Dr. Abel Hervey Wilder was a native of Winchen- 
 don. where he was born on June 16, 1801. He was a 
 son of Levi and Grace (Wilder) Divoll ; but by an 
 Act of the Legislature on February 7, 1812, his name 
 was changed from Hervey Divoll to Abel Hervey 
 Wilder, keeping the surname of his mother. He 
 graduated at the Dartmouth Medical School in the 
 class of 1828, and began to practice his profession at 
 Temple, New Hampshire. On February 29, 1828, he 
 was married at New Ipswich, New Hampshire, to 
 Mary, daughter of Ephraim and Elizabeth (Bent) 
 Brown, a native of Lincoln. 
 
 Dr. Wilder subsequently removed to Pepperell, and 
 in the year 1836 came to Groton, where he had the 
 management of an institution for the treatment of 
 nervous diseases. He continued to live here until 
 the death of his wife, which took place on February 
 12, 1843, when he removed to Pittsfield. After leav- 
 ing Groton he was married for the second time ; and 
 after a residence in different parts of the country, he 
 died at Bloomrield, New Jersey, on January 2, 1864. 
 
 Dr. James Merrill Cummings was a son of Jacob 
 Abbot and Elizabeth (Merrill) Cummings, and born 
 in Boston on July 27, 1810. He graduated at Bow- 
 doin College in the class of 1830, and at the Bowdoin 
 Medical School in 1834. On November 4, 1835, he 
 was married to Sarah Thurston Phillips, daughter of 
 Joel and Sarah Phillips (Thurston) Hall, of Portland, 
 Maine. In the spring of 1842 Dr. Cummings came 
 to Groton and bought out the establishment of Dr. 
 Wilder, which he conducted for four years; and in 
 the spring of 1846 he removed to Salem, where he re- 
 
GROTOX. 109 
 
 mained for four years, when he settled in Portland, 
 where he died on July 20, 1883. His widow died on 
 January 29, 1890, at the advanced age of eighty-five 
 years. 
 
 Dr. Rufus Shackford, a son of Captain Samuel and 
 Hannah (Currier) Shackford, was born at Chester, 
 New Hampshire, on December 17, 1816 ; studied 
 medicine under the tuition of Dr. Cummings, and 
 graduated at the Harvard Medical School in the class 
 of 1845. He practiced for a brief period at Groton in 
 the office of his preceptor, after which he lived in 
 Lowell for a short time, when he removed to Port- 
 land, Maine, where he is now in practice. 
 
 Dr. Norman Smith was a son of Jesse and Nabby 
 (Kittredge) Smith, and born at Mount Vernon, New 
 Hampshire, on October 13, 1811. He graduated at 
 the Vermont Medical College, Woodstock, in the 
 class of 1843, and began to practice medicine at Gro- 
 ton, where he passed his whole professional life, with 
 the exception of four years spent in Nashua, New 
 Hampshire. In April, 1861, at the outbreak of the 
 Rebellion, he went out as surgeon of the Sixth Massa- 
 chusetts Militia Regiment, and was with that famous 
 organization on its march through Baltimore and 
 during its first campaign of three months. He was a 
 member of the Union Congregational Church, and 
 prominent in all matters connected with the welfare 
 of the town. His death took place at his farm on 
 Common Street, on May 24, 1888, and the funeral, on 
 May 28th, was conducted under Masonic rites. 
 
 Dr. Smith was married, first, on May 3, 1838, to 
 Harriet, daughter of John and Lydia Sleeper, of 
 
110 GROTON. 
 
 Francestown, New Hampshire, who died on Septem- 
 ber 2, 1839 ; secondly, on November 6, 1843, to Mari- 
 ett Sleeper, a sister of his first wife, who died on July 
 6, 1846; thirdly, on September 22, 1847, to Abigail 
 Maria, daughter of Ephraim and Sarah (King) 
 Brown, of Wilton, New Hampshire, who died on 
 July 17, 1852; fourthly, on September 12, 1853, to 
 Sarah Young, daughter of Solomon and Dorcas (Hop- 
 kins) Frost, who died on December 4, 1856, and, 
 fifthly and lastly, on September 11, 1866, to Mrs. 
 Mary Jane (King) Lee, daughter of Daniel and Re- 
 becca (Parmenter) King, of Rutland, Massachusetts. 
 
 Dr. Lemuel Fuller was a son of Dr. Lemuel and 
 Mary (Shepherd) Fuller, and born at Marlborough, 
 on April 2, 1811. He graduated at the Vermont 
 Medical College, Woodstock, in the class of 1844, 
 and came to Groton from Harvard in the year 1847. 
 On June 6, 1844, he was married to Catherine Palli- 
 seur, daughter of Francis and Maria Foster (Palliseur) 
 Barrett, of Concord. Dr. Fuller left Groton in 1850, 
 and died at Harvard during a temporary visit from 
 home February 11, 1864. During the last ten years 
 of his life he lived at North Weymouth. 
 
 Dr. Miles Spaulding was a son of Captain Isaac 
 and Lucy (Emery) Spaulding, and born at Townsend, 
 on April 4, 1819. He graduated at the Berkshire 
 Medical Institution, Pittsfield, in the class of 1842, 
 and he soon afterward established himself at Dunsta- 
 ble, where he remained until the year 1851, when he 
 removed to Groton. Dr. Spaulding was married, 
 first, on January 12, 1848, to Sophia Louisa, daughter 
 of Aaron and Lucinda (Munson) Miller, of New 
 

 GROTON. Ill 
 
 Haven, Connecticut, who died on September 4, 1852 ; 
 and, secondly, on August 27, 1863, to Mary Mehetable, 
 only child of Stephen and Mary (Kilborn — French) 
 Stickney. He still lives at Groton, the senior physi- 
 cian of the town. 
 
 Dr. Peter Pineo is a son of Peter and Sarah (Stead- 
 man) Pineo, and was born at Cornwallis, Nova Scotia, 
 on March 6, 1825. He graduated at the Bowdoin 
 Medical School in the class of 1847, and was married 
 in Boston, on May 8, 1850, to Elizabeth, daughter of 
 Kendall and Betsey (Hill) Crosby. In the spring of 
 1853 he came to Groton, where he remained for two 
 years, after which time he removed to Quechee, a 
 village in the town of Hartford, Vermont. On June 
 11, 1861, he was commissioned as surgeon of the 
 Ninth Regiment Massachusetts Volunteers, and soon 
 afterward was promoted to a brigade surgeoncy, 
 which office was abolished on July 2, 1862, by an 
 Act of Congress, when officers of that rank became 
 surgeons of United States Volunteers. On February 
 9, 1863, he was made medical inspector United 
 States Army, with the rank of lieutenant-colonel, 
 and he served with distinction until the end of the 
 war. At the present time he is a resident of Boston. 
 
 Dr. Kendall Davis was a son of Joseph and Han- 
 nah Davis, and born at New Ipswich, New Hamp- 
 shire, on December 4, 1802. According to the State 
 Register of the years 1847-50, he was then living at 
 Groton, where he practiced for a short time. From 
 this town he went to Athol, and died at Templeton 
 on September 20, 1875. 
 
 Dr. Richard Upton Piper is a son of Samuel and 
 
112 GROTON. 
 
 Mary (Folsom) Piper, and was born at Stratham, 
 New Hampshire. He graduated at the Dartmouth 
 Medical School in the class of 1840, and began the 
 practice of his profession at Portland, Maine, where 
 he was married, on November 8, 1841, to Elizabeth 
 Frances Folsom, a native of Portsmouth, New Hamp- 
 shire. In the year 1864 he came to Groton and re- 
 mained five years, though without engaging in the 
 active practice of medicine. He afterward lived in 
 Chicago, but is now a resident of Washington. He 
 is an author of some note, having written a work en- 
 titled " Operative Surgery Illustrated," and another 
 on " The Trees of America." 
 
 Dr. Joseph Franklin Coolidge was a son of Charles 
 and Nancy (Spaulding) Coolidge, and born at West- 
 minster on Sept. 11, 1837. He graduated at the Har- 
 vard Medical School in the class of 1862, and in the 
 year 1864 came to Groton, where he remained until 
 his death, which took place on June 1, 1865. Dr. 
 Coolidge was one of a family of ten children, and was 
 never married. 
 
 Dr. William Ambrose Webster was the only son of 
 William Gordon and Susan (Ambrose) Webster, and 
 born at Rochester, New Hampshire, June 13, 1830. He 
 graduated at the Medical School of the Long Island 
 College Hospital, Brooklyn, N. Y., in the spring of 
 1862. Soon after graduation, on July 1, 1862, he was 
 commissioned as surgeon of the Ninth New Hamp- 
 shire Volunteers, w T hich left for the seat of war on 
 August 25, 1862, and he continued in that capacity 
 until January 5, 1865, w r hen he was honorably dis- 
 charged. In September of that year he came to Gro- 
 

 GROTOX. 113 
 
 too, where he remained during three years, when he 
 removed to Westford. He died in Manchester, N. 
 H., on February 8, 1887. Dr. Webster was twice 
 married,— first, in August, 1851, to Mary Anne Kaime, 
 of Pittsfield, N. H., and secondly, on August 9, 1858, 
 to Marion M. Ladd, of Middlesex, Vt. By the first 
 marriage two daughters were born, who both are now 
 living, and by the second marriage one daughter, 
 Susan Marion Webster, was born at Groton on June 
 25, 1866, but she died before her father. 
 
 Dr. David Roscoe Steere is a son of Scott and Mary 
 (Mathewson) Steere, and was born at Lisbon, Connec- 
 ticut, April 27, 1847. He graduated at the Dartmouth 
 Medical School in the class of 1871, and, after gradu- 
 ation, practiced for a few months at Savoy. In July, 
 1872, he came to Groton, where he has since re- 
 mained ; and in the year 1878 he built the house, at 
 the corner of Main and Church Streets, which he 
 now occupies. On June 18, 1873, Dr. Steere was mar- 
 ried to Adelia, daughter of Jephtha and Betsey (Boyn- 
 ton) Hartwell. 
 
 Dr. Edward Hubbard Winslow was a son of the 
 Reverend Hubbard and Susan Ward (Cutler) Wins- 
 low, and born in Boston on Dec. 26, 1835. He was 
 married, on Sept. 1, 1859, to Helen H.Ayer, of Mont- 
 vale, Me., and in the early spring of 1875 came to 
 Groton, where he remained about two years. Dr. 
 Winslow died in New York on Oct. 16, 1873. 
 
 Dr. George Washington Stearns is a son of Paul and 
 
 Lucy (Kneeland) Stearns, and was born at Reading, 
 
 Vermont, on Dec. 25, 1814. His mother was a sister 
 
 of Abner Kneeland, the preacher and author. He 
 
 8 
 
114 GROTON. 
 
 took his medical degree first in March, 1857, at Penn 
 Medical University, Philadelphia, and secondly, in 
 1858, at the Hahnemann Medical College, in the same 
 city. In the spring of 1878 Dr. Stearns came to Gro- 
 ton from Marblehead, and in November, 1882, re- 
 moved to Holliston, where he remained a few years, 
 when he went to Holyoke, of which city he is now a 
 resident. He was married, first, on May 8, 1838, at 
 South Yarmouth, to Sylvia Crowell, and secondly, on 
 July 19, 1877, at New Bedford, to Julia Amanda, 
 daughter of Cyrus and Eliza Eastman (Cottrell) 
 Ware. 
 
 Dr. William Barnard Warren is a son of Noailles 
 Lafayette and Mary (Barnard) Warren, and was born 
 at Leominster on Nov. 16, 1853. He graduated at 
 the Medical Department of the University of the 
 City of New York in the class of 1881, having pre- 
 viously attended a course of lectures in 1879 at the 
 Dartmouth Medical School. In December, 1882, he 
 came to Groton and established himself in practice, 
 where he now remains. Dr. Warren was married at 
 Groton on Oct. 31, 1883, to Ardelia Temple, daughter 
 of Thomas Haines and Belief (Cummings) Smith, of 
 Boston. 
 
 Dr. Marion Zachariah Putnam is a son of John and 
 Sophia (Weaver) Putnam, and was born at Mount 
 Sterling, Illinois, on August 14, 1844. In the year 
 1870 he graduated at the Medical Department of 
 the Northwestern University, Chicago, and began to 
 practice in his native town. On September 9, 1880, 
 Dr. Putnam was married to Harriet Elizabeth, daugh- 
 ter of Thomas Spencer and Harriet Heyward (Law- 
 
GROTON. 1 1 5 
 
 ton) Farnsworth, of Groton. About the year 1883 he 
 came to this town from Lowell, where he had resided 
 for a short period. He lives on Pleasant Street, but 
 has retired from the active practice of his profession. 
 
 The Fitchburg Railroad was first opened to public 
 travel, through the southerly part of Groton, on De- 
 cember 30, 1844; and the Peterborough and Shirley 
 Railroad, under the management of the Fitchburg 
 company, was opened during the year 1847. The 
 Worcester and Nashua Railroad was operated for reg- 
 ular business, through its entire length, on December 
 18, 1848, though the section from Groton Junction to 
 Clinton had been previously opened on July 3, 1848, 
 and from Clinton to Worcester on November 22d; and 
 the Stony Brook began its operations on July 1, 1848. 
 Soon after these interconnections were made, a village 
 sprang up in the neighborhood, which became popu- 
 larly known as the " Junction," though by the Post- 
 Office Department at Washington it was officially called 
 " South Groton." On March 1, 1861, the name of the 
 post-office was changed by the Department from 
 South Groton to Groton Junction. This settlement, 
 growing in numbers, after a while was set off from the 
 parent town, and, by an act of the Legislature on 
 February 14, 1871, incorporated as a distinct town- 
 ship, under the name of Ayer. After this date, there- 
 fore, the list of physicians, so far as they relate to the 
 Junction, and their biographical sketches, will cease. 
 
 Dr. Ebenezer Willis was a son of Johu and Nancy 
 (Spriggens) Willis, and born at Newmarket, New 
 Hampshire, on January 26, 1815. He was married at 
 Exeter, on July 23, 1836, to Mary Frances, daughter 
 
116 GROTON. 
 
 of Benjamin and Mary Seavey (Neal) Batchelder. 
 Dr. Willis came to Groton Junction in March, 1849, 
 and was the pioneer physician of the place. He died 
 at Ayer on May 10, 1890. 
 
 Dr. John Quincy Adams McCollester is a son of 
 Silas and Achsah (Holman) McCollester, and was 
 born at Marlborough, New Hampshire, on May 3, 
 1831. He took his degree of M.D. from the Jefferson 
 Medical School in March, 1856. Dr. McCollester was 
 married, first, on May 6, 1856, to Sarah Elizabeth, 
 daughter of Joseph and Anna (Longley) Hazen, of 
 Shirley, who died on May 5, 1858 ; and, secondly, on 
 August 9, 1859, to Georgianna Lydia, daughter of 
 Daniel and Lydia (Fisk) Hunt, of Groton. During 
 the War of the Rebellion he was the surgeon of the 
 Fifty-third Regiment Massachusetts Militia, having 
 been commissioned on December 1, 1862, and mus- 
 tered out of the service on September 2 f 1863. He is 
 now a resident of Waltham. 
 
 Dr. Edson Champion Chamberlin, a native of Thet- 
 ford, Vermont, came to Groton Junction in the sum- 
 mer of 1859 and remained one year. He graduated 
 at the Worcester Medical Institution on June 20, 
 1854. He was married to Mary A. Pierce, of South- 
 bury, Connecticut, where he died on January 26, 1877, 
 aged fifty-six years. 
 
 Dr. Gibson Smith came to Groton Junction from 
 the State of Maine about the year 1866. He was an 
 " eclectic " physician and a spiritualist, and died at 
 Ayer on September 26, 1885, aged seventy years. 
 
 Dr. John Eleazer Parsons is a son of John and 
 Rosalinda Davis (Robbins) Parsons, and was born at 
 
GROT( >X. 117 
 
 Harrison, Maine, on November 20, 1835. He gradu- 
 ated at the Harvard Medical School in the class of 
 1863, and on March 18th of the same year was com- 
 missioned as assistant surgeon of the Twenty-eighth 
 Eegiment Massachusetts Volunteers, but for disability 
 was discharged on July 30, 1863. Dr. Parsons next 
 served as acting assistant surgeon, United States 
 Navy from October 10, 1863, to December 10, 1866, 
 when he resigned. During the last week of Decem- 
 ber, 1866, he came to the village of Groton Junction 
 (Ayer), where he is still living. 
 
 Dr. Benjamin Hall Hartwell is a son of Benjamin 
 Franklin and Emma (Whitman) Hartwell, and was 
 born at Acton February 27, 1845. He received his 
 early education at Lawrence Academy, Groton, of 
 which institution he is now one of the trustees, and 
 graduated at the Jefferson Medical College, Philadel- 
 phia, on March 7, 1868. In the early spring of 1869 
 Dr. Hartwell came to Groton Junction (Ayer), where 
 he still resides, having filled many prominent posi- 
 tions of trust and usefulness. He was married, on 
 September 10, 1879, to Helen Emily, daughter of 
 Major Eusebius Silsby and Mary Jane (Shattuck) 
 Clark. 
 
 Dr. James Moody Moore was a son of Dr. Ebenezer 
 Giles and Eliza Sarah (Hidden) Moore, and born at 
 Wells, Maine, on June 20, 1832. He graduated at 
 the Dartmouth Medical School in the class of 1860, 
 and in May of that year came to Groton Junction, 
 where he remained until April, 1861. Dr. Moore 
 then removed to Concord, New Hampshire, his father's 
 home, where he died on February 3, 1870. 
 
118 GROTON. 
 
 A List of Bepresentatives to the General 
 Court, from the colonial period to the present time, 
 with the dates of their election and terms of service ; 
 including also the names of certain other officers — 
 1672-1887. 
 
 The Assistants of Massachusetts, sometimes called 
 Magistrates, were the forerunners of the Provincial 
 Council and the State Senate. They were few in 
 number, and, in point of dignity and honor, next to 
 the Governor and the Deputy-Governor. Major Simon 
 Willard, the only citizen of the town who ever held 
 the office, became a resident in the year 1672, remov- 
 ing here from Lancaster at that time. He was first 
 chosen to the position in 1654, when living at Con- 
 cord. 
 
 COUET OF ASSISTANTS. 
 Date of first Election. Term of Service. 
 
 May 3, 1654 Major Simon Willard 1672-1676 
 
 (Died in office on April 24, 1676 ) 
 
 SENATE. 
 
 October 26, 1780 . . Honorable James Prescott . . . .1780-1784,1780 
 
 June 1, 1797 .... Honorable Timothy Bigelow 1797-1800 
 
 May 6, 1805 Honorable Samuel Dana 1805-1812,1817 
 
 (Mr. Dana was president of the body during the years 1807, 1S11 and 1812.) 
 
 November 13, 1837 . Honorable Stuart James Park 1838, 1839 
 
 January 9, 1851 . . . Honorable John Boynton 1851 
 
 November 13, 1854 . Honorable Abijah Edwin Hildreth 1855 
 
 November 5, 1867 . . Honorable Daniel Needham 1868, 1869 
 
 November 8, 1887 . . Honorable Moses Poor Palmer .... 1888-1890 
 (Of these Senators the last two are the sole survivors.) 
 
 There is no reference in the Groton records to the 
 election of any representatives to the General Court 
 before the year 1693 ; and even then the names are 
 not given, and only by the receipts for their pay, and 
 by some allusions to the subject, is it known that any 
 
GROTON. 119 
 
 were chosen previously to that date. According to 
 the Colonial records, Captain James Parker served 
 as a deputy, or representative, during the session be- 
 ginning November 7, 1683, and it is probable that he 
 was the only one from the town under the first char- 
 ter. 
 
 The following entries comprise every allusion to 
 the subject found in the earliest volume of town 
 records, which is known as the " Indian Roll" : 
 
 " Fabruary the 6 1693 the inhabitanc being met togather for to Con- 
 sider of sum waye for to preuent futar unnessesary charges did by 
 uott declare that they would petishone unto the geuaraill Court that 
 ther representetiue might be relesed from atending the Seshone any- 
 more 
 
 " the same daye the town did by uott declare that they would haue 
 dacon Lawranc for to manidge the portistione for them which the 
 Comithy hath draw up" (Page 107.) 
 
 " Groton Aprill 12 1693 Know all peple by thes presenc that Na- 
 thanaeill Lawranc senor hath Reseiued full satisfactione by the select 
 men and Constables for sarueing the town as a Representee at the two 
 first sestione 
 
 " I saye reseiued by me Nathannil laurance " 
 
 " Groton April 12 1693 Know all peple by thes presenc that John Page 
 senor doth fully and [sic] Clearely acquite the town select men and 
 constables for sarfing the town as a representetiue at the first [session] 
 held at boston in ye year 1692 
 
 " as witness my hand Joh Page seneyer " 
 
 " Payed to Nathanail Lawranc se[nior] aight pounds in mony 
 
 " Payed to John Page se[nior] two pounds sixteen shillins and nine 
 penc in mony " (Page 109.) 
 
 "maye 15 1693 the Town being met together ther unto orderlie 
 warned then the town did by uote declare that they would not send nor 
 Choose any parson nor parsons for to Represent them at the great and 
 genaraill Corte or asembley 
 
 "John page senor Jeams Kemp John Stone and William Longley 
 se[uior] desent from this uote John farnworth and Steuen holden 
 
 " The Town Resons is they do not iudg themself layable nether 
 acordind to Law nor Charter 
 
 " as atest William Loxgley T&wn C/arcft" 
 
 (Page 109.) 
 
120 GROTON 
 
 •'October 30 1693 at town meeting Legally -warned Capt Jeams 
 Parker was chonsen to Kepresent the town at ye great and genaraee 11 
 assembly held at boston the eaight day of nouember insuing the date 
 here of" (Page 110.) 
 
 It does not appear from the records of the General 
 Court that Captain Parker was present at any meet- 
 ing of this session. 
 
 " Jenuary 1 169^ the town this daye did ingage to sequer the seleck 
 men from any harm or dameidg that they shall meett with all in Ee- 
 spect of Decon nathanaell Lawranc in that he doth demand thirty 6 
 6hillins in money for to be his dew for sarfing the said town as a repre- 
 sentiue and the town doo Refuse to paye the said money the seleck men 
 being estemed as the rest of the inhabitanc in the mater also the town 
 did by the maier uote chouse Liftenant Jonah Prescot & Jeams parker 
 Ju for to answer in the case if the said Lawranc should truble y e seleck 
 men or town and they did exsept of the choiss and they are to haue 
 their paye for their pains when the said town is able to paye them 
 
 " as wittness William Longley town dark " 
 
 "John page sefuior] desents from the aboue mentioned propersis- 
 tione" (Pages 111, 112.) 
 
 "at a town meting legelly warned May 9 th 1699 : Capt: Prescot was 
 chosen for to atende the genrell Cort : for to sarue as a represintiue 
 
 " James Blaxchard Clark" 
 
 (Page 118.) 
 
 " May 17 1703 at a town metting legelly warned the town did by uot 
 declare that thay would pay deacon larrance the mony that the deacon 
 demande for saruing the : town as ane represintiue In the year 1693 
 
 " the town did uote and declare that thay would borrow the mony 
 of thomas Williams for four month and pay for the use of it one 
 shilling 
 
 " James Blanchard Clark'" 
 
 (Page 124.) 
 
 "Groton Mayy* 8 1705 then capt prascot was chosen to sarue as a 
 representetife for the yer Insuing 
 
 " Thomas Tarbell Clarck " 
 (Page 126.) 
 
 " Groton May the aight 1706 At a town meting legally worned to 
 chuse a repreasantiue the fre hooldars and other inhabitants qualafied 
 acording to law did by the maior uote couse [choose] Simin Stone for 
 this year 1706 a represantetiue 
 
 "Joseph Lakin town dark " 
 
 (Page 129.) 
 
GROTON. 121 
 
 The paging, as given after these several extracts, 
 refers to the printed edition of " The . Early Records 
 of Groton, Massachusetts, 1662-1707," from which 
 they are taken. Since the year 1707, and even before 
 that date, in the town records, there are occasional 
 omissions of the names of representatives, and these 
 gaps I have filled from the Colonial and Provincial 
 records at the State-House. In such cases the names 
 are printed within brackets, and the dates given with 
 them refer to the beginning of each session ; and in 
 all other instances in the list, where dates of the ses- 
 sions have been obtained or inferences drawn from 
 these records, brackets are used. 
 
 In early times the representative to the General 
 Court was paid by the town that sent him ; and this 
 fact furnishes the reason why the town of Groton, on 
 May 15, 1693, voted not to send one. It was then 
 poor, and staggering under a heavy load in the shape 
 of debts and current expenses. Notwithstanding the 
 receipt of Deacon Lawrence given on April 12, 1693, 
 the town was threatened by him with a suit for thir- 
 ty-six shillings, for his services as a representative, 
 perhaps during a short period after the petition of 
 February 6, 1693, when it was voted that he should 
 be released from attendance. It is not now known 
 whether a suit was ever begun, but, ten years later, 
 as appears by the vote of May 17, 1703, the town 
 agreed to settle the matter by paying the demand, 
 though it was obliged to borrow the money for that 
 purpose, — an indication of its extreme poverty. Dur- 
 ing some of these ten years Deacon Lawrence was a 
 resident of that quarter of Cambridge which is now 
 
122 GROTON. 
 
 Lexington ; and his absence from Groton may have 
 been, in part, the cause of the long delay in settling 
 the dispute. Neither Deacon Lawrence nor Mr. Page 
 was chosen to the Assembly that convened on May 
 31, 1693. 
 
 John Paris was a member of the Council for Safety 
 of the People, which met on May 9, 1689, just after 
 Governor Andros was deposed. It is probable that 
 the town was unrepresented during the following 
 years: 1693 (first session), 1694-1698, 1700-1704, and 
 1707, as the Provincial records of those dates do not 
 mention any member from Groton. 
 
 In the following list of representatives I have given 
 the church, civil and military titles found in the rec- 
 ords, inasmuch as they indicate, approximately, the 
 period when they were acquired. For nearly a cen- 
 tury and a half the term of service of each member 
 was during the year of his election. The name of 
 John Sheple, as spelled in the town records, is writ- 
 ten John Shepley in the Provincial records, but the 
 two names refer to the same man, and the Nathaniel 
 Sawtell of the town records is identical with the Na- 
 thaniel Sartle of the Provincial records. 
 
 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. 
 
 Date of Election. 
 [November 7, 1683, Captain James Parker.] 
 [May 9, 1689, John Paris.] 
 
 Under tlie Charter of William and Mary. 
 [June 8, 1692, Nathaniel Lawrence.] 
 [June 8, 1692, John Page.] 
 
 [May 31, 1693 (first session), probably none chosen.] 
 October 30, 1693 (second session), Captain James Parker. 
 [May 30, 1694, probably none chosen.] 
 
G BOTOX. 123 
 
 [May 29, 1695, probably none chosen.] 
 
 [May 27, 1696, probably none chosen.] 
 
 [May 26, 1697, probably none chosen.J 
 
 [May 25, 1698, probably none chosen.] 
 
 May 9, 1699, Jonas Prescott. 
 
 [May 29, 1700, probably none chosen.] 
 
 [May 28, 1701, probably none chosen ] 
 
 [May 27, 1702, probably none chosen.] 
 
 [May 26, 1703, probably none chosen.] 
 
 [May 31, 1704, probably none chosen.] 
 
 May 8, 1705, Jonas Prescott. 
 
 May 8, 1706, Simon Stone. 
 
 [May 28, 1707, probably none chosen.J 
 
 [May 26, 1708, John Farnsworth.] 
 
 May 25, 1709, Ensign John Farnsworth. 
 
 May 22, 1710, Ensign John Farnsworth. 
 
 [May 30, 1711, John Farnsworth.] 
 
 May 7, 1712, Ensign John Farnsworth. 
 
 May 11, 1713, Ensign John Farnsworth. 
 
 [May 26, 1714, John Farnsworth.] 
 
 [May 25, 1715, Thomas Tarbell.] 
 
 [May 30, 1716, John Shepley.] 
 
 May 21, 1717, John Sheple. 
 
 [May 28, 1718, John Shepley.] 
 
 [May 27, 1719, John Shepley.] 
 
 May 6, 1720, Captain Jonas Prescott, Jr. 
 
 May 22, 1721, Captain John Sheple. 
 
 August 8, 1721, Captain John Sheple. 
 
 [May 30, 1722, Captain John Sheple.] 
 
 May 1, 1723, Lieutenant Benjamin Prescott. 
 
 May 18, 1724, Lieutenant Benjamin Prescott. 
 
 May 14, 1725, Captain John Sheple. 
 
 May 19, 1726, Captain John Sheple. 
 
 May 17, 1727, Benjamin Prescott. 
 
 May 10, 1728, Captain John Sheple. 
 
 May 14, 1729, John Longley. 
 
 May 18, 1730, Deacon John Longley. 
 
 May 17, 1731, Deacon John Longley. 
 
 [May 31, 1732, Nathaniel Sartle.] 
 
 May 21, 1733, Nathaniel Sawtell, Esq. 
 
 May 8, 1734, Benjamin Prescott, Esq. 
 
 May 19, 1735, Benjamin Prescott, Esq. 
 
124 GEOTOX. 
 
 May 18, 1736, Benjamin Prescott, Esq. 
 
 May 17, 1737, Colonel Benjamin Prescott. 
 May 15, 1738, Benjamin Prescott, Esq. (died in office on August 3, 1738). 
 December 25, 1738, Justice Nathaniel Sawtell,in the place of Benjamin 
 Prescott, Esq., deceased. 
 
 May 23, 1739, Justice Nathaniel Sawtell. 
 
 [May 28, 1740, John Longley.] 
 
 May 25,1741, Justice Nathaniel Sawtell. 
 
 May 12, 1742, Nathaniel Sawtell. 
 
 [May 25, 1743, William Lawrence.] 
 
 May 14, 1744, Nathaniel Sawtell. 
 
 May 17, 1745, William Lawrence, Esq. 
 
 May 18, 1746, William Lawrence, Esq. 
 
 May 18, 1747, William Lawrence, Esq. 
 
 May 17, 174S, William Lawrence, Esq. 
 
 May 22, 1749, William Lawrence, Esq. 
 
 May 28, 1750 (the town voted not to send). 
 
 May 27, 1751, William Lawrence, Esq. 
 
 May 14, 1752, William Lawrence, Esq. 
 
 The district of Shirley was set off from Groton on 
 January 5, 1753, and the district of Pepperell, three 
 months later, on April 12th, and after these dates, un- 
 til the period of the Eevolution, the two districts 
 were represented in the General Court by the parent 
 town. 
 
 Date of Election. 
 May 14, 1753, William Lawrence, Esq. 
 [May 29, 1754, William Lawrence.] 
 May 13, 1755, Colonel William Lawrence. 
 May 17, 1756, 'William Lawrence, Esq. 
 May 13, 1757, W'illiam Lawrence, Esq. 
 May 17, 1758, William Lawrence, Esq. 
 May 25, 1759, William Lawrence, Esq. 
 May 26, 1760, William Lawrence, Esq. 
 May 15, 1761, William Lawrence, Esq. 
 May 17, 1762, Captain Abel Lawrence. 
 May 16, 1763, Captain Abel Lawrence. 
 May 21, 1764, Captain Abel Lawrence. 
 May 14, 1765, Captain Abel Lawrence. 
 
GROTON. 125 
 
 May 12, 1766, Colonel James Prescott. 
 May 18, 1767, Colonel James Prescott. 
 May 10, 1768, Colonel James Prescott. 
 May 23, 1769, Colonel James Prescott. 
 May 21, 1770, Colonel James Prescott. 
 May 20, 1771, Colonel James Prescott. 
 May IS, 1772, Colonel James Prescott. 
 May 17, 1773, Colonel James Prescott. 
 May 9, 1774, Colonel James Prescott. 
 May 22, 1775, Honorable James Prescott. 
 
 After this date Pepperell and Shirley were each 
 represented in the General Court separately, and not 
 by the parent town. Owing to the political disturb- 
 ances, a new Assembly was chosen by the Province 
 in the summer of 1775. The precept issued to the 
 town of Groton, with the answer, is found among the 
 Archives (CXXXVIII. 214) at the State House, as 
 follows : 
 
 " Colony of the Massachusetts Bay. 
 " These are to will, and require you forthwith to cause the Freeholders, 
 & other Inhabitants of your town that have an Estate of Freehold in 
 land within this Colony or Territory of forty Shillings %>, r . annum at the 
 least, or other Estate to the value of forty Pounds sterling, to assemble 
 at such time, & Place as you shall appoint ; then & there to elect, and 
 depute one or more Persons (being freeholders, and resident in the same 
 town) according to a number set, & limited by an Act of the General 
 Court or Assembly, which was conven'd at Watertown on the nineteenth 
 day of July current for the Service of this Colony, and is still in being ; 
 and to cause the Person or Persons so elect, and deputed by the major 
 part of the electors present at such election to be timely notified, & sum- 
 moned by one of the constables of your town forthwith to attend the 
 Service of this Province in the said general Court, or Assembly, & dur- 
 ing the Session or Sessions of the same. Hereof fail not, and make 
 
 a Return of this Precept with the name or names of the Person, or Per- 
 sons so elected, & deputed, with their being summoned into the General 
 Assembly, as soon as may be after such election, & summons shall be 
 
 "Dated at Watertown this 31st — day of July A.D. 1775. 
 
 " By order of the House of Representatives 
 
 ' ' Jas : Warren Speaker 
 
126 GROTON. 
 
 " To the Selectmen of the town of 
 
 Groton in the County 
 
 of Middlesex Greeting. 
 
 " Pursuant to the Precept within written the Freeholders and other 
 Inhabitants of the town of Groton qualify'd as is therein directed, upon 
 due Warning given, assembled and met together on the Twenty first day 
 of August and then did elect, & depute Capt. Josiah Sartell— to serve 
 for, and represent them in the Session, or Sessions of the great, and gen- 
 eral Court or Assembly which was conven'd at Watertown on the nine- 
 teenth day of July current for the Service of this Colony the said Per- 
 son being chosen by a major part of the electors present. 
 
 " Dated in Groton aforesaid the 21 s . 1 day of August— A.D. 1775. 
 
 " Oliver Prescott \ Selectmen 
 Isaac Farnsworth V- of 
 Amos Lawraxce j Groton 
 ' ' The Person chosen as abovesaid 
 notified thereof & summon'd 
 to attend accordingly 
 
 by me Constable of Groton 
 Oliver Fletcher 
 [Indorsed] " Return from Groton Cap* Josiah Sartell 
 " Mr Fowle Please to make out a Precept for the town of Hancock in 
 the County of Berkshire— according to this Form — 
 
 [Addressed] "To The Selectmen of the Town of Groton." 
 
 Bate of Election. 
 August 21, 1775, Captain Josiah Sartell. 
 May 20, 1776, Colonel Josiah Sartell. 
 May 26, 1777, Honorable James Prescott. Deacon Isaac Farnsworth, 
 
 declined, and Colonel Josiah Sartell chosen in his place. 
 May 18, 1778, Honorable James Prescott. 
 May 17, 1779, Honorable James Prescott. 
 May 15, 1780, Honorable James Prescott. 
 
 The first General Court of the Commonwealth of 
 Massachusetts met on Wednesday, October 25, 1780, 
 and the Honorable James<Prescott was the represen- 
 tative from this town. He was chosen to the House 
 on September 4th, and a short time later, in order to 
 fill a vacancy in the Senate, he was elected to that 
 
GROTON. 127 
 
 body by a convention of both branches on Thursday, 
 October 26, 1780; and subsequently by another simi- 
 lar convention on Friday, October 27th, to the Execu- 
 tive Council. At that time the Councilors and Sen- 
 ators were chosen on the same general ticket, without 
 any special designation of either office, and then the 
 Legislature selected from the upper body the mem- 
 bers of the Council. 
 
 The Continental Journal, etc., (Boston), November 
 2, 1780, gives a list of the members of the General 
 Court, where Mr. Prescott appears not only as a rep- 
 resentative, but also as a Senator and a Councilor ; 
 and in another column of the same newspaper it is 
 announced, as a resolution of the Legislature, that 
 owing to Mr. Prescott's acceptance of the Senatorship, 
 his office as sheriff of Middlesex County was render- 
 ed vacant, and owing, furthermore, to the lack of time 
 in filling it, agreeably to the new Constitution, the 
 session of the Superior Court of Judicature, Court of 
 Assize and General Gaol Delivery would stand ad- 
 journed for one fortnight. He was also chosen, during 
 the years 178i, '82, '83, '84 and '86, first to the Senate, 
 and shortly afterwards to the Council, where he ap- 
 pears to have served through the respective terms. 
 He had previously represented the town in the three 
 Provincial Congresses of 1774 and 1775, and his ex- 
 perience in legislative bodies was large. 
 
 Two of the representatives in the following list, 
 namely, the Hon. Timothy Bigelow and the Hon. 
 Luther Lawrence, have been Speakers of the House. 
 Mr. Bigelow was first chosen to that position on May 
 29, 1805, and for eleven years, at intervals, he con- 
 
128 GROTOX. 
 
 tinued to fill the office — the longest term of service in 
 that capacity ever held by one person — though during 
 a part of this period he was representing the town 
 of Medford. He was Speaker at the time of the 
 separation of Maine from Massachusetts. Mr. 
 Lawrence, a brother-in-law of Mr. Bigelow, was 
 elected to the same office on May 29, 1822, and 
 held it during one year. It is not a little singu- 
 lar that they both were occupants, at different 
 times, of the same dwelling, formerly situated on 
 Main Street, but now moved away; and both had 
 their law-offices in a building near by, where, also, 
 Mr. Dana, the president of the Senate, had had his 
 law-office. This coincidence is by no means weak- 
 ened by the fact that Governor Boutwell, the present 
 owner of the place, was once the Democratic candi- 
 date for the Speakership, when the Legislature met 
 on January 6, 1847, and he also was a resident of the 
 town at that time. It may be worthy of note that 
 another Speaker, the Hon. Timothy Fuller, the father 
 of Margaret, who is known as the Countess d'Ossoli, 
 was a citizen of Groton for some years before his 
 death, which took place on October 1, 1835. 
 
 Under the Constitution originally the political year 
 began on the last Wednesday of May, but the Sena- 
 tors and Eepresentatives were chosen at different 
 times. The members of the House were elected, 
 annually, in the month of May, ten days at least be- 
 fore the last Wednesday of that month, and their 
 term of service was during the year of their election. 
 
GROTON. 129 
 
 UNDER THE STATE CONSTITUTION. 
 
 Date of Election. 
 September 4, 1780, Hon. James Prescott. 
 May 14, 1781, Deacon Isaac Farns worth. 
 May 13, 1782, Deacon Isaac Farnsworth, declined, and Israel Hobart 
 
 chosen in his place. 
 May 12, 1783, Israel Hobart. 
 May 10, 1784, Dr. Benjamin Morse. 
 May 9, 1785, Ebenezer Champney. 
 May 8, 1786, (the town voted by one majority not to send). 
 
 On March 7, 1787, the General Court passed an or- 
 der fining the town of Groton twenty-four pounds and 
 ten shillings for its neglect to send a representative 
 during the preceding year. Forty other towns were 
 fined various sums at the same time for a similar 
 neglect ; and among them were Pepperell, Dunstable, 
 Westford, Littleton, Harvard and Lunenburg. 
 
 Date of Election. 
 May 7, 1787, Dr. Benjamin Morse. 
 May 12, 1788, Dr. Benjamin Morse. 
 May 11, 1789, Dr. Benjamin Morse. 
 May 4, 1790, (the town voted not to send). 
 May 9, 1791, Major Aaron Brown. 
 May 7, 1792, Major Aaron Brown. 
 
 May 6, 1793, Major Aaron Brown, Mr. Timothy Bigelow. 
 May 12, 1794, Mr. Timothy Bigelow. 
 May 6, 1795, Mr. Timothy Bigelow. 
 May 2, 1798, Mr. Timothy Bigelow. 
 May 1, 1797, Mr. Timothy Bigelow. 
 May 14, 1798, Hon. Timothy Bigelow. 
 May 6, 1799, Hon. Timothy Bigelow. 
 May 5, 1800, Hon. Timothy Bigelow. 
 May 4, 1801, Hon. Timothy Bigelow. 
 May 3, 1802, Hon. Timothy Bigelow. 
 May 2, 1803, Samuel Dana. 
 May 7, 1804, Hon. Timothy Bigelow, 
 May 6, 1805, Hon. Timothy Bigelow, Speaker. \ 
 
 May 5, 1806, Hon. Timothy Bigelow, Speaker. 
 May 4, 1807, Joseph Moors. 
 
 9 
 
130 GROTON. 
 
 May 2, 1808, Joseph Moors. 
 
 May 1, 1809, Joseph Moors, Oliver Prescott. 
 
 May 7, 1810, Oliver Prescott, James Brazer. 
 
 May 6, 1811, Major Joseph Moors, Major Thomas Gardner. 
 
 May 4, 1812, Joseph Moors, Luther Lawrence. 
 
 May 3, 1813, Joseph Moors, Luther Lawrence. 
 
 May 2, 1814, Joseph Moors, Luther Lawrence. 
 
 May 1, 1815, Luther Lawrence. 
 
 May 6, 1816, Luther Lawrence. 
 
 May 5, 1817, Luther Lawrence. 
 
 May 4, 1818, Luther Lawrence. 
 
 May 3, 1819, Luther Lawrence. 
 
 May 1, 1820, Luther Lawrence. 
 
 May 7, 1821, Luther Lawrence. 
 
 May 6, 1822, Luther Lawrence, Speaker. 
 
 May 12, 1823, (the town voted not to send). 
 
 May 23, 1824, Captain Noah Sbattuck. 
 
 May 2, 1825, Hon. Samuel Dana. 
 
 May 1, 1826, Hon. Samuel Dana. 
 
 May 7, 1827, Hon. Samuel Dana. 
 
 May 5, 1828, (the town voted not to send). 
 
 May 4, 1829, Caleb Butler, declined, and William Livermore chosen in 
 
 his place. 
 May 3, 1830, Luther Lawrence, William Livermore. 
 May 11, 1831, Captain John Boynton. 
 
 (The town voted not to choose a second representative.) 
 
 By the tenth Article of Amendment to the Consti- 
 tution of Massachusetts, adopted by the General 
 Court during two successive sessions, and ratified by 
 the people on May 11, 1831, the beginning of the 
 political year was changed from the last Wednesday 
 in May to the first Wednesday in January, and the 
 day of election changed to the second Monday in 
 November. In this list hereafter the term of service 
 is during the year following the date of election. 
 
 Bate of Election. 
 November 12, 1832, Captain John Boynton, Captain John Rockwood. 
 November 11, 1833, Captain John Boynton, Captain John Rockwood. 
 
GROTON. 131 
 
 November 10, 1834, Captain John Boynton, Timothy Blood. 
 November 9, 1835, Captain John Boynton, Timothy Blood. 
 November 14, 1836, John Gray Park, Dr. Joshua Green. 
 November 13, 1837, Dr. Joshua Green. 
 
 (The town voted not to choose a second representative.) 
 November 12, 1838, John Gray Park, Captain Daniel Shattuck. 
 November 11, 1839. (the town voted not to send.) 
 November 9, 1840, John Boynton. 
 November 8, 1841, George Sewall Boutwell. 
 November 14, 1842, George Sewall Boutwell. 
 November 13, 1843, George Sewall Boutwell. 
 November 11, 1844, William Livermore, Jr. 
 November 10, 1845, "William Livermore, Jr. 
 November 10, 1846, George Sewall Boutwell. 
 
 Mr. Boutwell was chosen on the third trial by five 
 majority. On the preceding day there had been a 
 tie vote twice between him and Edward Coburn, the 
 Whig candidate. 
 
 Date of Election. 
 November 8, 1847, George Sewall Boutwell. 
 November 13, 1848, George Sewall Boutwell. 
 November 12, 1849, George Sewall Boutwell. 
 November 11, 1850, Phinehas Gilman Prescott. 
 November 10, 1851, Phinehas Gilman Prescott. 
 November 8, 1852, William Shattuck. 
 November 14, 1S53, William Shattuck. 
 November 13, 1854, John Warren Parker. 
 November 12, 1855, John Warren Parker. 
 
 By the fifteenth Article of Amendment to the State 
 Constitution, adopted by the General Court during 
 two successive sessions, and ratified by the people on 
 May 23, 1855, the day of election was changed to the 
 Tuesday next after the first Monday in November. 
 
 Date of Election. 
 November 4, 1856, Warren Fay Stone. 
 
 Under Chapter CCCVIIL, Acts of 1857, a new 
 apportionment of Representatives was made through- 
 
132 GROTON. 
 
 out the State, and the town of Groton became, there- 
 by, in connection with the towns of Pepperell, Shir- 
 ley, Westford and Dunstable, the Twenty-sixth Mid- 
 dlesex District, with two Representatives. 
 
 Date of Election. 
 November 3, 1857, Eliel Shumway. 
 November 3, 1857, Kobert Parker Woods. 
 November 7, 1860, George Henry Brown. 
 November 4, 1863, George Samuel Gates. 
 November 8, 1865, Benjamin Franklin Taft. 
 
 Mr. Shuniway's election was contested before the 
 General Court by Allen Curnrnings, of Dunstable, 
 and a hearing was given by the Committee on Elec- 
 tions ; but the matter was decided in favor of Mr. 
 Shumway. For a full statement of the case, see 
 "Reports of Controverted Elections in the Senate 
 and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth 
 of Massachusetts from 1853 to 1885 inclusive " (page 
 41), by Edward P. Loring and Charles Theodore 
 Russell, Jr. (Boston, 1886). 
 
 By another apportionment, made under Chapter 
 CHI., Acts of 1866, Groton and Pepperell became 
 the Thirty-first Middlesex District, and were entitled 
 to one Representative. The tow T n of Ayer, on its 
 incorporation, February 14, 1871, except that part 
 which had previously belonged to Shirley, was added 
 to the district. 
 
 Date of Election. 
 November 7, 1866, Danial Needham. 
 November 4, 1868, William Livermore. 
 November 2, 1869, Edmund Dana Bancroft. 
 November 5, 1873, George Samuel Gates. 
 
 By still another apportionment, under Chapter 
 XV., Acts of 1876, Groton became, in connection 
 
GROTOX. 133 
 
 with Westford, Dunstable and Pepperell, the Thirty- 
 fourth Middlesex District, and entitled to one Repre- 
 sentative. 
 
 Date of Election. 
 November S, 1876, Asa Stillman Lawrence. 
 November 3, 1880, Asa Stillman Lawrence. 
 November 7, 1883, Moses Poor Palmer. 
 November 12, 1886, George Sumner Graves. 
 
 Colonel William Lawrence was a member of the 
 General Court during seventeen years, — the longest 
 term of service of any Representative from the town ; 
 and after him came the Hon. James Prescott, who 
 served fifteen years. 
 
 Mr. Boutwell ?'s now the senior surviving member, 
 and, with the exception of Phineas Oilman Prescott, 
 William Shattuck, Warren Fay Stone, George Henry 
 Brown and George Sumner Graves, all his successors 
 are still alive. 
 
 REVOLUTIONARY PERIOD. 
 
 FIRST PROVINCIAL CONGRESS OF DEPUTIES. 
 
 Date of Election. Term of Service. 
 May 9, 1774 Honorable James Prescott 1774 
 
 SECOND PROVINCIAL CONGRESS OF DEPUTIES. 
 
 December 26, 1774 . . . Honorable James Prescott 1775 
 
 THIRD PROVINCIAL CONGRESS OF DEPUTIES. 
 
 May 22, 1775 Honorable James Prescott 1775 
 
 MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF WAR. 
 
 October 30, 1776 Oliver Prescott, declined. 
 
 November 16, 1776 . . . James Prescott 1776-1779 
 
 MEMBER OF THE COUNCIL. 
 
 May 29, 1777 Oliver Prescott 1777-1779 
 
 According to the records of the General Court, 
 when the Board of War was first chosen on October 
 
134 GROTON. 
 
 30, 1776, "Brigf. Prescot " was elected a member. 
 This referred to Dr. Oliver Prescott, at that time a 
 brigadier-general, but it does not appear that he ever 
 took his seat with the board. On November 13th the 
 records state that two of the members, whose names 
 are given, had declined, and their places were at once 
 filled ; and on November 16th five more resignations 
 were announced, — though no names are mentioned, — 
 and the vacancies then filled. Dr. Prescott was un- 
 doubtedly one of the five who declined at this time. 
 Among those chosen at the second election was 
 " Colonel Prescot," who was James, a brother of 
 Oliver. It is a little singular that their Christian 
 names are not given in the records, as both were well- 
 known men. The " Journal of the House," October 
 30, 1776, prints the name of "James Prescott, Esq ; " 
 as one of the nine original members chosen at that 
 time, but this is an error. Colonet Prescott attended 
 his first meeting with the Board of War on Decem- 
 ber 18, — according to the manuscript minutes of the 
 Board. 
 
 VARIOUS OFFICERS. 
 
 GOVERNOR OF THE COMMONWEALTH. 
 
 Bate of Election. Term of Service^ 
 
 January 11, 1851 . . . Honorable George Sewall Boutwell 18.51, 1852 
 
 SECRETARY OF THE UNITED STATES TREASURY. 
 
 (Under President Grant.) 
 March 11, 1869 .... Honorable George Sewall Boutwell . 1869-1S73 
 
 BENATOB IN CONGRESS. 
 
 March 12, 1873 . . . . Honorable George Sewall Boutwell . 1873-1877 
 
 REPRESENTATIVES IN CONGRESS. 
 
 November 5, 1810 . . . Honorable William Mercbant Rich- 
 ardson 1811-1814 
 
 November 7, 1814. . . Honorable Samuel Dana 1814,1815 
 
 November 4, 1862 . . . Honorable George Sevvell Boutwell 1863-1869 
 
GROTON. 1 35 
 
 MEMBERS OF THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL. 
 
 October 27, 1780 .... Honorable James Prescott . . 1780-1784, 178G 
 May 28, 1802 Honorable Timothy Bigelow 1802 
 
 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTOR. 
 
 November 6, 1820 . . . Honorable Samuel Dana 1820 
 
 (The Electoral College of Massachusetts cast its vote on December 7, 
 1820, unanimously in favor of James Monroe for President.) 
 
 DELEGATES TO CONSTITUTION AL CONVENTIONS. 
 Convention for forming the Constitution of Massachusetts, September 1, 1779. 
 Date of Election. Term of Service. 
 
 August 16, 1779 .... Honorable James Sullivan 1779, 1780 
 
 (Mr. Sullivan was afterward Governor of the Commonwealth, and 
 died on December 10, 1S08, while holding the office.) 
 
 Convention for adopting the Constitution of the United States, January 
 
 9, 1788. 
 
 December 3, 1787 .... Dr. Benjamin Morse, Joseph Sheple, Esq. 1788 
 
 (Both these delegates opposed the adoption.) 
 
 Convention for altering the Constitution of Massachusetts, November 15, 1820. 
 
 .„„ f Honorable Samuel Dana, ) ,„,„,«„-. 
 
 August 21, 1820 < T .. _ _ ' [ . . . 1820, 1821 
 
 l Luther Lawrence, Esq. J 
 
 Convention for altering the Constitution of Massachusetts, May 4, 1853. 
 
 March 7, 1853 John Gray Park, Esq 1853 
 
 (Mr. Boutwell, of Groton, represented the town of Berlin, Worces- 
 ter County, in this Convention.) 
 
 JUDGES AND OTHER COURT OFFICERS. 
 
 CHIEF JUSTICE OF THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS. 
 
 Late of Appointment. Term of Service. 
 
 June 3, 1803 . . . Honorable James Prescott, Jr 1803 
 
 (By an Act passed on June 21, 1811, the Court of Common Pleas 
 became the Circuit Court of Common Pleas.) 
 
 CHIEF JUSTICE OF THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COMMON PLEAS. 
 
 October 14, 1811 . . Honorable Samuel Dana 1811-1820 
 
 JUSTICE OF COURT OF COMMON PLEAS. 
 
 December 21, 1782 . . Honorable James Prescott 1782-1800 
 
136 GROTON. 
 
 JUDGES OF PROBATE. 
 
 July 1, 1779 Honorable Oliver Prescott 1779-1804 
 
 (Reappointed on March 27, 1781.) 
 February 1, 1S05 . . . Honorable James Prescott, Jr 1805-1821 
 
 SHERIFF. 
 
 September 6, 1775 . . Honorable James Prescott 1775-1780 
 
 CLERK OF THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS. 
 
 May 28, 1783 .... William Swan, Esq 1783-1789 
 
 " The Massachusetts Eegister and United States 
 Calendar for the year of our Lord 1806" (page 75) 
 gives Ephraim Wood, of Groton, as one of the jus- 
 tices of the Court of Common Pleas in Middlesex 
 County, but the place of residence is without doubt a 
 mistake. I cannot find that Judge "Wood ever lived 
 at Groton. 
 
 A LIST OF THE RESIDENTS 
 
 Of Groton who held Commissions from the Governor 
 and Council, during the Provincial Period. 
 
 Late of Appointment. 
 
 August 27, 1713, Captain Jonas Prescott, Justice of the Peace. 
 
 December 9, 1715, Captain Jonas Prescott, Justice of the Peace. 
 
 December 26, 1727, Benjamin Prescott, Justice of the Peace. 
 
 October 10, 1729, Benjamin Prescott, Justice of the Peace. 
 
 March 19, 1729-30, Captain Nathaniel Sartle, Justice of the Peace. 
 
 July 9, 1731, Benjamin Prescott, Justice of the Peace. 
 
 July 9, 1731, Nathaniel Sartle, Justice of the Peace. 
 
 June 27, 1735, Benjamin Prescott, in place of Paul Dudley, a Special 
 Justice of the Superior Court of Judicature. 
 
 January 2, 1735-36, Benjamin Prescott, Justice of the Peace and of the 
 Quorum. 
 
 November 10, 1737,Benjamin Prescott, in place of Paul Dudley, a Spec- 
 ial Justice in divers cases. 
 
 December 29, 1739, William Lawrence, Justice of the Peace and of the 
 Quorum. 
 
 August 12, 1749, William Lawrence, Special Justice of the Inferior 
 Court of Common Pleas. 
 
GEOTON. 137 
 
 June 21, 1751, William Lawrence, Special Justice of the Inferior Court 
 of Common Pleas. 
 
 January 2, 1753, James Prescott, Justice of the Peace. 
 
 June 26, 1755, William Lawrence, Justice of the Inferior Court of Com- 
 mon Pleas, in place of Francis Fulham, resigned. 
 
 November 20, 1761, William Lawrence, Justice of the Peace and of the 
 Quorum. 
 
 November 20, 1761, James Prescott, Justice of the Peace. 
 
 June 8, 1764, Abel Lawrence, Justice of the Peace. 
 
 Coroners. — The first three names mentioned below 
 are taken from the Council records ; but the others 
 are found in the " Record of Civil Commissions," in 
 the office of the Secretary of State. Under the Con- 
 stitution coroners were appointed for life, unless 
 sooner removed ; but by an act passed on April 29, 
 1862, their tenure of office was limited to seven years, 
 subject to reappointment. By another act passed on 
 May 9, 1877, the office was abolished, and, so far as 
 related to inquests, the medical examiner was substi- 
 tuted in place of the coroner. 
 
 Bate of Appointment. 
 
 March 8, 1759, Israel Hubbard [Hobart]. 
 
 November 20, 1701, Israel Hobart. 
 
 (These two persons were the same.) 
 July 12, 1769, Isaac Farnsworth. 
 August 28, 1775, Isaac Farnsworth. 
 September 24, 1778, Ephraim Russell. 
 March 27, 1781, Ephraim Russell. 
 March 2, 1790, Samuel Lawrence. 
 March 2, 1790, Peter Edes. 
 January 7, 1801, Samson Woods. 
 February 3, 1803, William Farwell Brazer. 
 July 4, 1803, James Lewis, Jr. 
 July 5, 1809, William Lawrence. 
 February 20, 1810, Abel Farnsworth. 
 August 20, 1811, Jacob Lakin Parker. 
 March 2, 1813, Amos Lawrence. 
 May 26, 1817, Benjamin Moors. 
 
138 GROTON. 
 
 February 9, 1820, William Austin Bancroft. 
 
 (Mr. Bancroft was a resident of Townsend at the time of his 
 appointment.) 
 January 16, 1822, David Childs. 
 June 29, 1852, Jacob Pollard. 
 May 15, 185C, John Mason Porter. 
 April 2, 1858, Eusebius Silsby Clarke. 
 April 10, 1860, Asa Stillman Lawrence. 
 January 24, 1866, John Quincy Adams McCollester. 
 April 16, 1867, Asa Stillman Lawrence. 
 April 30, 1869, Benjamin Lincoln Howe. 
 April 30, 1874, Asa Stillman Lawrence. 
 
 NATIVES OF GROTON 
 
 And Residents of the Town, who have Afterward Filled 
 Important Positions Elsewhere. 
 
 Honorable John Prescott Bigelow, born at Groton 
 on August 25, 1797, Harvard College, 1815 ; Secretary 
 of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 1836-43 ; 
 Member of the Executive Council, 1845-49 ; Mayor 
 of Boston, 1849-51. Died in Boston on July 4, 
 1874. 
 
 Honorable Henry Adams Bullard, born at Groton 
 on September 9, 1788, Harvard College, 1807 ; Justice 
 of the Sixth District Court of Louisiana, 1822-31 ; 
 Kepresentative in Congress from Alexandria and New 
 Orleans, Louisiana (Twenty-first, Twenty-second and 
 Thirty-first Congresses), 1831-34, '50, '51; Justice of 
 the Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1834-46, with the 
 exception of a few months in 1839, when he acted as 
 Secretary of State. Died in New Orleans on April 
 17, 1851. 
 
 Mr. Bullard's father was the settled minister at 
 Pepperell, but all the printed accounts of hi3 life say 
 
GROTON. 139 
 
 that he was born at Groton, which is my authority for 
 the statement. 
 
 Honorable Willard Hall, born at Westford on De- 
 cember 24, 1780, Harvard College, 1799 ; studied law 
 with the Honorable Samuel Dana at Groton ; Secre- 
 tary of the State of Delaware, 1811-14, '21 ; Repre- 
 sentative in Congress from Wilmington, Delaware 
 (Fifteenth and Sixteenth Congresses), 1817-21 ; Judge 
 of the United States District Court in Delaware, 
 1823-71. Died in Wilmington on May 10, 1875. 
 
 Honorable John Harris, born at Harvard on Octo- 
 ber 13, 1769, Harvard College, 1791 ; studied law with 
 the Honorable Timothy Bigelow at Groton ; Justice 
 of the Superior Court of Judicature of New Hamp- 
 shire, 1823-33. Died at Hopkinton, New Hampshire, 
 on April 23, 1845. 
 
 Honorable Amos Kendall, born at Dunstable on 
 August 16, 1789, Dartmouth College, 1811 ; studied 
 law with the Honorable William Merchant Richard- 
 son at Groton ; Postmaster-General under Presidents 
 Jackson and Van Buren, 1835-40. Died in Wash- 
 ington, D. C, on June 12, 1869. 
 
 Honorable Abbott Lawrence, born at Groton on 
 December 16, 1792 ; Representative in Congress from 
 Boston (Twenty-fourth and Twenty-sixth Congresses), 
 1835-37, '39, '40 ; Presidential Elector, 1844; Envoy 
 Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Great 
 Britain, 1849-52. Died in Boston on August 18, 
 1855. 
 
 Honorable John Locke, born at Hopkinton, Massa- 
 chusetts, on February 14, 1764, Harvard College, 
 1792 ; studied law with the Honorable Timothy 
 
1 40 GROTON. 
 
 Bigelow at Groton ; Eepresentative in Congress from 
 Ashby, Massachusetts (Eighteenth, Nineteenth and 
 Twentieth Congresses), 1823-29; Member of the 
 Executive Council, 1831. Died in Boston on March 
 29, 1855. 
 
 Honorable Thomas Rice, born at Pownalborough 
 (now Wiscasset), Maine, on March 30, 1768, Harvard 
 College, 1791 ; studied law with the Honorable 
 Timothy Bigelow at Groton; Representative in Con- 
 gress from Augusta, District of Maine, Massachusetts 
 (Fourteenth and Fifteenth Congresses), 1815-19. 
 Died at Winslow, Maine, on August 24, 1854. 
 
 Honorable William Merchant Richardson, born at 
 Pelham, New Hampshire, on January 4, 1774, Har- 
 vard College, 1797 ; Preceptor of Groton Academy, 
 1799-1802 ; studied law with the Honorable Samuel 
 Dana at Groton ; Postmaster, 1804-12 ; Representa- 
 tive in Congress from Groton (Twelfth and Thirteenth 
 Congresses), 1811-14; removed to Portsmouth, New 
 Hampshire, and afterward became Chief Justice of 
 the Superior Court of Judicature of that State, 1816— 
 38. Died at Chester, New Hampshire, on March 23, 
 1838. 
 
 Honorable Ether Shepley, born at Groton on No- 
 vember 2, 1789, Dartmouth College, 1811 ; Senator in 
 Congress from Maine, 1833-36 ; Justice of the Supreme 
 Judicial Court of Maine, 1836-48 ; Chief Justice of 
 the same Court, 1848-55. Died in Portland on Janu- 
 ary 15, 1877. 
 
 Honorable Samuel Emerson Smith, born at Hollis, 
 New Hampshire, on March 12, 1788, Harvard Col- 
 lege, 1808 ; studied law with the Honorable Samuel 
 
GROTOX. 141 
 
 Dana at Groton ; Justice of the Court of Common 
 Pleas of Maine, 1822-1830; Governor of Maine, 
 1831-1833; Justice of the Court of Common Pleas 
 again, 1835-1837. Died at Wiscasset, Maine, on 
 March 3, 1860. 
 
 Honorable Asahel Stearns, born at Lunenburg, 
 June 17, 1774, Harvard College, 1797 ; Preceptor of 
 Groton Academy during a short period immediately 
 after his graduation ; studied law with the Honorable 
 Timothy Bigelow at Groton ; representative in Con- 
 gress from Chelmsford, Massachusetts (Fourteenth 
 Congress), 1815-1817 ; University Professor of Law at 
 the Harvard Law School, 1817-1829. Died in Cam- 
 bridge on February 5, 1839. 
 
 Honorable James Sullivan, born at Berwick, Maine, 
 on April 22, 1744; Member of the three Provin- 
 cial Congresses, from Biddeford, 1774, 1775; resident 
 of Groton, 1778-1782; delegate to the Continental 
 Congress, 1782 ; Member of the Executive Council, 
 1787; Judge of Probate, Suffolk County, 1788-1790 ; 
 Attorney-General, 1790-1807 ; First President of tne 
 Massachusetts Historical Society, 1791-1806 ; Gov- 
 ernor of the Commonwealth, 1807, 1808. Died in 
 Boston on December 10, 1808, while in office. 
 
 Honorable John Varnum, born at Dracut on June 
 25, 1778, Harvard College, 1798 ; studied law with 
 the Honorable Timothy Bigelow at Groton ; Bepre- 
 sentative in Congress from Haverhill, Massachusetts 
 (Nineteenth, Twentieth and Twenty-first Congresses), 
 1825-1831. Died at Niles, Michigan, on July 23,. 
 1836. 
 
 Iii the spring of 1765 the odious Stamp Act wa3 
 
142 GROTOX. 
 
 passed, which did much to hasten public opinion to- 
 ward the American Revolution. This town sympa- 
 thized warmly with the feeling, and prepared to do 
 her part in the struggle. A large number of her in- 
 habitants had received their schooling in the French 
 War, as their fathers before them had received theirs 
 during the Indian troubles. Such persons did not 
 now enter upon camp life as raw troops, but as ex- 
 perienced and disciplined soldiers. The town had 
 men willing to serve and able to command. The 
 leaders of the Revolution displayed great foresight in 
 the careful attention paid to the details of their work ; 
 and the final success of the struggle was due as much 
 to their sagacity as to the deep feeling of the people. 
 On the side of the patriots the skirmishes of April 19, 
 1775, were fought by companies made up of minute- 
 men, organized on a recommendation of the First 
 Provincial Congress of Massachusetts, in a resolve 
 passed at Cambridge on October 26, 1774. It was at 
 that time recommended to the field officers of the 
 various militia regiments that they should enlist at 
 least one-quarter of their respective commands, and 
 form them into companies to be held in readiness, at 
 the shortest notice by the Committee of Safety, to 
 march to the place of rendezvous. Such soldiers 
 soon became known as minute-men, and proved to be 
 of very great help and strength to the popular cause. 
 Two companies were enlisted at Groton ; and at the 
 desire of the officers, the Rev. Samuel Webster, of 
 Temple, New Hampshire, on February 21, 1775, 
 preached a sermon before them, which was afterward 
 printed. It was there stated that a large majority of 
 
GROTON. 143 
 
 the town had engaged to hold themselves in readi- 
 ness, agreeably to the plan of the Provincial Congress, 
 to act in the service of their country. The sermon is 
 singularly meagre in those particulars which would 
 interest us at the present time, and is made up largely 
 of theological opinions, perhaps as valuable now as 
 then, but not so highly prized. 
 
 On the memorable 19th of April two compa- 
 nies of minute-men, under the respective commands 
 of Captain Henry Farwell and Captain Asa Law- 
 rence, marched from Groton to Concord and Cam- 
 bridge ; and on the same day for the same destination 
 two other companies of militia, under the respective 
 commands of Captain Josiah Sartelland Captain John 
 Sawtell. According to the company rolls at the State- 
 House, there were in FarwelPs company, at the time 
 of marching, three commissioned officers and fifty-two 
 men, and in Lawrence's three officers and forty-three 
 men ; and in the two militia companies (SartelFs) 
 three officers and forty-five men, and (Sawtell's) one 
 officer and twenty-five men, respectively, though in 
 Sawtell's company some of the men were from Pep- 
 perell. 
 
 In the battle of Bunker Hill, on June 17, 1775, one 
 commissioned officer and eleven soldiers, residents of 
 Groton, were either killed in the fight or mortally 
 wounded. This roll of honor comprises the names of 
 Lieutenant Amaziah Fassett, who fell wounded and 
 died a prisoner on July 5th; Sergeant Benjamin 
 Prescott, a son of the Hon. James Prescott, and a 
 nephew of Colonel William Prescott, who commanded 
 the American forces, and privates Abraham Blood, 
 
144 GROTOX. 
 
 Chambers Corey, James Dodge, Peter Fisk, Stephen 
 Foster, Simon Hobart, Jonathan Jenkins, David 
 Kemp, Robert Parker and Benjamin Woods. This 
 was the largest loss experienced by any town in the 
 battle, and it shows the patriotic character of the citi- 
 zens at that period. Colonel Prescott, the commander 
 on the American side, and three of the Pepperell 
 soldiers who lost their lives in the fight, were natives 
 of Groton. 
 
 During the War for the Union the record of the 
 town is equally honorable. According to General 
 William Schouler's " History of Massachusetts in the 
 Civil War " (ii. 409), she furnished four hundred men 
 for the public service, which was a surplus of forty- 
 nine over and above all demands; of whom twenty- 
 four were commissioned officers. Forty of these sol- 
 diers were either killed in battle or died of their 
 wounds, or of sickness contracted in the army. A 
 marble tablet w r ith their names cut in the stone has 
 been placed in the hall of the Town-House in grate- 
 ful recognition of their services and dedicated to their 
 memory. The whole amount of money raised and 
 appropriated by the town for war purposes, exclusive 
 of State aid, was thirty-one thousand seven hundred 
 and twenty-four dollars and forty-seven cents ($31,- 
 724.47). 
 
 Camp Stevens at Groton. — During the War of 
 the Rebellion, in the autumn of 1862, the Common- 
 wealth of Massachusetts established a military camp 
 at Groton, on the triangular piece of land situated in 
 the southwesterly part of the town, and bounded by 
 the Peterborough and Shirley Railroad, the Nashua 
 
. GROTON. 145 
 
 River and the road to Shirley Village. It contained 
 eighteen or twenty acres, more or less, and at that 
 time belonged to Joseph Cutts; the entrance was near 
 the angle made by the railroad and the highway. 
 The Fifty-third Regiment of Infantry, Massachusetts 
 Volunteer Militia, while its ranks were recruiting, 
 was encamped on this ground. The regiment was 
 raised from Groton and Clinton, Leominster, Fitch- 
 burg and other towns in the neighborhood belonging 
 to Worcester County, and was mustered into the 
 public service for nine months. 
 
 Special Order, No. 916, issued by the Adjutant- 
 General of the Commonwealth, September 19, 1862, 
 contains the following: 
 
 "A camp of rendezvous is established at Groton Junction, Middlesex 
 Co., where barracks are being built, which is designated Camp Stevens. 
 Capt. W. C. Sawyer, 23d Regt. Mass. Vols., is appointed Commandant. 
 Due notice will be given when the barracks are ready for use." 
 
 Special Order, No. 955, under the date of Septem- 
 ber 23d, has the following : 
 
 " Lindsey Tilden [Charles Linzee Tilden], 20th Regt. Mass. Vols , is 
 detailed for Post Adjutant at Camp Stevens, Groton." 
 
 The camp was so named in memory of General 
 Isaac Ingalls Stevens, a native of Andover and a 
 graduate of West Point, who was killed in the battle of 
 Chantilly, Virginia, on September 6, 1862, only a fort- 
 night before the camp was established. 
 
 The commandant was Wesley Caleb Sawyer, born 
 in the adjoining town of Harvard, on August 26, 
 1839, who graduated at Harvard College in the class 
 of 1861. Soon after leaving Cambridge he was com- 
 missioned, on October 8, 1861, as a captain in the 
 10 
 
146 GROTON. 
 
 Twenty-third Massachusetts Volunteers, and he left 
 the State with that regiment. He was attached to 
 Burnside expedition, that went to North Carolina; in 
 the battle of Newbern, March 14, 1862, he was se- 
 verely wounded, which resulted in the amputation of 
 his left thigh, and necessarily prevented him from 
 further participation in an active campaign. 
 
 The regiment left Camp Stevens on Saturday, No- 
 vember 29th, for New York, where it remained until 
 January 17, 1863, at which time it embarked for New 
 Orleans. Subsequently to the departure of the troops 
 from Groton, the following order was issued ; 
 
 " Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 
 
 " Head Quarters, Boston, Dec. 20, 1862. 
 " Special Order, No. 1311. 
 
 "The troops which were enlisted and mustered into service at Camp 
 Stevens, Groton Junction, having left the Commonwealth for the seat of 
 war, Capt. Wesley C. Sawyer, Commandant of the Camp, is relieved 
 from further service, and I am directed by His Excellency, the Com- 
 mander-in-Chief, to thank Capt. Sawyer for the acceptable manner in 
 which he has performed the duties of his post. 
 
 " By order of the Commander-in-Chief, 
 
 "William Schouler, 
 
 "Adjt. General.'''' 
 
 Since the war Captain Sawyer has studied at 
 Gottingen, Germany, where he received the degree of 
 Doctor of Philosophy. He has held the professorship 
 of Philosophy and Ehetoric at Lawrence University, 
 Appleton, Wisconsin, but is now connected, as a 
 professor, with the Normal School at Oshkosh, Wis- 
 consin. 
 
 The barracks and other structures used by the 
 soldiers at Camp Stevens have long since disappeared, 
 and not a trace of the former occupation is to be seen. 
 
GROTON. 147 
 
 Years ago some of the buildings were taken down, and 
 the rest were removed, mostly to Ayer. George James 
 Burns, Esq., a lawyer of that town, wrote an interest- 
 ing article for The Groton Landmark, June 25, 
 1887, which traces the history of many of these build- 
 ings. 
 
 In the autumn of 1862, Dr. Elward Jarvis, of Dor- 
 chester, was appointed by Surgeon-General Dale to 
 visit the various camps in the State, of which there 
 were ten, and report on their sanitary condition. The 
 result of his labors may be found in two communi- 
 cations printed in The Boston Medical and Surgical 
 Journal for December 4 and 11, 1862 (LXVII. 364- 
 367 and 381-384, respectively), wherein he makes 
 some criticism on Camp Stevens. 
 
 According to the " Record of Massachusetts Volun- 
 teers, 1861-65" (I. 390-392), the following soldiers 
 died in camp at Groton : Henry A. Waters, of Shir- 
 ley, Co. D, on October 25, 1862; Spencer Stockwell, 
 of Athol, Co. E, November 20th ; and Daniel P. Hem- 
 enway, of Barre, Co. F, December 1st. 
 
 The veterans of the war have organized a post of 
 Grand Army of the Republic, which is called the 
 E. S. Clark Post, No. 115. It is named after Major 
 Eusebius Silsby Clark, of Groton, a gallant officer of 
 the Twenty-sixth Massachusetts Volunteers, who was 
 mortally wounded at Winchester, Virginia, on Sep- 
 tember 19, 1864, and died on October 17, 1864. 
 
 The Population of Groton at Different 
 Times.— The town of Groton was formerly a much 
 more important place relatively, both in size and in- 
 fluence, than it is at the present time. According to 
 
148 GROTON. 
 
 the census of 1790, it was then the second town in 
 Middlesex County, Cambridge alone having a larger 
 population. At that time Groton had 322 families, 
 numbering 1840 persons; and Cambridge, 355 fami- 
 lies, numbering 2115 persons. Charlestown had a pop- 
 ulation of 1583, and Newton, 1360. Reading, with 
 341 families (nineteen more than Groton), numbered 
 1802 persons (thirty-eight less than Groton). Woburn 
 then had a population of 1727 ; Framingham, 1598 ; 
 Marlborough, 1554, and Waltham, 882. Pepperell 
 contained 1132 inhabitants; Shirley, 677 ; Westford, 
 1229, and Littleton, 854. 
 
 There were at that time in Middlesex County forty - 
 one towns, which number has since been increased to 
 forty-seven towns and seven cities ; and in the mean- 
 while Brighton and Charlestown have been merged in 
 the municipality of Boston, and thus have lost their 
 separate existence. Major Aaron Brown, of Groton, 
 and General Henry Woods, of Pepperell, were the 
 marshals who took the census of the county, with the 
 exception of that small portion lying on the further 
 side of the Merrimack River. 
 
 A comparison of the population of the town at dif- 
 ferent periods is somewhat interesting to those famil- 
 iar with its history. John Tinker, in a petition to the 
 General Court, dated October, 1659, four years after 
 the incorporation of the town, says that the planta- 
 tion "Continueth vnpeopled." The report of the 
 committee, — of which Thomas Danforth was chair- 
 man, — dated May 23, 1661, and already quoted, states 
 that there were four or five families' "planted" at 
 that time. In March, 1676, when the town was 
 
GROTON. 149 
 
 burned by the Indians, it was estimated by the Rev. 
 William Hubbard, in his narrative, that there were 
 then sixty families in the place. Another writer of 
 that period puts the number of dwellings destroyed 
 at sixty-six, aDd says that only six houses were left 
 standing. From these estimates it would appear that 
 the population of the town at the time of its destruc- 
 tion was between 300 and 350 inhabitants. From 
 March, 1676, until the early spring of 1678 the settle- 
 ment was abandoned and entirely deserted. In 
 March, 1680, there were forty families in the town, as 
 appears by some statistical returns printed in " The 
 New England Historical and Genealogical Register " 
 (V. 173) for April, 1851. In March, 1707-8, there 
 were sixty-seven polls (" Collections of the American 
 Statistical Association," p. 146), which would indicate 
 a population of about 300 persons. At the beginning 
 of the year 1755 there were fourteen negro slaves in 
 town — seven men and seven women — who were six- 
 teen years old or upwards. 
 
 On June 2, 1763, Governor Francis Bernard sent a 
 message to the General Court, expressing his wish that 
 a census of the Province might be taken ; but that 
 body paid no heed to the suggestion. On January 19, 
 1764, he renewed the proposition, and apparently 
 with better success ; for the Legislature, on February 
 2d, adopted an order carrying out his wishes. The 
 popular heart, however, was not in the work, and no 
 interest was taken in the measure. The people were 
 suspicious of the rulers in England, and jealous of 
 all political interference ; and it is but natural that 
 the census proceeded slowly. On March 5, 1765, an 
 
150 GROTON. 
 
 act was passed by the General Court to carry into ef- 
 fect an order which had previously been passed for 
 numbering the people within the Province. This ac- 
 tion shows that the Governor's pet scheme was not re- 
 ceiving a warm support. 
 
 With these drawbacks, and under such conditions, 
 the first census of the houses, families and number of 
 people in the Province of Massachusetts Bay ever 
 taken was finished in the year 1765. Singularly 
 enough, there are now no returns of this enumeration 
 among the Provincial or State Archives, where they 
 were undoubtedly placed. How or when they disap- 
 peared is a matter of conjecture; but probably they 
 Avere lost amid the confusion that naturally prevailed 
 during the Revolutionary period. Fortunately a copy 
 of this census was found by the late Judge Samuel 
 Dana, of Groton, among some papers of a deceased 
 friend, which had then lately come into his posses- 
 sion ; and by him sent to the. Columbian Centinel 
 newspaper, where it was printed for the first time in 
 the issue of August 17, 1822, more than half a cen- 
 tury after the enumeration was made. From this 
 source is derived all the information concerning the 
 figures of the census of 1765 ; and the printed copy, 
 in the absence of any other, is an authority second in 
 importance only to the original manuscript returns. 
 At that time the town of Groton had 1408 inhabit- 
 ants. 
 
 Akin to this subject, there is in the Library of the 
 Massachusetts Historical Society a memorandum- 
 bOok, which contains some interesting facts con- 
 nected directly or indirectly with the population of 
 
GROTON. 151 
 
 the Commonwealth during the Revolutionary period. 
 According to this authority the population of Groton 
 in the year 1776 was 1639; the number of ratable 
 polls in 1778 was 362, and the number in 1781 was 
 395. 
 
 In compliance with a resolution of Congress, an 
 act was passed by the General Court of Massachu- 
 setts on July 2, 1784, requiring the assessors of towns 
 to make certain returns, from which it appears that 
 there were at that time 418 polls in Groton. This 
 was the largest number returned by any town in the 
 county, with the single exception of Cambridge, 
 which had 457 polls ; and after Groton came Reading 
 with 399 polls, and Woburn svith 395, followed closely 
 by Frarningham with 389. 
 
 At the several decennial dates of the United States 
 census, the population of Groton has been as follows 
 In the year 1790, 1,840; 1800, 1,802; 1810, 1,886 
 1820, 1,897; 1830, 1,925; 1840, 2,139; 1850, 2,515 
 1860, 3,193; 1870, 3,584, and 1880, 1,862. The town 
 of Ayer was incorporated on February 14, 1871, and 
 made up almost entirely from the territory of Gro- 
 ton, which accounts for the great diminution in the 
 population between the last two decennial periods, 
 as given above. The new town started on its corpo- 
 rate existence with a population nearly equal to that 
 of the parent town, and, with all the vigor of youth, 
 soon surpassed it in size. 
 
 The population of Groton, as taken by the State 
 in the quinquennial years, has been as follows : In 
 the year 1855, 2,745; 1865, 3,176; 1875, 1,908, and 
 1885, 1,987. By all the enumerations, National or 
 
152 GROTON. 
 
 State, made during the present century, it will be 
 seen that there has been a steady increase in the 
 population of the town, with the exception of the 
 period between the years 1860 and 1865, when there 
 was a slight decrease of seventeen inhabitants, and of 
 the period between 1875 and 1880, when there was a 
 falling off of forty-six inhabitants. The loss in the 
 first instance was due, of coarse, to the disturbing 
 effects of the Civil War. 
 
 The population of Ayer in the year 1885 was 2190 ; 
 and if that village had not been separately incorpor- 
 ated, the population of Groton would now be consid- 
 erably more than 4000 inhabitants. According to 
 the last State census there were thirty-two towns or 
 cities in Middlesex County larger than Groton, and 
 twenty-one towns smaller. 
 
 The original Groton Plantation, as granted by the 
 General Court on May 25, 1655, has furnished the 
 entire territory of Ayer; the whole of Pepperell, with 
 the exception of a narrow strip lying along its north- 
 ern boundary, which once belonged to the West Par- 
 ish of Dunstable (Hollis); the whole of Shirley, with 
 the exception of a small portion formerly known as 
 "Stow Leg;" one-half of Dunstable; and has con- 
 tributed more or less to form five other towns, namely, 
 Harvard, Littleton and Westford (including a part 
 of Forge Village), in Massachusetts, besides Nashua 
 and Hollis, in New Hampshire. The total popula- 
 tion of this territory is now more than 10,000 inhab- 
 itants. 
 
 Summary. — Population of Groton at Different 
 Times. — Town incorporated on May 25, 1655 ; in Oc- 
 
GROTON. 1 53 
 
 tober, 1659, " vnpeopled ;" in May, 1661, four or five 
 families; in March, 1676, about 300 inhabitants; in 
 March, 1680, forty families; in March, 1708, 67 polls; 
 in March, 1765, 1408 inhabitants ; in 1776, 1639 in- 
 habitants; in 1778, 362 polls; in 1781, 395 polls, and 
 in 1784, 418 polls. 
 
 Year. Inhabitants. Year. Inhabitants. 
 
 1790 1840 1855 2745 
 
 1800 1802 1860 3193 
 
 1810 1886 1865 3176 
 
 1820 1897 1870 3584 
 
 1830 . . ■„.... •.... 1925 1875 1908 
 
 1840 2139 1880 1862 
 
 1850 2515 1885 1987 
 
 The approximate population of the town, under 
 the national census of 1890, is 2071, though these 
 figures are subject to change in the official count. 
 
 Slavery in Grotox. — During a long period be- 
 fore the Kevolution, Groton had one element in her 
 population which does not now exist, and which to-day 
 has disappeared from almost the whole civilized world. 
 At the beginning of the year 1755 there were fourteen 
 negro slaves in town, seven men and seven women 
 who were sixteen years old or upwards. At that 
 time Townsend had three slaves, two men and one 
 woman ; Shirley had one, a man ; and Pepperell made 
 no return of having any. Westford had five, but the 
 sex is not given. These facts are gathered from a 
 census of negro slaves in Massachusetts, ordered by 
 the Province, which is published in the third volume, 
 second series, of the Collections of the Massachusetts 
 Historical Society (pages 95-97). 
 
 William Banks, a negro or mulatto, was married at 
 
154 GROTON. 
 
 Groton on December 21, 1719, by Francis Fullain, a 
 justice of peace, to Hannah Wansaniug. William 
 appears to have been a slave belonging to Eleazer 
 Robbins, of Groton, and Hannah was an Indian, who 
 is called in the records "late of Lancaster; " but un- 
 fortunately the marriage was not a happy one. With 
 all confidence in her husband, the wife bought his 
 freedom, when he proved false to his plight and prom- 
 ise, and deserted her. The story, told in her own 
 words, is found in the Journal of the Massachusetts 
 House of Representatives, June 13, 1724 (page 39): 
 
 " A Petition of Hannah Banks Indian, shewing that she bought of 
 Eleazer Robbins of Groton his Servant Man's Time, and gave a Bond 
 of I. 15 for Payment of the same, that afterwards she married the said 
 Servant Man, who is since absconded, and the said Bobbins hath put the 
 said Bond in Suit, and cast the Petitioner into Prison in Boston, that the 
 Principal Debt with the Charges hath arisen to I. 25 which Mr. Edward 
 Buggies of Boxbury hath paid for her, praying this Court would please 
 to enable the said Edward Buggies to Sell such a part of her Land in 
 Xatick, as will satisfy him for his advance of said Twenty-Five Pounds. 
 
 " Bead and committed to the Committee for Petitions." 
 
 The following advertisement, not an unusual one 
 for that period, appears in The Boston Evening- 
 Post, July 30, 1739 : 
 
 RAN away from his Master, Mr. John Woods of Groton, on Thursday 
 the 12th of this Instant July, a Negro Man Servant named Caesar, 
 about 22 Years of Age, apretty short ivell sett Fellow. He carried with him 
 a Blue Coat and Jacket, a pair of Tow Breeches, a Castor Hat, Stockings 
 and Shoes of his own, and « Blue Cloth Coat with flowered Metal Buttons, 
 a white flower' d Jacket, a good Bever Hat, a Gray Wigg, and a pair of new 
 Shoes of his Master's, with some other things. It is suspected there is some 
 white Person that may be with him, or design to make Use of hi* Master's 
 Apparel above described. 
 
 Wlioever shall take up the said Servant, and bring him to his above-said 
 Master in Groton, or be a Means of convicting any person or Confederate 
 with said Servant as above suspected, shall have Five Pounds Reward for 
 each of them, and all necessary Charges paid. 
 
GROTON. 1 55 
 
 Another advertisement appears in The Boston 
 Gazette and Country Journal, June 13, 1774, as 
 follows : 
 
 Ten Dollars Reward. 
 T3 AX AWAY from the Subscriber, Joseph Moors, of Groton, in the 
 -*-*> County of Middlesex, and Province of Massachusetts-Bay, a 
 Molatto Man Servant, named TITUS, about 20 Years of Age, of a mid- 
 ling Stature, wears short cuiTd Hair, has one of his Fore-Teeth broke 
 out, took with him a blue Surdan, a Snuff-coloured Coat, and a Pair of 
 white wash'd Leather Breeches, a Pair of new Cow-Hide Pumps and a 
 Furr'd Hat with large Brims, and sundry other Articles of Wearing 
 
 Apparel. Whoever will take up said Servant and confine him in 
 
 any of his Majesty's Goals, so that the Owner may have him again, shall 
 have TEN DOLLARS Reward and all necessary Charges paid, by 
 
 JOSEPH MOORS. 
 4®"" AU Masters of Vessels and others, are hereby Cautioti'd against 
 Harbouring, Concealing, or carrying off said Servant, as they would thereby 
 avoid the Penalty of the Law. 
 
 The following marriage is entered in the church rec- 
 ords under the date December 28, 1742 : 'Triamus 
 (Cap* Boydens Negro man servant [)] to Margr 1 . Mo- 
 latto formerly servant to S. S. both of Groton." It is 
 also recorded that Margaret, the servant of Samuel 
 Scripture, Jr., was baptized on January 30, 1733-34, 
 and that she owned the church covenant at the same 
 time. The initials " S. S." stand for Samuel Scrip- 
 ture. This negro couple was afterward blessed with a 
 family of children, and they lived on the west side ot 
 the Nashua River, a short distance north of the 
 county road to Townsend. His surname was Lew or 
 Lue, and his given name became contracted into Pri- 
 mus ; and to this day the rise of ground, near the 
 place where the Pepperell road leaves the main road, 
 is known as Primus Hill, so called after him. Mr. 
 Butler thinks that perhaps Margaret's name was 
 
156 GROTON. 
 
 Lew. See his History (page 454). Their oldest child, 
 — Zelah, a corruption of Barzillai, — bom at Groton 
 on November 5,' 1743, was a famous musician, who 
 lived at Dracut and the father of numerous children 
 who were also musicians. He was a fifer in Captain 
 John Ford's company of the twenty-seventh Massa- 
 chusetts Regiment, in service at the siege of Boston, 
 and was present at the Battle of Bunker Hill. 
 
 About the year 1740 there was a negro slave in Gro- 
 ton by the name of Boad, who used to look after the 
 cattle sent up to Groton Gore in the spring to be pas- 
 tured during the summer. See " The Boundary Lines 
 of Old Groton " (page 37). The church records con- 
 tains the entry of the baptism of Hagar, a servant ot 
 William Green, on August 1, 1765. 
 
 Akin to the subject of slavery in Groton is this 
 item, from The Groton Landmark, November 14, 
 1885 :— 
 
 " Gov. Boutwell has in an old scrap-book the following interesting 
 Memorandum : 
 
 "August, 1856. 
 
 "Noah Shattuck, esq., informs me that there were eleven slaves in 
 Groton when slavery was abolished, and he mentioned the following 
 names: Chloe Williams, Phillis Cutler, Phillis Sartell, Ichabod 
 Davis, Fanny Borden and William Case. Phineas Wait also owned one 
 slave." 
 
 . Noah Shattuck. a son of Job and Sarah (Hartwell) 
 Shattuck, was born on August 30, 1772, and died on 
 September 28, 1858. 
 
 The following entry is found in the town records, 
 and refers to the last survivor of negro slavery within 
 the limits of the town. The institution was abolished 
 by the adoption of the State Constitution in the year 
 
GROTON. \~x 
 
 1780, the courts holding that the Bill of Rights swept 
 away the remnants of involuntary servitude: 
 
 "Phillis Walby, servant to Josiah Sawtell, Jun., deceased, died at 
 Groton, aged 79, February — , 1821." 
 
 The following extract from the town records refers 
 to Titus, who is advertised as a runaway in The 
 Boston- Gazette, and Country Journal, June 13, 1774, 
 as mentioned above. The advertiser was a son of 
 Abraham Moors, the owner of Zebina, the slave- 
 mother : 
 
 " Titus, a molato boy born of Zebinah, a negro slave to M>. Abraham 
 Moors, March — , 1751." 
 
 A List of the Town Clerks (from the year 1662 
 to the present time, with the dates of their election 
 and terms of service. In this list the years are given 
 according to the new style of reckoning, and in spe- 
 cifying dates, small fractions of years are overlooked. 
 The town was attacked by the Indians iu the spring 
 of 1676, and abandoned by the inhabitants until 
 March, 1678. 
 
 The earliest records of the town were written by 
 Richard Sawtell, and begin on June 23, 1662, though 
 his election as town clerk was not recorded until De- 
 cember 24, 1662. During the period since that date 
 there have been thirty-four town clerks, of whom five, 
 namely, Jonathan Morse, William Longley, Jr., James 
 Blanchard, Jonathan Sheple and Samuel Rockwood, 
 died while iu office — Longley being killed by the 
 Indians on July 27, 1694. During the early part of 
 1682 Captain James Parker, Richard Blood and Jonas 
 Prescott made entries in the records, though no one of 
 them appears to have been at the time town clerk. Jon- 
 
1 58 GROTON. 
 
 athan Morse was the first who signed the records with 
 his name, though the pjactiee with him was not con- 
 stant. William Longley, William Longley, Jr., and 
 John Longley were representatives of three successive 
 generations in the same family, being father, son and 
 grandson. On December 9, 1687, William Longley, 
 Jr., was chosen clerk, but he acted as such during 
 only a part of the next town meeting on May 21, 
 1688, when he was followed by Josiah Parker, who 
 made the entry for so much of that meeting as oc- 
 curred after his election. Mr. Bingham, the present 
 occupant, has filled the position for more than thirty- 
 five years continuously — by far the longest term of 
 service of any town clerk. Joseph Lakin, with a rec- 
 ord of seventeen years, comes next to him in length of 
 time. Of all the persons mentioned in the list, only 
 the last three are now living, namely, Mr. Boutwell, 
 Mr. Parker and Mr. Brigham ; and their combined 
 term of service covers just forty-four years. Since the 
 death of Mr. Park, which took place on September 
 23, 1875, these three have been the only survivors. 
 Mr. Butler died on October 7, 1854, and Mr. Boyn- 
 ton on November 30, 1854 — less than eight weeks 
 apart. 
 
 Date of Election. 
 December 24, 1G52, Kichard Sawtell, 1662-1664. 
 January 27, 1665, James Fisk, 1665. 
 December 2, 1665, William Longley, 1666, 1667. 
 December 11, 1667, John Page, 1668. 
 November 11, 1668, Kichard Blood, 1669. 
 November 10, 1669, John Morse, 1670-1676. 
 
 (Town abandoned during two years.) 
 1678, James Parker, 1678, 1679. 
 December 23, 1679, John 3Iorse, 1689, 1681. 
 
 1682, Jonathan Morse (died July 31, 1686), 1682-1686. 
 
GROTON. 159 
 
 December 10, 1686, Josiah Parker, 1686, 1687. 
 
 December 9, 1687, William Longley, Jr., 1688 (a short time only). 
 
 May 21, 1688, Josiah Parker, 1688-1691. 
 
 December 10, 1691, Jonas Prescott, 1692. 
 
 December 12, 1692, William Longley, Jr. (killed July 27, 1694), 1693- 
 
 1694. 
 March 4, 1605, James Blanchard, 1695. 
 March 3, 1696, Jonas Prescott, 1696. 
 
 December 10, 1696, James Blanchard (died Feb., 1704), 1697-1704. 
 March 8, 1704, Thomas Tarbell, 1704, 1705. 
 March 5, 1706, Joseph Lakin, 1706-1722. 
 March 5, 1723, John Longley, 1723-1726. 
 March 7, 1727, Joseph Lakin, 1727. 
 March 5, 1728, John Longley, 1728, 1729. 
 March 3, 1730, Jonathan Sheple, 1730. 
 March 2, 1731, Thomas Tarbeli, Jr., 1731-1733. 
 March 5, 1734, Jonathan Sheple, 1734-1744. 
 March 5, 1745, Thomas Tarbell, Jr., 1745-1756. 
 
 March 1, 1757, Abel Lawrence, 1757-1764. 
 
 March 5, 1765, Oliver Prescott, 1765-1777. 
 
 March 3, 1778, Isaac Farnsworth, 1778-1781. 
 
 March 5, 1782, Abel Bancroft, 1782, 1783. 
 
 March 2, 1784, Jonathan Keep, 1784. 
 
 March 1, 1785, Abel Bancroft was chosen, but declined. 
 
 March 1, 1785, Isaac Farnsworth, 1785-1787. 
 
 March 4, 1788,-Xathaniel Sartel was chosen, but declined. 
 
 March 10, 1788, Joseph Shed, 1788-1704. 
 
 March 3, 1795, Samuel Lawrence, 1795-1798. 
 
 March 5, 1790, Samuel Rockwood (died May 29, 1804), 1799-1804. 
 
 June 18, 1S04, Oliver Prescott, Jr., 1804-1810. 
 
 March 5, 1811, Joseph Mansfield, 1811-1814. 
 
 March 7, 1815, Caleb Butler, 1815-1817. 
 
 March 3, 1818, Joseph Mansfield, 1818. 
 
 March 2, 1819, Noah Shattuck, 1819-1822. 
 
 March 3, 1823, Caleb Butler, 1823-1831. 
 
 March 6, 1832, John Boynton, 1832, 1S33. 
 
 March 4, 1834, John Gray Park, 1834-1836. 
 
 March 6,1837, John Boynton, 1837-1845. 
 
 March 3, 1846, George Sewall Boutwell, 1846-1850. 
 
 March 4, 1851, John Warren Parker, 1851-1854. 
 
 March 5, 1855, George Dexter Brigham, 1855- 
 
160 
 
 GKOTOX, 
 
 A List of the Treasurers (so far as they 
 are found in the town records, with the dates 
 of their election and terms of service). — Alden 
 Warren served during twenty-four years, which is the 
 longest term of any treasurer ; and next to him, in 
 length of service, was Benjamin Bancroft, who filled 
 the office for seventeen years. After him came Cal- 
 vin Boynton, who served during sixteen years, and 
 then Capt. Ephraim Sawtell, with a term of fifteen 
 years. William Livermore, who was treasurer in 
 1845, is the senior survivor ; and, with the exception 
 of the brothers George and Walter Shattuck, all his 
 successors are still alive. 
 
 Date of Election. 
 [March ?], 1697, Capt. Jas. Parker. 
 March 1, 1709, " Samuill Woods 
 trasewer" 
 
 March 7, 1710, Samuel Woods. 
 March 6, 1711, Samuel Woods. 
 March 4, 1712, Jonathan Boiden. 
 March 3, 1713, Jonathan Boiden. 
 March 2, 1714, " Shebuall hobart " 
 March 1, 1715, Shebuel Hobart. 
 March 6, 1716, Jonathan Boiden. 
 March 5, 1 7 17, Jonathan Boiden. 
 March 4, 1718, John Longley. 
 March 3, 1719, John Longley. 
 March 1, 17i0, John Longley. 
 March 7, 1721, John Longley. 
 March 6, 1722, John Longley. 
 March 5, 1723, Thomas Lawrence. 
 March 3, 1721, Thomas Lawrence. 
 March 2, 1725, Thomas Lawrence. 
 March 1, 1726, Thos. Lawrence, Sr 
 March 7, 1727, Thomas Lawrence. 
 March 5, 1728, Thomas Lawrence. 
 March 4, 1729, Samuel Tarbell. 
 
 Date of Election. 
 March 3, 1730, Samuel Tarbell. 
 March 2, 1731, Samuel Tarbell. 
 March 7, 1732, "Justis Prescott." 
 March 6, 1733, Benj. Prescott, Esq. 
 March 5, 1734 (In the list of town 
 officers chosen on this day the 
 treasurer's name is omitted 
 probably through an oversight 
 but without doubt it was Ben- 
 jamin Prescott). 
 March 4, 1735, Benj. Prescott, Esq. 
 March 2, 1736, Benj. Prescott, Esq. 
 March 7, 1737, Benj. Prescott, Esq. 
 March 6, 1738, "Justice Sawtell." 
 March 4, 1739, Natb. Sawtell, Esq. 
 1740 (no record is found). 
 March 3, 1741, Nath. Sawtell, Esq. 
 1742 (no record is found). 
 March 1, 1743, " Deacon Longley." 
 March 6, 1744, Dea. John Longley 
 March 5, 1745, Dea. John Longley 
 March 3, 1746, Dea. John Longley 
 March 3, 1747, Dea. John Longley 
 
GROTON. 
 
 161 
 
 
 
 March 1 
 March 6 
 March 5 
 March 5 
 March 3 
 March 6 
 March 5 
 March 1 
 March 2. 
 March 1 
 March 7 
 March 6 
 March 4 
 March 3 
 March 2 
 March 1 
 March 6 
 March 5 
 March 4 
 March 3 
 March 1 
 March 7 
 March 6 
 March 5 
 March 3 
 March 2 
 March 1 
 March 7 
 March 5, 
 March 4 
 March 
 March 2 
 March 7 
 March G 
 March 5 
 March 4 
 March 2 
 March 1 
 March 7 
 March 6, 
 March 4 
 
 1748, Dea. John Longley 
 
 1749, Dea. John Longley 
 
 1750, Capt. Eph. Sawtell 
 
 1751, Capt. Eph. Sawtell 
 
 1752, Capt. Eph. S.iwtell 
 
 1753, Capt. Eph. Sawtell 
 
 1754, C*apt. Eph. Sawtell 
 
 1755, Capt. Eph. Sawtell 
 
 1756, Capt. Eph. Sawtell 
 
 1757, Capt. Eph. Sawtell 
 175S, Capt. Eph. Sawtell 
 
 1759, Capt. Eph. Sawtell 
 
 1760, Capt. Eph. Sawtell 
 
 1761, Capt. Eph. Sawtell 
 
 1762, Capt. Eph. Sawtell 
 
 1763, Capt. Eph. Sawtell 
 
 1764, Capt. Eph. Sawtell 
 
 1765, Benjamin Bancroft 
 
 1766, Benjamin Bancroft 
 
 1767, Benjamin Bancroft 
 
 1768, Benjamin Bancroft 
 
 1769, Benjamin Bancroft 
 
 1770, Benjamin Bancroft 
 
 1771, Benjamin Bancroft 
 
 1772, Benjamin Bancroft 
 
 1773, Benjamin Bancroft 
 
 1774, Dea. Benj. Bancroft 
 
 1775, Dea. Benj. Bancroft 
 
 1776, Dea. Benj. Bancroft 
 
 1777, Dea. Benj. Bancroft 
 
 1778, Dea. Benj. Bancroft 
 
 1779, Dea. Benj. Bancroft 
 
 1780, Dea. Benj. Bancroft 
 
 1781, Dea. Benj. Bancroft 
 
 1782, Lieut. Jona. Keep. 
 
 1783, Lieut. Jona. Keep. 
 
 1784, Israel Hohart, Esq. 
 
 1785, Israel Hobart, Esq. 
 
 1786, Isaiah Edes. 
 
 1787, Isaiah Edes. 
 
 1788, Isaiah Edes. 
 
 11 
 
 March 3, 1789, Isaiah Edes. 
 March 2, 1790, Isaiah Edes. 
 March 1, 1791, Isaiah Edes. 
 March 6, 1792, Isaiah Edes. 
 March 5, 1793, Isaiah Edes. 
 March 4, 1794, Isaiah Edes. 
 March 3, 1795. Isaiah Edes. 
 March 1, 1796, Joseph Shed. 
 March 7, 1797, Joseph Shed. 
 March 6, 1798, Joseph Shed. 
 March 5, 1799. Joseph Shed. 
 March 4, 1800, Joseph Shed. 
 March 3, 1801, Joseph Shed. 
 March 2, 1802, Joseph Shed. 
 March 1, 1803, Joseph Shed. 
 March 6, 1804, Solomon Tarbell. 
 March 5, 1805, Solomon Tarbell. 
 March 4, 1806, Lieut. Sol. Tarbell. 
 March, 3, 1807, Lieut. Sol. Tarbell. 
 March 1, 1808, Lieut. Sol. Tarbell. 
 March 7, 1809, Lieut. Sol. Tarbell. 
 March 6, 1810, Lieut. Sol. Tarbell. 
 March 5, 1811, Lieut. Sol. Tarbell. 
 March 3, 1812, Lieut. Sol. Tarbell. 
 March 2, 1813, Lieut. Sol. Tarbell. 
 April 4, 1814, Alpheus Kichardson. 
 March 7, 1815, Alpheus Richardson 
 March 5, 1816, Calvin Boyntou. 
 March 4, 1817, Calvin Boynton. 
 March 3, 1818, Calvin Boynton. 
 March 2, 1819, Calvin Boynton. 
 March 7, 1820, Calvin Boynton. 
 March 6, 1821, Calvin Boynton. 
 March 5, 1822, Calvin Boyuion. 
 March 3, 1823, Calvin Boynton. 
 March 2, 1824, Calvin Boynton. 
 March 1, 1825, Calvin Boynton. 
 March 7, 1826, Calvin Boynton. 
 March 6, 1827. Calvin Boynton. 
 March 4, 1828, Calvin Boynton. 
 March 3, 1829, Calviu Boynton. 
 
162 
 
 GROTON. 
 
 Date of Election. 
 March 2, 1830, Calvin Boynton. 
 March 1, 1831, Calvin Boynton. 
 March 6, 1832, John Peabody. 
 Marcli 5, 1833, John Peabody. 
 March 4, 1834, John Peabody. 
 3Iarch 3, 1835, John Peabody. 
 March 1, 1836, John Peabody. 
 March 6, 1837, John Peabody. 
 March 6, 1838, John Peabody. 
 March 5, 1839, John Peabody. 
 March 3, 1840, John Peabody. 
 March 2, 1841, John Peabody. 
 March 1, 1842, John Peabody. 
 March 7, 1843, John Peabody. 
 March 5, 1844, Daniel Shattuck. 
 March 4, 1845, Win. Livermore, Jr 
 March 3, 184G, George Shattuck. 
 March 2, 1847, George Shattuck. 
 March 6, 1S48, George Shattuck. 
 March 6, 1S49, Walter Shattuck. 
 March 5, 1*50, Walter Shattuck. 
 March 4, 1851, Walter Shattuck. 
 March 2, 1852, Walter Shattuck. 
 March 1, 1853, Daniel Needhani. 
 March 6, 1854, Daniel Needham. 
 March 5, 1855, Alden Warren. 
 March 3, 1S56, Alden Warren. 
 March J. 1S57, Alden Warren. 
 March 1, 1858, Alden Warren. 
 March 7, 1859, Alden Warren. 
 March 5, 1860, Alden Warren. 
 
 The Old Stores and the Post-Office of Gro- 
 ton. — Tradition has preserved little or nothing in re- 
 gard to the earliest trading-stores of Groton. It is 
 probable, however, that they were kept in dwell- 
 ing-houses by the occupants, who sold articles in 
 common use for the convenience of the neighbor- 
 hood, and at the same time pursued their regular 
 vocations. 
 
 Date of Election. 
 March 4, 1861, Alden Warren. 
 March 3, 1862, Alden Warren. 
 March 2, 1863, Alden Warren. 
 March 7, 1864, Alden Warren. 
 March 6, 1865, Ald^n Warren. 
 March 5, 1866, Alden Warren. 
 March 4, 1867, Alden Warren. 
 March 2, 1868, Alden Warren. 
 March 1, 1869, Alden Warren. 
 March 7, 1870, Alden Warren. 
 March 6, 1871, Alden Warren. 
 March 4, 1872, Aldeu Warren. 
 March 3, 1873, Alden Warren. 
 March 2, 1874, Alden Warren. 
 March 1, 1875, Alden Warren. 
 March 6, 1876, Alden Warren. 
 March 5, 1S77, Alden Warren. 
 March 4, 1878, Alden W arren. 
 March 3, 1879, George S. Gates. 
 March 1, 1880, George S. Gates. 
 March 7, 18S1, George S. Gates. 
 April 3, 1882, George S. Gates. 
 April 2, 1883, George S. Gates. 
 April 7, 1884, George S. Gates. 
 April 6, 1885, George S. Gates. 
 April 5, 1886, George S. Gates. 
 April 4, 1887, George S. Gates. 
 April 2, 1888, George S. Gates. 
 April 1, 1889, George S. Gates. 
 April 7, 1890, George S. Gates. 
 
GROTON. 163 
 
 Jonas Cutler was keeping a shop on the site of Mr. 
 Gerrish's store before the Revolution, and the follow- 
 ing notice, signed by him, appears in The Massachu- 
 setts Gazette (Boston), November 28, 1768: 
 
 "A THKFT. 
 
 " Whereas ou the 19th or 20th Night of November Instant the Shop 
 of the Subscriber was broke open in Groton, aud from thence was stollen 
 a large Sum of Cash, viz., four Half Johannes, two Guineas, two Half 
 Ditto, One Pistole mill'd, nine Crowns, a Considerable Number of Dol- 
 lars, with a considerable Quantity of small Silver & Copper, together 
 with one Bever Hat, about fifteen Yards of Holland, eleven Bandannas, 
 blue Ground with white, twelve red ditto with white, Part of a Piece 
 of Silk Komails, 1 Pair black Worsted Hose, 1 strip'd Cap, 8 or 10 black 
 barcelona Handkerchiefs, Part of a Piece of red silver'd Ribband, blue & 
 white do, Part of three Pieces of black Sattin Ribband, part of three 
 pieces of black Tafferty ditto, two bundles of Razors, Part of 2 Dozen 
 Penknives, Part of 2 Dozen ditto with Seals, Part of 1 Dozen Snuff 
 Boxes, Part of 3 Dozen Shoe Buckels, Part of several Groce of Buttons, 
 one Piece of gellow [yellow ?] Ribband, with sundry Articles not yet 
 
 known of Whoever will apprehend the said Thief or Thieves, so 
 
 that he or they may be brought to Justice, shall receive TEN DOL- 
 LARS Reward and all necessary Charges paid. Jonas Cutler. 
 
 " Groton, Nov. 22, 17G3 [8]. 
 
 " 4®=" If any of the above mentioned Articles are offered to Sail, it is 
 desired they may be stop'd with the Thief, and Notice given to said Cut- 
 ler or to the Printers." 
 
 On October 21, 1773, a noted burglar was hanged 
 in Boston for various robberies committed in different 
 parts of the State, and covering a period of some 
 years. The unfortunate man was present at the de- 
 livery of a sermon by the Reverend Samuel Stillman, 
 preached at his own request, on the Sunday before 
 his execution ; and to many of the printed copies is 
 appended an account of his life. In it the poor 
 fellow states that he is only twenty-one years old, and 
 that he was born in Groton of a respectable family. 
 
164 GROTOX. 
 
 He confessed that he broke into Mr. Cutler's shop, 
 and took away " a good piece of broad-cloth, a quan- 
 tity of silk mitts and several pieces of silk handker- 
 chiefs." He was hardly seventeen years of age at the 
 time of this burglary. To the present generation it 
 would seem cruel and wicked to hang a misguided 
 youth for offences of this character. 
 
 Mr. Cutler died on December 19, 1782; and he was 
 succeeded in business by Major Thomas Gardner, who 
 erected the building formerly known as Gerrish's 
 Block, which was moved away in the summer of 1885. 
 Major Gardner lived in the house now owned by the 
 Watters family. 
 
 Near the end of the last century a store, situated a 
 little north of the late Benjamin Perkins Dix's house, 
 was kept by James Brazer, which had an extensive 
 trade for twenty miles in different directions. It was 
 here that the late Amos Lawrence served an ap- 
 prenticeship of seven years, which ended on April 
 22, 1807; and he often spoke of his success in busi- 
 ness as due, in part, to the experience in this store. 
 Late in life he wrote that "the knowledge of every- 
 day affairs which I acquired in my business ap- 
 prenticeship at Groton has been a source of pleasure 
 and profit even in my last ten years' discipline." 
 
 The quantity of New England rum and other 
 liquors sold at that period would astonish the tem- 
 perance people cf the present day. Social drinking 
 was then a common practice, and each forenoon some 
 stimulating beverage was served up to the customers 
 in order to keep their trade. There were five clerks 
 employed in the establishment ; and many years later 
 
GROTOX. 165 
 
 Mr. Lawrence, in giving advice to a young student in 
 college, wrote : 
 
 "In the first place, take this for your motto at the commencement of 
 your journey, that the difference of going just right, or a little wrong, 
 will be the difference of finding yourself in good quarters, or in a miser- 
 able bog or slough, at the end of it. Of the whole number educated in 
 the Groton stores for some years before and after myself, no one else, to 
 my knowledge escaped the bog or slough ; and my escape I trace to the 
 simple fact of having put a restraint upon my appetite. We five boys 
 were in the habit, every forenoon, of making a drink compounded of 
 rum, raisins, sugar, nutmeg, &c, with biscuit,— all palatable to eat and 
 drink. After being in the store four weeks, I found myself admonished 
 by my appetite of the approach of the hour for indulgence. Thinking 
 the habit might make trouble if allowed to grow stronger, without fur- 
 ther apology to my seniors I declined partaking with them. My first 
 resolution was to abstain for a week, and, when the week was out, for a 
 month, and then for a year. Finally, I resolved to abstain for the rest 
 of my apprenticeship, which was for five years longer. During that 
 whole period, I never drank a spoonful though I mixed gallons daily for 
 my old master and his customers." * 
 
 The following advertisement is found in the Co- 
 lumbian Centinel (Boston), June 8, 1805 : 
 
 ' ' James Brazer, 
 Would inform the public that having dissolved the Copartnership lately 
 subsisting between AARON BROWN, Esq. SAMUEL HALE and the 
 Subscriber ; he has taken into Copartnership his son WILLIAM F. 
 BRAZER, and the business in future will be transacted under the firm 
 
 James Brazer & Son ; 
 
 They will offer for sale, at their store in Groton, within six days a com- 
 plete assortment of English, India, and W. India GOODS, which they 
 will sell for ready pay, at as low a rate as any store in the Country. 
 
 " James Brazer. 
 "Groton, May 29, 1805." 
 
 " Squire Brazer," as he was generally called, was a 
 man of wealth and position. He was one of the 
 
 1 Diary and Correspondence of Amos Lawrence, pages 24, 25. 
 
1(36 GROTON. 
 
 founders of Groton Academy, and his subscription of 
 £15 to the building fund in the year 1792 was as large 
 as that given by any other person. In the early part 
 of this century he built the house now belonging to 
 the academy and situated just south of it, where he 
 lived until his death, which occurred on November 
 10, 1818. His widow, also, took a deep interest in 
 the institution, and at her decease, April 14, 1826, be- 
 queathed to it nearly five thousand dollars. 
 
 After Mr. Brazer's death the store was moved across 
 the street, where, until the summer of 1885, it re- 
 mained, forming the wing of Gerrish's Block. The 
 post-office was in the north end of it during Mr. 
 Butler's term as postmaster. About this time the son, 
 William Farwell Brazer, built a store nearly opposite 
 to the Academy, which he kept during some years. 
 It was made finally into a dwelling-house, and occu- 
 pied by the late Jeremiah Kilbourn. 
 
 The brick store opposite to the High School was 
 built in the year 1835, by Henry Woods, for his own 
 place of business, and afterwards kept by him and 
 George S. Boutwell, the style of the firm being Woods 
 & Boutwell. Mr. Woods died on January 12, 1841, 
 and he was succeeded by his surviving partner, who 
 carried on the store for a long time, even while hold- 
 ing the highest executive position in the State. In 
 the spring of 1855, when he began to practice law, 
 Governor Boutwell sold out the business to Brigham 
 & Parker. The post-office was in this building during 
 the years 1839 and 1840 and until April, 1841. For 
 the past thirty years it has been occupied by various 
 firms, but is now T kept by John H. Sheedy & Com- 
 pany. 
 
GROTON. 167 
 
 During the last war with England, Eliphalet 
 Wheeler had a store where Miss Betsey Capell and 
 her sisters, Sarah and Catherine, in more modern 
 times, kept a haberdasher's shop. It is situated op- 
 posite to the Common, and is now used as a dwell- 
 ing-house. They were daughters of John Capell, 
 who owned the saw-mill and grist-mill, which 
 formerly stood on the present site of the Tileston and 
 Hollingsworth paper-mills, on the Great Road, north- 
 west of the village. Afterward Wheeler and his 
 brother, Abner, took Major Thomas Gardner's store, 
 where he was followed by William F. Brazer, Park & 
 Woods, Park & Potter, Potter & Gerrish and lastly 
 by Charles Gerrish, who kept it for more than thirty 
 years. It was given up as a store in July, 1884, and 
 has since been moved away and made into a tene- 
 ment-house. 
 
 Near the beginning of the present century there 
 were three military companies in town : the Artillery 
 Company, commanded at one time by Captain James 
 Lewis; the North Company, by Captain Jonas Gil- 
 son, and the South Company, by Captain Abel Tar- 
 bell. Two of these officers were soon promoted in 
 the regimental service ; Captain Tarbell to a col- 
 onelcy, and Captain Lewis to a majorate. Captain 
 Gilson resigned and was succeeded by Captain Noah 
 Shattuck. They had their spring and fall training- 
 days, when they drilled as a battalion on the Com- 
 mon, — there were no trees there then, — and marched 
 through the village. They formed a very respectable 
 command, and sometimes would be drawn up before 
 Squire Brazer's store, and at other times before Major 
 
168 GKOTON. 
 
 Gardner's, to be treated with toddy, which was then 
 considered a harmless krink. 
 
 David Child had a store, about the beginning of 
 the century, at the south corner of Main and Pleas- 
 ant Streets, nearly opposite to the site of the Orthodox 
 meeting-house, though Pleasant Street was not then 
 laid out. It was subsequently occupied by Deacon 
 Jonathan Stow Adams, then by Artemas Wood, and 
 lastly by Milo Henry Shattuck. This was moved off 
 nearly twenty years ago, and a spacious building put 
 up a few rods north, on the old tavern site across the 
 way, by Mr. Shattuck, who still carries on a large 
 business. 
 
 Alpheus Richardson kept a book-store, about the 
 year 1815, in his dwelling, at the south corner of Main 
 and Elm Streets, besides having a book-bindery in 
 the same building. Soon afterward an L w T as added 
 to the house, and for a short time he carried on a 
 country variety store in connection with his other 
 business. The book-store and binder's shop were 
 continued until about 1850. It is said that this house 
 was built originally by Colonel James Prescott, for 
 the use of his son, Abijah, as a store ; but it never 
 was so occupied by him. 
 
 Joseph and Phineas Hemenway, uncles of the late 
 Augustus Hemenway, of Boston, built a store on the 
 north corner of Main and Elm Streets, about the 
 year 1815, where they carried on a trading business. 
 They were succeeded by one Richardson, then by 
 David Childs ; and finally by John Hamilton Spalter, 
 who had for many years a book-store and binder's 
 shop in the building, which is now used as a dwell- 
 
GROTON. 169 
 
 ing-house. At the present time Mr. Spalter is living 
 in Keene, New Hampshire. 
 
 About the year 1826, General Thomas Adams 
 Staples built and kept a store on Main Street, di- 
 rectly north of the Orthodox meeting-house. He was 
 followed successively by Benjamin Franklin Law- 
 rence, Henry Hill and Walter Shattuck. At one 
 time the style of the firm was Shattuck, Brown & 
 Company. The building was burned down very early 
 on Tuesday morning, November 17, 1874, and its 
 site is now occupied by Dr. David Roscoe Steere's 
 house. 
 
 In November, 1844, a large building was moved 
 from Hollis Street to the corner of Main and Court 
 Streets. It was put up originally as a meeting-house 
 for the Second Adventists or Millerites, as they were 
 called in this neighborhood, after William Miller, 
 one of the founders of the sect; and during the fol- 
 lowing winter and spring it was fitted up in a com- 
 modious manner, with shops in the basement and a 
 spacious hall in the second story. The building was 
 known as Liberty Hall, and formed a conspicuous 
 structure in the village. It was first occupied by 
 tenants in July, 1845. The post-office was kept there 
 while Mr. Lothrop and Mr. Andruss were the post- 
 masters. It was used as a shoe-store, a grocery and a 
 bakery, when, on Sunday, March 31, 1878, it was 
 burned to the ground. 
 
 The brick store, owned by the Dix family, was 
 built and kept by Aaron Brown, near the beginning 
 of the century. He w r as followed by Moses Carleton, 
 and after him came and Merriam, and then 
 
170 GROTON. 
 
 Benjamin P. Dix. It is situated at the corner of 
 Main Street and Broad Meadow Road, and is now 
 used as a dwelling-house. A very good engraving of 
 this building is given in The Groton Herald, May 8, 
 1830, which is regarded by persons who remember it 
 at that time as a faithful representation, though it 
 has since undergone some changes. 
 
 Near the end of the last century Major William 
 Swan traded in the house now occupied by Charles 
 Woolley, Jr., north of the Common, near the old 
 burying-ground. It was Major Swan who set out the 
 elms in front of this house, which w T as the Rev. Dr. 
 Chaplin's dwelling for many years. 
 
 At the beginning of this century two daughters of 
 Isaac Bowers, a son of Landlord Bowers, had a dry- 
 goods shop in the house owned and occupied by the 
 late Samuel William Rowe, Esq. About the year 
 1825 Walter Shattuck opened a store in the building 
 originally intended for the Presbyterian Church, op- 
 posite to the present entrance of the Groton Ceme- 
 tery. Before the Revolution there was a store kept 
 by Jonathan Clark Lewis, near the site of Captain 
 Asa Stillman Lawrence's bouse, north of the Town 
 Hall. Mr. Lewis was an Englishman by birth, and 
 died on April 7, 1781. See "Groton Epitaphs" for 
 a cut of the family coat-of-arms, which appears on 
 his grave-stone- There was a trader in town, Thomas 
 Sackville Tufton by name, who died in the year 1778, 
 though I do not know the site of his shop. Captain 
 Samuel Ward, a native of Worcester, and an officer 
 in the French and Indian War, was engaged in busi- 
 ness at Groton some time before the Revolution. He 
 
GROTON. 171 
 
 removed to Lancaster, where at one time he was the 
 town clerk, and died there on August 14, 1826. 
 
 The Groton Post- Office. — The Groton post-office was 
 established at the very beginning of the present cen- 
 tury, and before that time letters intended for this 
 town were sent through private hands. Previous to 
 the Revolution there were only a few post-offices in 
 the Province, and often persons in distant parts of 
 Massachusetts received their correspondence at Bos- 
 ton. In The Boston Gazette, or County Journal, June 
 30, 1755, a letter is advertised for Samuel Bowers, of 
 Groton, who at that time kept a tavern; and in the 
 same newspaper of August 4, 1755, another is adver- 
 tised for Captain Samuel Parker, and one for Dudley 
 Woodbridge, who lived probably at Groton, Connec- 
 ticut. It is also stated that "none of the above Let- 
 ters came by the last mails." In the supplement to 
 The Boston Gazette, February 9, 1756, letters are 
 advertised as remaining uncalled for, at the Boston 
 office, addressed to William Lakin and Abigail Par- 
 ker, both of Groton, as well as to Samuel Manning, 
 Townsend ; William Gleany, Dunstable ; and Jonathan 
 Lawrence, Littleton. Nearly five months afterward 
 letters — and perhaps these identical ones — are adver- 
 tised for the same persons in The Boston Weekly News- 
 Letter, July 1, 1756, as still uncalled for. The name 
 of David Farnum, America, appears also in this list, 
 and it is hoped that wherever he was he received the 
 missive. The names of Oliver Lack (intended for 
 Lakin) and Ebenezer Parker, both of this town, are 
 given in another list printed in the Gazette of June 28, 
 1762; and in the same issue one is advertised for 
 
172 GROTON. 
 
 Samuel Starling, America. In the supplement to the 
 Gazette, October 10, 1768, Ebenezer Farnsworth, Jr., 
 and George Pierce, of Groton, had letters advertised ; 
 and in the Gazette October 18, 1773, the names of 
 Amos Farnsworth, Jonas Farnsworth and William 
 Lawrence, all of this town, appear in the list. In 
 the Columbian Centinel (Boston), January 29, 1794, a 
 letter is advertised for Benjamin Tarbel, of Groton. 
 
 I find no record of a post-rider passing through 
 Groton, during the period immediately preceding the 
 establishment of the post-office; but there was doubt- 
 less such a person who used to ride on horseback, 
 equipped with saddle-bags, and delivered at regular 
 intervals the weekly newspapers and letters along the 
 way. In the year 1794, according to the History of 
 New Ipswich, New Hampshire (page 129), a post- 
 rider, by the name of Balch, rode from Boston to 
 Keene one week and back the next. Probably he 
 passed through this town and served the inhabitants 
 with his favors. 
 
 Several years ago I procured, through the kindness 
 of General Charles Devens, at that time a member of 
 President Hayes's Cabinet, some statistics of the Gro- 
 ton post-office, which are contained in the following 
 letter : 
 
 " Post-Office Department, Appointment Office, 
 " Washington, D. C , September 3, 1877. 
 " Hon. Charles Devens, Attorney-General, Department of Justice. 
 
 "Sir, — I have to acknowledge the receipt of a communication from 
 Samuel A. Green, of Boston, Massachusetts, with your indorsement 
 thereon, requesting to be furnished with a list of postmasters at the 
 office of Groton, in that State, from the date of its establishment to the 
 present time. 
 
 "In reply, I have the honor to inform you, that the fire which con- 
 
GROTON. 173 
 
 sumed the department building, on the night of the fifteenth of De- 
 cember, 1836, destroyed three of the earliest record-books of this 
 office ; but by the aid of the auditor's ledger-books, it is ascertained 
 that the office began to render accouuts on the first of January, 1801, 
 but the exact day is not known. Samuel Dana was the first postmaster, 
 aud the following list furnishes the history of the office, as shown by 
 the old records. 
 
 "Groton, Middlesex County, Massachusetts. Office probably estab- 
 lished in November, 1800. Samuel Dana began rendering accounts 
 January 1, 1801. Wm. M. Richardson, October 1, 1804. 
 
 "From this time the exact dates are known. 
 
 " Abraham Moore, appointed po-tmaster January 31, 1812. 
 
 Eliphalet Wheeler, August 20, 1815. 
 James Lewis, September 9, 1815. 
 Caleb Butler, July 1, 1826. 
 Henry Woods, January 15, 1839. 
 George S. Boutwell, January 22, 1841. 
 Caleb Butler, April 15, 1841. 
 Welcome Lothrop, December 21, 1846. 
 Artemas Wood, February 22, 1849. 
 George H. Brown, May 4, 1849. 
 Theodore Andruss, April 11, 1853. 
 George W. Fiske, April 22, 1861. 
 Henry Woodcock, February 13, 1867. 
 
 Miss Hattie E. Farnsworth, June 11, 1869, who is the present in- 
 cumbent. 
 
 " Each postmaster held the office up to the appointment of his succes- 
 sor, but it is probable that Mr. Boutwell and Mr. A. Wood, although 
 regularly appointed, did not accept, judging by the dates of the next 
 postmasters. 
 
 " As to the 'income' of the office, to which allusion is made, it is very 
 difficult to obtain any of the amounts ; but the first year and the last 
 year are herewith appended, as follows : — 
 
 (1801) FISCAL TEAR (1876) 
 
 "First quarter, $1.91 First quarter, $314.15 
 
 Second " 2.13 Second " 296.94 
 
 Third " 2.93 Third " 305.71 
 
 Fourth " 5.29 Fourth " 294.28 
 
 For the year, $12.26 For the year. $1,211. 
 
174 GROTON. 
 
 "Trusting the foregoing, which is believed to be correct, will be ac- 
 ceptable to you, I am, sir, respectfully, 
 
 "Your ob't serv't, 
 
 " James H. Marr, 
 " Acting First Ass't P. If. General." 
 
 It will be seen that the net income of the office, 
 during the first seventy-five years of its existence, in- 
 creased one hundred-fold. 
 
 This letter of the Acting First Assistant Postmas- 
 ter-General supplements the account in Butler's " His- 
 tory of Groton" (pages 249-251). According to Mr. 
 Butler's statement, the post-office was established on 
 September 29, 1800, and the Honorable Samuel Dana 
 was appointed the first postmaster. No mail, how- 
 ever, was delivered at the office until the last week in 
 November. For a while it came to Groton by the 
 way of Leominster, certainly a very indirect route. 
 This fact appears from a letter written to Judge 
 Dana, by the Postmaster-General, under the date of 
 December 18, 1800, apparently in answer to a request 
 to have the mail brought directly from Boston. In 
 this communication the writer says: — 
 
 " It appears to me, that the arrangement which has been made for 
 carrying the mail to Groton is sufficient for the accommodation of the 
 inhabitants, as it gives them the opportunity of receiving their letters 
 regularly, and with despatch, once a week. The route from Boston by 
 Leominster, to Groton is only twenty miles farther than by the direct 
 route, and the delay of half a day, which is occasioned thereby, is not of 
 much consequence to the inhabitants of Groton. If it should prove that 
 Groton produces as much postage as Lancaster and Leominster, the new 
 contract for carrying the mail, which is to be in operation on the first of 
 October next, will be made by Concord and Groton to Walpole, and a 
 branch from Concord to Marlborough. 
 
 "I am, respectfully, sir, your obedient servant, 
 
 "Jos. Habersham." 
 
 The amount of postage received from the office, 
 
GROTON. 175 
 
 after deducting the necessary expenses, including the 
 postmaster's salary, was, for the first year after its es- 
 tablishment, about twelve dollars, or three dollars for 
 three months. In the year 1802 it was thirty-six dol- 
 lars, or nine dollars for three months, a large propor- 
 tional increase. At this time the mail came once a 
 week only, and was brought by the stage-coich. 
 
 Samuel Dana, the first postmaster, was a prominent 
 lawyer at the time of his appointment. He was the 
 son of the Reverend Samuel Dana, of Groton, and 
 born in this town June 26, 1767. He occupied a high 
 position in the community, and exerted a wide influ- 
 ence in the neighborhood. At a later period he was 
 president of the Massachusetts Senate, a member of 
 Congress, and finally chief justice of the Circuit 
 Court of Common Pleas. He died at Charlestown, on 
 November 20, 1835. 
 
 Judge Dana kept the post-office in his own office, 
 which was in the same building as that of the Honor- 
 able Timothy Bigelosv, another noted lawyer. These 
 eminent men were on opposite sides of the same en- 
 try, and generally on opposite sides of all important 
 cases in the northern part of Middlesex County. The 
 building stood on the site of Governor Boutwell's 
 house, and is still remembered as the medical office of 
 the venerable Dr. Amos Bancroft. It was afterward 
 moved away, and now stands near the railway-station, 
 where it is occupied as a dwelling-house. Judge Dana 
 held the position during four years, and he was suc- 
 ceeded by William Merchant Richardson, Esq., after- 
 ward the chief justice of the Superior Court of New 
 Hampshire. Mr. Richardson was a graduate of Har- 
 
176 GROTON. 
 
 yard College in the class of 1797, and at the time of 
 his appointment as postmaster had recently finished 
 his professsional studies in Groton, under the guidance 
 of Judge Dana. After his admission to the bar Mr. 
 Richardson entered into partnership with his former 
 instructor, succeeding him as postmaster in July, 
 1804 ; and the office was still kept in the same build- 
 ing. During Judge Richardson's term the net reve- 
 nue to the department rose from nine dollars to about 
 twenty-eight dollars for three months. He held the 
 position nearly eight years, and was followed by Ab- 
 raham Moore, who was appointed on January 31, 
 1812. 
 
 Mr. Moore was a native of Bolton, Massachusetts, 
 where he was born on January 5, 1785. He gradu- 
 ated at Harvard College in the class of 1806, and 
 studied law at Groton with the Honorable Timothy 
 Bigeiow, and after his admission to the bar settled 
 here as a lawyer. His office was on the site of the 
 north end of Gerrish's Block, and it was here that the 
 post-office was kept. During his administration the 
 average income from the office was about thirty-three 
 dollars for the quarter. In the summer of 1815 Mr. 
 Moore resigned the position and removed to Boston. 
 
 Eliphalet Wheeler, who kept the store lately occu- 
 pied by Mr. Gerrish, was appointed in Mr. Moore's 
 stead, and the post-office was transferred to his place 
 of business. He, however, was not commissioned, 
 owing, it is thought, to his political views ; and Major 
 James Lewis, who was sound in his politics, received 
 the appointment in his stead. Major Lewis retained 
 Mr. Wheeler for a short time as his assistant, and 
 
GROTON. 177 
 
 during this period the duties were performed by him 
 in his own store. Shortly afterward Caleb Butler, 
 Esq., was appointed the assistant, and he continued 
 to hold the position for eight years. During this time 
 the business was carried on in Mr. Butler's law-office, 
 and the revenue to the government reached the sum 
 of fifty dollars a quarter. His office was then in a 
 small building, — just south of Mr. Hoar's tavern, — 
 which was moved away about the year 1820, and taken 
 to the lot where Colonel Needham's house now stands, 
 at the fork of Main and Hollis Streets. It was fitted 
 up as a dwelling, and subsequently moved away again. 
 At this time the old store of Mr. Brazer, who had pre- 
 viously died, was brought from over the way, and oc- 
 cupied by Mr. Butler, on the site of his former office. 
 
 On July 1, 1826, Mr. Butler, who had been Major 
 Lewis' assistant for many years and performed most 
 of the duties of the office, was appointed postmaster. 
 
 Mr. Butler was a native of Pelham, New Hamp- 
 shire, where he was born on September 13, 1776, and 
 a graduate of Dartmouth College in the class of 1800. 
 He had been the preceptor of Groton Academy for 
 some years, and was widely known as a critical schol- 
 ar. He had previously studied law with the Honorable 
 Luther Lawrence, of Groton, though his subsequent 
 practice was more in drawing up papers and settling 
 estates than in attendance at courts. His name is now 
 identified with the town as its historian. During his 
 term of office as postmaster the revenue rose from 
 fifty dollars to one hundred and ten dollars a quarter. 
 He held the position nearly thirteen years, to the en- 
 tire satisfaction of the public ; but for political her- 
 12 
 
178 GROTOX. 
 
 esy he was removed on January 15, 1839, when Hen- 
 ry Woods was appointed his successor. 
 
 Mr. Woods held the office until his death, which 
 occurred on January 12, 1841 ; and he was followed 
 by the Hon. George S. Boutwell, since the Governor 
 of the Commonwealth and a member of the United 
 States Senate. During the administration of Mr. 
 Woods and Mr. Boutwell the office was kept in the 
 brick store, opposite to the present High School. 
 
 Upon the change in the administration of the Na- 
 tional Government, Mr. Butler was reinstated in office 
 on April 15, 1841. He continued to hold the position 
 until December 21, 1846, when he was again removed 
 for political reasons. Mr. Butler was a most obliging 
 man, and his removal was received by the public 
 with general regret. During his two terms he filled 
 the office for more than eighteen years, a longer period 
 than has fallen to the lot of any other postmaster of 
 the town. Near the end of his service a material 
 change was made in the rate of postage on letters ; 
 and in his History (page 251) he thus comments on it : 
 
 " The experiment of a cheap rate was put upon trial. From May 14, 
 1841, to December 31, 1844, the net revenue averaged one hundred and 
 twenty-four dollars and seventy-one cents per quarter. Under the new 
 law, for the first year and a half, the revenue has been one hundred 
 and four dollars and seventy-seven cents per quarter. Had the former 
 rates remained, the natural increase of business should have raised it to 
 one hundred and fifty dollars per quarter. The department, which for 
 some years before had fallen short of supporting itself, now became a 
 heavy charge upon the treasury. Whether the present rates will event- 
 ually raise a sufficient revenue to meet the expenditures, remains to be 
 seen. The greatest difficulty to be overcome is evasion of the post-office 
 laws and fraud upon the department." 
 
 Like many other persons of that period, Mr. Butler 
 
GEOTOX. 179 
 
 did not appreciate the fact that the best way to pre- 
 vent evasions of the law is to reduce the rates of post- 
 age so low that it will not pay to run the risk of 
 fraud. 
 
 Captain Welcome Lothrop succeeded Mr. Butler as 
 postmaster, and during his administration the office 
 was kept in Liberty Hall. Captain Lothrop was a 
 native of Easton, Massachusetts, and a land surveyor 
 of some repute in this neighborhood. Artemas Wood 
 followed him by appointment on February 22, 1849; 
 but he never entered upon the duties of his office. 
 He was succeeded by George Henry Brown, who had 
 published The Spirit of the Times, a political newspa- 
 per, during the Presidential canvass of 1848, and in 
 this way had become somewhat prominent as a local 
 politician. Mr. Brown was appointed on May 4, 
 1849 ; and during his term the office was kept in an 
 L of his dwelling, situated nearly opposite to the 
 Orthodox meeting-house. He was afterward the 
 postmaster of Ayer. Mr. Brown was followed by 
 Theodore Andruss, a native of Orford, New Hamp- 
 shire, who was appointed on April 11, 1853. Mr. 
 Andruss brought the office back to Liberty Hall, and 
 continued to be the incumbent until April 22, 1861, 
 when he was succeeded by George Washington Fiske. 
 On February 13, 1867, Henry Woodcock was ap- 
 pointed to the position, and the office was then 
 removed to the Town-House, where most excellent 
 accommodations were given to the public. He was 
 followed on June 11, 1869, by Miss Harriet Elizabeth 
 Farnsworth, now Mrs. Marion Z. Putnam ; and she in 
 turn was succeeded on July 2, 1880, by Mrs. Christina 
 
180 GROTON. 
 
 Dakin (Caryl) Fosdick, the widow of Samuel Wood- 
 bury Fosdick, and the present incumbent. 
 
 The office is still kept in the Town-House, and 
 there is no reason to think that it will be removed 
 from the spacious and commodious quarters it now 
 occupies, for a long time to come. This public build- 
 ing was erected in 1859, and the first town-meeting 
 was held within its walls, on Tuesday, November 8th, 
 of that year. The High School was first opened in 
 the lower hall on Monday, December 5th, and the ex- 
 amination of classes for admission took place three 
 days previously, on Friday, December 2d. 
 
 A semi-daily mail was established between Boston 
 and Groton in the year 1849. during the early part of 
 postmaster Brown's administration ; and a tri-daily 
 mail on Monday, April 18, 1887. The post-office was 
 made a postal-order office on Monday, August 16, 
 1886, and raised to the rank of a Presidential office 
 on February 15, 1890. 
 
 Few towns in the Commonw r ealth can present such 
 an array of distinguished men among their postmas- 
 ters as that of Groton, including, as it does, the 
 names of Judge Dana, Judge Richardson, Mr. Butler 
 and Governor Boutwell. One of Judge Richardson's 
 assistants w r as afterwards Postmaster-General of the 
 United States. The Honorable Amos Kendall was 
 studying law in his office at the time, and subse- 
 quently became Postmaster-General under Presidents 
 Jackson and Van Buren, 1835-1840. In Mr. Ken- 
 dall's " Autobiography " (Boston, 1872), edited by his 
 son-in-law, William Stickney, it is said : 
 
 ' ' During the residue of the year 1813 Mr. Kendall's studies [at Groton] 
 
GROTON. 181 
 
 were much interrupted by the business of the office, which devolved on 
 him as the oldest student. He had charge of the post-office ; received, 
 made up and despatched the mails, delivered the letters and papers and 
 made out the accounts. He was frequently sent on business to the 
 neighboring towns, and employed in collecting office dues." (Page 78.) 
 
 West Groton is a small settlement that has sprung 
 up in the western part of the town, dating back in il s 
 history to the last century. It is pleasantly situated 
 on the banks of the Squannacook River, and in my 
 boyhood was known as Squannacook, a much better 
 name than the present one. It is to be regretted that 
 so many of the old Indian words which have a local 
 significance and smack of the region, should have 
 been crowded out of the list of our geographical 
 names. There is a small water-power here, and 
 formerly a saw-mill, grist-mill and a paper-mill were 
 in operation ; but these have now given way to a 
 factory where leather-board is made. The Peter- 
 borough and Shirley Branch of the Fitchburg Rail- 
 road passes through the place, and some local busi- 
 ness is transacted in the neighborhood. As a matter 
 of course, a post-office was needed in the village, and 
 one was established on March 19, 1850. The first 
 person to fill the office was Adams Archibald, a native 
 of Truro, Nova Scotia, who kept it in the railway 
 station. 
 
 The following is a list of the postmasters, with the 
 dates of their appointment : 
 
 Adams Archibald, March 19, 1850. 
 Edmund Blood, May 25, 1868. 
 Charles Henry Hill, July 31, 1871. 
 George Henry Bixby, July 11, 1878. 
 
 During the postmastership of Mr. Blood, and since 
 
182 GROTOX. 
 
 that time, the office has been kept in a store near the 
 station, and for a long while the only one in the place. 
 
 A post-office was established at South Groton, on 
 June 1, 1849, and the first postmaster was Andrew 
 Boynton Gardner. The village was widely known as 
 Groton Junction, and resulted from the intersection 
 of several railroads. Here six passenger-trains coming 
 from different points were due in the same station at 
 the same time, and they all were supposed to leave as 
 punctually. 
 
 The trains on the Fitchburg Railroad, arriving from 
 each direction, and likewise the trains on the Worces- 
 ter and Nashua Road from the north and the south, 
 passed each other at this place. There was also a 
 train from Lowell, on the Stony Brook Railroad, and 
 another on the Peterborough and Shirley Branch, 
 coming at that time from West Townsend. 
 
 A busy settlement grew up, which was incorporated 
 as a distinct town under the name of Ayer, on Feb- 
 ruary 14, 1871, so called after the late James Cook 
 Ayer, of Lowell. 
 
 The following is a list of the postmasters, with the 
 dates of their appointment : 
 
 Andrew Boynton Gardner, June 1, 1849. 
 Harvey Alpheus Woods, August 11, 1853. 
 George Henry Brown, December 30, 1861. 
 William Holmes Harlow, December 5, 1862. 
 George Henry Brown, January 15, 1863. 
 William Holmes Harlow, July 18, 1865. 
 
 The name of the post-office was changed by the 
 Department at Washington, from South Groton to 
 Groton Junction, on March 1, 1862 ; and subsequently 
 this again was changed to Ayer, on March 22, 1871, 
 
GROTON. 183 
 
 soon after the incorporation of the town, during the 
 postmastership of Mr. Harlow. 
 
 Closely akin to the post-office in its functions is the 
 service of the telegraph and the telephone, and for 
 that reason I add the following facts : 
 
 The telegraph office was opened in the village of 
 Groton on Saturday, March 20, 1880, mainly through 
 the exertions of the late Charles Harrison Waters 
 and of Francis Marion Boutwell, Esq. ; and the first 
 message was sent to Nashua. The office was estab- 
 lished in the railway-station, where it has since re- 
 mained, and the first operator was Miss Etta Augusta 
 Shattuck. 
 
 The telephone office was opened in the village on 
 Friday, April 29, 1881, affording communication with 
 Boston and other places. 
 
 The Old Taverns and Stage-Coaches of 
 Groton. — It has been said that there is nothing 
 contrived by man which has produced so much hap- 
 piness as a good tavern. Without disputing the 
 statement, all will agree that many good times have 
 been passed around the cheerful hearth of the old- 
 fashioned inn. 
 
 The sites of the earliest taverns of Groton cannot 
 easily be identified, but the names of some of the 
 landlords are found in the records of the Middlesex 
 Court of Quarter Sessions, — now at East Cambridge, 
 — when they were licensed as inn-holders. At that 
 period no great preparations were made in the small 
 towns for the lodging of strangers, beyond (obtaining 
 the necessary license, and guests were treated like 
 members of the family. Occasionally a farmer would 
 
184 GROTON. 
 
 keep a tavern for a while, and thus make a market 
 for his home products. For a long time Groton was 
 a frontier settlement, and all beyond it was a wilder- 
 ness. The travel through the place was mainly along 
 the circumference of civilization, from one outlying 
 town to another, and there was but little patronage 
 for public-houses. The following list of early 
 landlords and retailers of spirits is taken from the 
 Court records, and the entries are made during the 
 months of July, August and September in the re- 
 spective years : 
 
 1699.— Joseph Cady. 
 
 1700. — Probably no license granted. 
 
 1701.— Joseph Cady. 
 
 17C2. — Probably no license granted. 
 
 1703. — Samuel Parker, Nathan Mors. 
 
 1704.— Samuel Parker. 
 
 1705. — Samuel Parker. 
 
 1706.— Samuel Parker. 
 
 1707.— Samuel Parker. 
 
 1708.— Samuel Parker. 
 
 1709. — Probably no license granted. 
 
 1710.— Samuel Woods. 
 
 1711. — Mr. Samuel Woods. 
 
 1712. — Probably no license granted. 
 
 1713.— Nathaniel Woods. 
 
 1714. — Nathaniel Woods. 
 
 1715.— Nathaniel Woods. 
 
 1716.— Nathaniel Woods. 
 
 1717.— Nathaniel Woods, Eleazer Bobbins, Eleazer Green ; JameB 
 Patterson, retailer. 
 
 1718.— Mr. Nathaniel Woods, Mr. Eleazer Robbins, Mr. Eleazer Green. 
 
 1719.— Mr. Eleazer Green, Mr. Nathaniel Woods. 
 
 1720.— Mr. Eleazer Green. 
 
 1721.— Mr. David W T hetcomb, Mr. Eleazer Green, Mr. Jonathan 
 Hubbard. 
 
 1722.— Mr. Eleazer Green, Mr. Jonathan Hubbard. 
 
 1723.— Mr. Jonathan Hubbard. 
 
GROTON. 185 
 
 1724.— Mr. Jonathan Hubbard, Mr. Joseph Spaulding. 
 1725.— Mr. William Tarbell. 
 
 1726.— Mr. Jonathan Hubbard, Mr. William Tarbell. 
 1727.— Mr. Jonathan Hubbard, Mr. William Tarbell, Mr. Josiah 
 Sautell. 
 1728.— Mr. Jonathan Hubbard. 
 1729.— Mr. Jonathan Hubbard. 
 
 1730.— Mr. Jonathan Hubbard, Mr. Josiah Sartel, Nathaniel Sartel, 
 Esq. 
 1731.— Nathaniel Sartel, Esq., Mr. Jonathan Hubbard^ 
 1732.— Nathaniel Sartel, Esq., Mr. James Parker. 
 1733.— Nathaniel Sartel, Esq., Mr. John Bulkley. 
 1734.— Nathaniel Sartell, Esq., Mr. John Bulkley, Mr. Benjamin 
 Bancroft. 
 
 1735.— Nathaniel Sartell, Esq., Mr. Benjamin Bancroft, Mr. John 
 Bulkley. 
 
 1736. — Nathaniel Sartel, Esq., Mr. Benjamin Bancroft, Mr. John 
 Bulkley. 
 1737.— Mr. Benjamin Bancroft, Mr. John Bulkley. 
 1738.— John Bulkley, Captain Samuel Parker, Jonathan Sheple. 
 1739.— Captain Samuel Parker, John Bulkley ; Jonathan Sheple, 
 Abraham Moores, retailers. 
 1740.— John Bulkley, Abraham Moores, William Lawrence, Esq. 
 1741.— Samuel Parker, John Bulkley ; William Lawrence, Esq., Abra- 
 ham Moores, retailers. 
 
 1742 —Samuel Parker, John Bulkley, Abraham Moores ; William 
 Lawrence, Esq., Thomas Tarbell, retailers. 
 
 1743. —Samuel Parker, John Bulkley, Abraham Moores, James Law- 
 rence ; William Lawrence, Esq., Thomas Tarbell, retailers. 
 
 1744 —Caleb Trowbridge, Jr., Isaac Farnsworth, Benjamin Bancroft, 
 John Bulkley, Samuel Parker. 
 
 1745.— Isaac Green, John Bulkley, Abraham Moores, James Law- 
 rence ; William Lawrence, Esq., Benjamin Chase, retailers. 
 
 1746.— Caleb Trowbridge, Jr., Benjamin Bancroft, John Bulkley, 
 Samuel Parker, Amos Lawrence. 
 
 1747.— Isaac Greene, John Bulkley, Abraham Moores, James Law- 
 rence ; John Sheple, Ezra Farnsworth, retailers. 
 
 1748— Capt. Benjamin Bancroft, Capt. John Bulkley, Abraham 
 Moores, Caleb Trowbridge, Jr., Amos Lawrence. 
 
 1749._john Bulkley, Abraham Moores, James Lawrence; Ezra 
 Farnsworth, retailer. 
 
 1750.— John Bulkley, Abraham Moores, James Lawrence; Ezra 
 Farnsworth, retailer. 
 
186 GROTON. 
 
 1751.— John Bulkley, Abraham Moores, James Lawrence ; Ezra 
 Farnsworth, retailer. 
 
 1752. — John Bulkley, Abraham Moores, James Lawrence, James Col- 
 burn, Jr., William White ; Caleb Trowbridge, Jr., retailer. 
 
 1753.— John Bulkley, Abraham Moores, Thomas White, Caleb Trow- 
 bridge, Jr. ; Josiah Sartell, retailer. 
 
 1754.— John Bulkley, Abraham Moores, Thomas White, Caleb Trow- 
 bridge, Jr. ; Josiah Sartell, John Stevens, Esq., retailers. 
 
 1755.— John Bulkely, Abraham Moores, Samuel Bowers, Thomas 
 White ; John Stevens, Esq., Jonathan Sartell, retailers. 
 
 In the Journal of the House of Representatives 
 (page 96), December 21, 1752, is a petition of Caleb 
 Trowbridge, Jr., of Groton, stating that : 
 
 "He lives upon a publick Road leading from Dunstable to Harvard, 
 which is frequented by many Travelers ; that the publick Houses on 
 said Boad are fifteen Miles distant from each other; that he has only 
 Liberty to Retail, yet is often crowded with People who want necessary 
 Refreshment, but who is not allowed to sell it to them ; he therefore 
 prays he may now obtain a Licence as an Innholder. 
 
 " Pass'd in Council, viz. In Council, December 21st, 1752. Read and 
 Ordered, That the Justices of the General Sessions of the Peace for the 
 County of Middlesex, be and they hereby are allowed to grant the Peti- 
 tioner a License to be an Innholder, if they see Cause, at their Adjourn- 
 ment on Saturday, the 23d Instant, the Time for granting Licences being 
 elapsed notwithstanding, provided the Petitioner first obtains the Appro- 
 bation of the Select-Men of Groton for that purpose. 
 
 " Sent down for Concurrence. Read and concur'd." 
 
 The Trowbridge tavern cannot now be identified 
 with certainty ; but it is highly probable that it was 
 the same as the Bowers inn, mentioned in the next 
 paragraph. 
 
 The earliest tavern in Groton, of which there is 
 any positive record or knowledge, was kept by Samuel 
 Bowers, Jr., in the house lately and for a long time 
 occupied by the Champney family. Mr. Bowers was 
 born in Groton on December 21, 1711, and, according 
 to his tombstone, died on " the Sixteenth Day of De- 
 
GROTON. 187 
 
 cember Anno Domini 1768. Haifa hour after Three 
 of the Clock in y e Afternoon, and in the Fifty Eight 
 year of his age." He was first licensed in the year 
 1755, and was known in the neighborhood as 
 "Land'urd Bowers," — the inn-keeper of that period 
 being generally addressed by the title of landlord. I 
 do not know who succeeded him in his useful and im- 
 portant functions. 
 
 The next tavern of which I have any knowledge 
 was the one kept by Captain Jonathan Keep, during 
 the latter part of the Revolution. In The Inde- 
 pendent Chronicle (Boston), February 15, 1781, the 
 committee of the General Court tor the sale of con- 
 fiscated property in Middlesex County advertise the 
 estate of Dr. Joseph Adams, of Townsend, to be sold 
 " at Mr. Keeps, innholder at Groton." This tavern 
 has now been kept as an inn during more than a 
 century. It was originally built for a dwelling-house, 
 and, before the Revolution, was occupied by the 
 Reverend Samuel Dana ; but since that time it has been 
 lengthened in front and otherwise considerably en- 
 larged. Captain Keep was followed by the brothers 
 Isaiah and Joseph Hall, who were the landlords as 
 early as the year 1798. They were succeeded in 1825 
 by Joseph Hoar, who had just sold the Emerson 
 tavern, at the other end of the village street. Except- 
 ing the year 1836, when Moses Gill and his brother- 
 in-law, Henry Lewis Lawrence, were the landlords, 
 Mr. Hoar kept it until the spring of 1843, when he 
 sold out to Thomas Treadwell Farnsworth. It was 
 then conducted as a temperance house, at that time 
 considered a great innovation on former customs. 
 
188 GROTOX 
 
 After a short period it was sold to Daniel Hunt, who 
 kept it until 1852; and he was followed by James 
 Minot Colburn, who had it for two years. It then 
 came into the possession of Joseph Nelson Hoar, a 
 son of the former landlord, who took it in 1854, and 
 in whose family it has since remained. Latterly it 
 has been managed by three of his daughters, and was 
 known as the Central House. For a long time it was 
 the only tavern in the village, and for neatness and 
 comfort could not easily be surpassed. Within a few 
 months it has been shut up as a public-house, but it 
 is hoped only temporarily. The following description 
 of the inn was written by the late Mrs. Delano A. 
 Goddard, in a letter from Groton to the Worcester 
 Daily Spy, July 7, 1876, after giving an account of 
 the celebration on the Fourth of July : 
 
 "I cannot leave Groton without one word for its 'Central House,' its 
 only tavern ; a long, low building, with a picturesque piazza its whole 
 length, covered with a luxuriant woodbine. It is unique, and is kept by 
 three sisters [the Misses Hoar], who receive their visitors hospitably and 
 serve them themselves ; who, in spite of all their household duties, 
 never seem hurried, are always to be found, always courteous, always 
 ready. They are admirable representatives of the intelligent, capable, 
 attractive New England girls who don't know what shirking is, but who 
 take up the life they find waiting for them, and make of it the best 
 thing they can." 
 
 In August, 1877, a tavern, known as the Fletcher 
 House, was opened at the southerly end of the village 
 street. It is situated on the easterly side of the Boston 
 Road, near the Colonel Prescott monument, and fifty 
 years ago was owned by Dr. Farnsworth. 
 
 In a list of innholders printed near the end of 
 Isaiah Thomas's Almanack for 1785, appears the name 
 of Richardson, whose tavern stood on the present site 
 

 GROToX. 189 
 
 of the Baptist Church. It was originally the house 
 owned and occupied by the Rev. Gershom Hobart, 
 which had been considerably enlarged by additions 
 on the north and east sides, in order to make, it more 
 suitable for its new purposes. Mine host was Captain 
 Jephthah Richardson, who died on October 9, 1806. 
 His father was Converse Richardson, who had pre- 
 viously kept a small inn on the present Elm Street, 
 near the corner of Pleasant. It was in this Elm 
 Street house that Timothy Bigelow, the rising young 
 lawyer, lived when he first came to Groton. Within 
 a few years this building has been moved away. Soon 
 after the death of Captain Jephthah Richardson the 
 tavern was sold to Timothy Spaulding, who carried 
 on the business until his death, which occurred on 
 February 19, 1808. Spaulding's widow subsequently 
 married John Spalter, who was the landlord for a 
 short time. About 1812 the house was rented to 
 Dearborn Emerson, who had been a driver of a stage- 
 coach, as well as the owner of a line. He remained 
 in possession of it for a few years. 
 
 During the War of 1812 it was an inn of local re- 
 nown ; and a Lieutenant Chase had his headquarters 
 here for awhile, when recruiting for the army. He 
 raised a company in the neighborhood, which was 
 ordered to Sackett's Harbor, near the foot of Lake 
 Ontario. The men were put into uniforms as they 
 enlisted and drilled daily. They were in the habit 
 of marching through the village streets to the music 
 of the spirit-stirring drum and the ear-piercing fife; 
 and occasionally they were invited into the yard of 
 some hospitable citizen, who would treat them to 
 
190 GROTON. 
 
 " the cups that cheer but not inebriate," when 
 taken in moderation. William Kemp was the drum- 
 mer, and Wilder Shepley the fifer, both noted musi- 
 cians in their day. Sometimes Moses Kemp, a 
 brother, would act as fifer. William, who died on 
 September 28, 1885, at the advanced age of ninety-six 
 years, used to give many reminiscences of that period. 
 He was born at Groton on May 8, 1789, and began to 
 drum in early boyhood. His first appearance in the 
 public service was during the year 1805, as drummer of 
 the South Company of Groton, commanded by Luther 
 Lawrence, Esq., afterward the mayor of Lowell. 
 Among the men enlisted here during that campaign 
 were Marquis D. Famsworth, Aaron Lewis, William 
 Shepley and John Woodward, of this town ; and 
 James Adams and his son, James, Jr., of Pepperell. 
 
 During his boyhood Mr. Kemp knew Major Daniel 
 Simpson, the veteran drummer of Boston, whose 
 mother was Sarah, daughter of Job and Sarah (Hart- 
 well) Shattuck, of Groton. The major was born at 
 Harrison, Maine, on September 29, 1790, and died in 
 Boston on July 28, 1886. In former years he used to 
 spend considerable time at Groton, where many a 
 trial of skill between the two drummers has taken 
 place. 
 
 It was about the year 1815 that Dearborn Emerson 
 left the Kichardson tavern, and moved down the 
 street, perhaps thirty rods, where he opened another 
 public-house on the present site of Milo H. Shat- 
 tuck's store. The old tavern, in the mean time, passed 
 into the hands of Daniel Shattuck, who kept it until 
 the year before his death, which occurred on April 8, 
 
GROTON. 191 
 
 1831. The business was then carried on during a 
 short time by Samuel Clark Tenny, who has the fol- 
 lowing advertisement in The Groton Herald, June 12, 
 1830: 
 
 " Old Stand. 
 " ^FHE Subscriber would respectfully inform his friends and the public 
 generally, that he has taken the Tavern lately occupied by 
 Mr. Daniel Shattxtck, in Groton ; and having thoroughly fitted up the 
 same for the reception and accommodation of travellers, he natters him- 
 gelf he shall obtain a share of their custom. 
 
 " No pains shall be spared to give satisfaction to all those who may be 
 disposed to patronize him. 
 
 " Samuel C. Tenny. 
 "Groton, June 12, 1830." 
 
 The next landlord was Lemuel Lakin, and after 
 him Francis Shattuck, a son of Daniel, for another 
 brief period. About the year 1833 it was given up 
 entirely as a public-house, and thus passed away an 
 old landmark widely known in those times. It stood 
 well out on the present road, the front door facing 
 down what is now Main Street, the upper end of which 
 then had no existence. In approaching the tavern 
 from the south, the road went up Hollis Street and 
 turned to the left somewhere south of the Burying- 
 Ground. The house afterward was cut up and moved 
 off, just before the Baptist meeting-house was built. 
 
 Dearborn Emerson married a sister of Daniel 
 Brooks, a large owner in the line of stage-coaches 
 running through Groton from Boston to the north- 
 ward ; and this family connection was of great ser- 
 vice to him. Jonas Parker, commonly known as 
 " Tecumseh " Parker, was now associated with Emer- 
 son in keeping the new hotel. The stage business 
 was taken away from the Richardson tavern, and 
 
192 GROTON. 
 
 transferred to this one. The house was enlarged, 
 spacious barns and stables were erected, and better 
 accommodations given to man and beast, — on too 
 large a scale for profit, it seems, as Parker & Emer- 
 son failed shortly afterward. This was in the spring 
 of 1819, during which year the tavern was purchased 
 by Joseph Hoar, who kept it a little more than six 
 years, when he sold it to Amos Alexander. This 
 landlord, after a long time, was succeeded in turn by 
 Isaac J. Fox, Horace Brown, William Childs, Arte- 
 mas Brown, John M. Gilson, Abijah Wright and 
 Moses Gill. It was given up as a hotel in 1854, and 
 made into a shoe- factory, owned by Messrs. Bigelow 
 & Randall ; and finally it was burned on Wednes- 
 day evening, December 19, 1855. Mr. Gill had the 
 house for seven years, and was the last landlord. He 
 then opened a public-house directly opposite to the 
 Orthodox Church, and called it The Globe, which he 
 kept for two years. He was succeeded by Stephen 
 Woods, who remained only one year, after which 
 time this also w T as given up as a public-house. 
 
 The following advertisement in The Groton Herald, 
 March 13, 1830, shows that the selectmen of the town 
 at that time, wishing to be impartial in distributing 
 their official patronage, used to meet equally at all 
 the taverns in the village for the transaction of public 
 business: 
 
 "Stated Meetings of the Selectmen. 
 
 " rpHE Selectmen of Groton will meet on the last Saturdays of each 
 month the present municipal year, at 3 o'clock, p. m., viz. .—At 
 Hoar's Tavern in March, April, May and June; at Alexander's in Julj, 
 August, September and October ; and at ShattttcFs in November, Decem- 
 ber, January and February. 
 
 "Caleb Butler, Chairman." 
 
GROTON. 193 
 
 Another hostelry was the Ridge Hill tavern, situated 
 at the Ridges, three miles from the village, on the 
 Great Road to Boston. This was^built about the year 
 1805, and much frequented by travelers and team- 
 sters. At this point the roads diverge and come 
 together again in Lexington, making two routes to 
 Boston. It was claimed by interested persons that 
 one was considerably shorter than the other, — though 
 the actual difference was less than a mile. In the 
 year 1824 a guide-board was set up at the crotch of 
 the roads, proclaiming the fact that the distance to 
 Lexington through Concord was two miles longer 
 than through Carlisle. Straightway the storekeepers 
 and innholders along the Concord road published a 
 counter-statement, that it had been measured by 
 sworn surveyors, and the distance found to be only 
 two hundred and thirty-six rods farther than by the 
 other way. 
 
 The first landlord of the Ridge Hill tavern was 
 Levi Parker, noted for his hearty hospitality. He 
 was afterward deputy-sheriff of Middlesex County, 
 and lived at Westford. He was followed, for a short 
 time, by John Stevens, and then by John Hancock 
 Loring, who conducted the house during many years, 
 and was succeeded by his son Jefferson. After him 
 came Henry Lewis Lawrence, who kept it during one 
 year; he was followed by his brother-in-law, Moses 
 Gill, who took the tavern in April, 1837, and kept it 
 just five years. When Mr. Gill gave up the house, 
 he was followed by one Langdon for a short time, 
 and he in turn by Kimball Farr as the landlord, who 
 had bought it the year previously, and who remained 
 13 
 
194 GROTON. 
 
 in charge until 1868. During a part of the time 
 when the place was managed by Mr. Farr, his son 
 Augustus was associated with him. Mr. Farr sold 
 the tavern to John Fuzzard, a native of Brighton, 
 England, who kept it as the landlord for a while, and 
 is still the owner of the property. He was followed 
 by Newell M. Jewett, and he in turn by Stephen 
 Perkins, a native of York, Maine, who took it in 
 1880. The building had been vacant for some years 
 before that time. It was given up by Mr. Perkins in 
 the spring of 1884, when it ceased to be a public- 
 house, and was occupied again by Mr. Fuzzard as his 
 dwelling. A fair used to be held here on the first 
 Tuesday of every month for the sale of horses, and 
 buyers Avere attracted from a long distance. At one 
 time this property was owned by Judge Samuel 
 Dana, who sold it to John H. Loring. 
 
 As early as the year 1798 there was a tavern about 
 a mile from the Ridges, toward Groton. It was kept 
 by Stephen Farrar, in the house now standing near 
 where the brook crosses the Great Road. Afterward 
 one Green was the landlord. The house known 
 as the " Levi Tufts place," in the same neighborhood, 
 was an inn during the early part of this century, con- 
 ducted by Tilly Buttrick. Also about this time, or 
 previously, the house situated south of Indian Hill, 
 and occupied by Charles Prescott, — when the map in 
 Mr. Butler's History was made, — was an inn. There 
 was a tavern kept from about the year 1812 to 1818 
 by a Mr. Page, in Mr. Gerrish's house, — near the 
 Unitarian Church in the village, — which was built 
 by Martin Jennison, about 1803. Last spring the 
 
GKOTON. 195 
 
 same dwelling was newly furnished and opened as 
 a boarding-house for transient or permanent guests, 
 according to an advertisement in The Groton Land- 
 mark, May 3, 1890. There was also a tavern, near 
 the present paper-mills of Tileston and Hollings- 
 worth, kept for many years (1820-45) by Aaron 
 Lewis, and after him for a short time by A. M. 
 Veazie. It was originally the house of John Capell, 
 who owoed the saw-mill and grist-mill in the imme- 
 diate neighborhood. Amos Adams had an inn near 
 Squannacook, a hundred years ago, in a house now 
 owned by James Kemp. 
 
 Forty years ago an attempt was made to organize 
 a company for the purpose of carrying on a hotel in 
 the village, and a charter was obtained from the 
 Legislature. The stock, however, was not wholly 
 taken up, and the project fell through. Of the cor- 
 parators, Mr. Potter was the last survivor, and he 
 died in Cincinnati, on December 2, 1884. Below is 
 a copy of the act : — 
 
 " An Act to incorporate the Groton Hotel Company. 
 " BE it enacted by\ the Senate and House of Representatives, in General 
 Court assembled, and by the authority of (lie same, as follows: 
 " Sect. 1. Luther F. Potter, Nathaniel P. Smith, Simeon Ames, their 
 associates and successors, are hereby made a corporation, by the name 
 of the Groton Hotel Company, for the purpose of erecting, in the town 
 of Groton, buildings necessary and convenient for a public house, with 
 all the powers and privileges, and subject to all the liabilities, duties and 
 restrictions, set forth in the forty-fourth chapter of the Revised Statutes. 
 "Sect. 2. Said corporation may hold such real and personal property, 
 as may be necessary and convenient for the purposes aforesaid, not ex- 
 ceeding in amount twenty thousand dollars : provided, that no shares in 
 the capital stock of said corporation shall be issued for a less sum or 
 amount, to be actually paid in on each, than the par value of the shares 
 which shall be first issued. And if any ardent spirits, or intoxicating 
 
196 GROTON. 
 
 drinks of any kind whatever, shall be sold by said company, or by their 
 agents, lessees, or persons in their employ, contrary to law, in any of 
 said buildings, then this act shall be void." [Approved by the Governor, 
 May 2, 1850.] 
 
 In the spring of 1852 a charter was given to Benja- 
 min Webb, Daniel D. K. Bowker, and their associates, 
 for the purpose of forming a corporation to carry on 
 a hotel at the Massapoag Springs, in the eastern part 
 of this town ; but the project fell through. It was to 
 be called the Massapoag Spring Hotel, and its capital 
 stock was limited to $30,000. The act was approved 
 by the Governor on May 18, 1852 ; and it contained 
 similar conditions to those mentioned above in regard 
 to the sale of liquors. In the spring of 1859 an act 
 was passed by the Legislature, and approved by the 
 Governor on April 1st, incorporating Abel Prescott, 
 Harvey A. Woods, Levi W. Woods, Stephen Eoberts, 
 and Levi W. Phelps, their associates and successors, 
 under the name of the Groton Junction Hotel Com- 
 pany, for the purpose of erecting a hotel at Groton 
 Junction, now known as Ayer. The capital of the 
 company was limited to $15,000, but the stock was 
 never taken. These enterprises are now nearly forgot- 
 ten, though the mention of them may revive the recol- 
 lections of elderly people. 
 
 The Grotox Stage-Coaches. — During the first 
 half of the present century Groton had one charac- 
 teristic mark, closely connected with the old taverns, 
 which it no longer possesses. It was a radiating 
 centre for different lines of stage-coaches, until this 
 mode of travel was superseded by the swifter one of 
 the railroad. Wayfarers from the surrounding towns 
 off the line of travel came hither daily in private 
 
GROTON. 197 
 
 vehicles to engage their seats and take their passage. 
 During many years the stage-coaches were a distinct- 
 ive feature of the place ; and their coming and going 
 were watched with great interest, and created the ex- 
 citement of the day. In early times the drivers, as 
 they approached the village, would blow a bugle in 
 order to give notice of their arrival ; and this blast 
 was the signal at the taverns to put the food on the 
 table. More than a generation has now passed away 
 since these coaches were wont to be seen in the vil- 
 lage streets. They were drawn usually by four hofses, 
 and in bad going by six. Here a change of coaches, 
 horses and drivers was made. 
 
 The stage-driver of former times belonged to a 
 class of men that has now disappeared from the com- 
 munity. His position was one of considerable respon- 
 sibility. This important personage was well known 
 along the route, and his opinions were always quoted 
 with respect. I easily recall the familiar face of Aaron 
 Corey, who drove the accommodation stage to Boston 
 for so many years. He was a careful and skillful 
 driver, and a man of most obliging disposition. He 
 would go out of his way to bear a message or leave a 
 newspaper ; but his specialty was to look after women 
 and children committed to his charge. He carried 
 also packages and parcels, and largely what to-day is 
 intrusted to the express. I recall, too, with pleasure 
 Horace George, another driver, popular with all the 
 boys, because in sleighing time he would let us ride 
 on the rack behind, and even slacken the speed of his 
 horses so as to allow us to catch hold of the straps. 
 In youthful dialect, the practice was called "ketchiner 
 on behind." 
 
198 GROTON. 
 
 Some people now remember the scenes of life and 
 activity that used to be witnessed in the town on the 
 arrival and departure of the stages. Some remem- 
 ber, too, the loud snap of the whip which gave in- 
 creased speed to the horses, as they dashed up in ap- 
 proved style to the stopping-place, where the 
 loungers were collected to see the travelers, and listen 
 to the gossip which fell from their lips. There were 
 no telegraphs then, and but few railroads in the coun- 
 try. The papers did not gather the news so eagerly 
 nor spread it abroad as promptly as they do now ; 
 and items of intelligence were carried largely by 
 word of mouth. 
 
 The earliest line of stage-coaches between Boston 
 and Groton was the one mentioned in the Colum- 
 bian Centinel, April 6, 1793. The advertisement is 
 headed " New Line of Stages," and gives notice 
 that — 
 
 " A Stage-Carriage drives from Bobbins' Tavern, at Charles-River 
 Bridge, on Monday and Friday, in each week, and passing through 
 Concord and Groton, arrives at Wyman's tavern in Ashley [Ashby] in the 
 evenings of the same days ; and after exchanging passengers there 
 with the Stage Carriage from Walpole, it returns on Tuesdays and Sat- 
 urdays, by the same route to Robbing's. 
 
 The Gharlestown Carriage drives also from Bobbins' on "Wednesday in 
 each week, and passing through Concord arrives at Richardson's tavern, 
 in Groton, on the evening of the same day, and from thence returns on 
 Thursday to Bobbins'. 
 
 "Another Carriage drives from Richardson's tavern in Groton, on Mon- 
 day in each week, at six o'clock in the morning, and passing by Richard- 
 son's tavern in Concord, at ten o'clock in the forenoon, arrives at Charles- 
 town at three o'clock in the afternoon. From Charlestown it drives on 
 Tuesday and Thursday in each week, at three o'clock in tbe«afternoon 
 and returns back as far as Richardson's tavern in Concord — and from 
 that place it starts at 8 o'clock in the mornings, of Wednesday and 
 
GROTON. 199 
 
 Friday, and runs again to Charlestown. From there it moves at six 
 o'clock on Saturday morning, and returns to Richardson's tavern in 
 Grotou, in the evening of the same day." 
 
 It was probably one of these " Carriages" to which 
 allusion is made in Mr. Winthrop's " Memoir of the 
 Honorable Nathan Appleton," as follows : 
 
 " At early dusk on some October or November evening, in the year 
 1794, a fresh, vigorous, bright-eyed lad, just turned of fifteen, might 
 have been seen alighting from a stage-coach near Quaker Lane, 1 as 
 it was then called, in the old town of Boston. He had been two days 
 on the road from his home in the town of New Ipswich, in the State 
 of New Hampshire. On the last of the two days, the stage-coach 
 had brought him all the way from Groton in Massachusetts ; starting 
 for that purpose early in the morning, stopping at Concord for the 
 passengers to dine, trundling them through Charlestown about the 
 time the evening lamps were lighted, and finishing the whole distance 
 of rather more than thirty miles in season for supper. For his first 
 day's journey, there had been no such eligible and expeditious con- 
 veyance. The Boston stage-coach, in those days, went no farther than 
 Groton in that direction. His father's farm-horse, or perhaps that of 
 one of the neighbors, had served his turn for the first six or seven miles ; 
 his little brother of ten years old having followed him as far as Town- 
 send, to ride the horse home again. But from there he had trudged 
 along to Groton on foot, with a bundle-handkerchief in his hand, which 
 contained all the wearing apparel he had, except what was on his back." 
 — Proceedings of the Massachusetts Historical Society, v. 249, 250. 
 
 It has been said that the first public conveyance 
 between Boston and Groton was a covered wagon, 
 hung on chains for thoroughbraces ; but this was 
 probably subsequent to the time of the advertisement. 
 It was owned and driven by Lemuel Lakin, but after 
 a few years the owner sold out to Dearborn Emer- 
 son. 
 
 The following advertisement from the Columbian 
 
 Now Congress Street. 
 
200 GROTON. 
 
 Centinel, June 25, 1800, will give a notion of what an 
 undertaking a trip to Boston was at the beginning of 
 the century : 
 
 " GROTON STAGE. 
 
 " The subscriber respectfully informs the public that he drives the 
 Stage from Boston to Groton, running through Lexington, Concord, and 
 Littleton, to Groton : Starts from Boston every Wednesday morning, at 5 
 o'clock, and arrives at Groton the same day ; Starts from Groton every 
 Monday morning, at 7 o'clock, and arrives at Boston the same day at 4 
 o'clock. Passage through, 2 dols. per mile, id. 
 
 " Danborn Emerson. 
 
 "Seats taken at Mr. Silas Dutton's in Royal Exchange Lane. News- 
 papers supplied on the road, and every attention paid to conveyances." 
 
 The given-name of Emerson was Dearborn, and 
 not "Danborn," which is a misprint. Two years 
 later he was running a stage-coach from Groton to 
 New Ipswich, New Hampshire ; and on the first re- 
 turn trip he brought three passengers, — according to 
 the " History of New Ipswich " (page 129). Emerson 
 was a noted driver in his day; and he is mentioned 
 with pleasant recollections by the Honorable Abbott 
 Lawrence, in an after-dinner speech at the Jubilee of 
 Lawrence Academy, on July 12, 1854, as appears 
 from the published account of the celebration. Sub- 
 sequently he was the landlord of one of the local 
 taverns. 
 
 It is advertised in The Massachusetts Register, for 
 the year 1802, that the— 
 
 " GROTON Stage sets off from J. and S. Wheelock's [Indian Queen 
 Inn], No. 37, Marlboro'-Street [now a part of Washington Street, Bos- 
 ton], every Wednesday at 4 o'clock in the morning, and arrives at Gro- 
 ton at 3 o'clock in the afternoon, same day; leaves Groton every 
 Monday at 4 o'clock in the morning, and arrives in Boston at 6 o'clock 
 in the afternoon, same day." (Pages 19, 20.) 
 
GROTON. 201 
 
 It seems from this notice that it took three hours 
 longer to make the trip down to Boston than up to 
 Groton, — of which the explanation is not clear. In 
 the Register for 1803, a semi-weekly line is advertised, 
 and the same length of time is given for making the 
 trip each way as is mentioned in the Register of the 
 preceding year. 
 
 About the year 1807 there was a tri-weekly line of 
 coaches to Boston, and as early as 1820 a daily line, 
 which connected at Groton with others extending 
 into New Hampshire and Vermont. Soon after this 
 time there were two lines to Boston, running in op- 
 position to each other, — one known as the Union and 
 Accommodation Line, and the other as the Telegraph 
 and Despatch. 
 
 One of the drivers for the Telegraph and Despatch 
 Line was Phineas Harrington, popularly known along 
 the road as "Phin" Harrington. He had orders to 
 take but eight passengers in his coach, and the trip 
 was made with remarkable speed for that period. 
 " Phin " was a man of small size; and the story used 
 to be told of him that, on cold and stormy nights, he 
 would get inside of one of the lamps fixed to the box, 
 in order to warm his feet by the lighted wick ! He 
 passed almost his whole life as a stage-man, and it is 
 said that he drove for nearly forty years. He could 
 handle the reins of six horses with more skill than 
 any other driver in town. Mr. Harrington died at 
 Dracut, on May 23, 1870, aged eighty years, two 
 months and nine days. 
 
 William Shepard & Co. advertise in The Groton 
 Herald, April 10, 1830, their accommodation stage. 
 
202 GROTON. 
 
 "Good Teams and Coaches with careful and obliging 
 drivers will be provided by the subscribers." Books 
 were kept in Boston at A. M. Brigham's, No. 42 Han- 
 over Street, and in Groton at the taverns of Arnos 
 Alexander and Joseph Hoar. The fare was one dol- 
 lar, and the coach went three times a week. 
 
 About this time George Flint had a line to Nashua, 
 and John Holt another to Fitchburg. They adver- 
 tise together in the Herald, May 1, 1830, that " no 
 pains shall be spared to accommodate those who shall 
 favor them with their custom, and all business in- 
 trusted to their care will be faithfully attended to." 
 The first stage-coach from this town to Lowell began 
 to run about the year 1829, and John Austin was the 
 driver. An opposition line was established soon after- 
 ward, and kept up during a short time, until a com- 
 promise was made between the two lines. Later, 
 John Russ was the owner and driver of the line to 
 Lowell, and still later, John M. Maynard the owner. 
 Near this period there was a coach running to Wor- 
 cester, and previously one to Amherst, New Hamp- 
 shire. 
 
 Fifty years ago General Thomas Adams Staples was 
 a well-known stage proprietor. He was a man of 
 large frame and fine proportions, and is still remem- 
 bered by many residents of the town. He was born 
 in Boston on July 20, 1804, and died at Machias, 
 Maine, on November 13, 1880. 
 
 The following is a list of some of the old drivers, 
 who were well-known along their respective routes. 
 It is arranged in no particular order and is by no 
 means complete ; and the dates against a few of the 
 
GROTON. 203 
 
 names are only approximations to the time when each 
 one sat on the box. 
 
 Lemuel Lakin was among the earliest ; and he was 
 followed by Dearborn Emerson. Daniel Brooks drove 
 to Boston during the period of the last war with Eng- 
 land, and probably later. 
 
 Aaron Corey drove the accommodation stage to 
 Boston, through Carlisle, Bedford and Lexington, for 
 a long time, and he had previously driven the mail- 
 coach. He was succeeded by his son, Calvin, the 
 driver for a few years, until the line was given up in 
 1850. Mr. Corey, the father, was one of the veter- 
 ans, having held the reins during thirty-two years ; 
 he died March 15, 1857, at the age of seventy-three. 
 
 Isaac Bullard (1817-30), William Smart (1825-30), 
 George Hunt, Jonathan Buttrick, Obadiah Kendall, 
 Albert Hay den, Charles Briggs, Levi Robbins, James 
 Lord, Frank Brown, Silas Burgess, Augustus Adams, 
 William Dana, Horace Brown, Levi Wheeler, Tim- 
 othy Underwood, Bacon, Horace George (1838- 
 
 45), Leonard Williams Cushing (1842-45) and Joseph 
 Stewart, — these drove to Boston. After the stages 
 were taken off, " Joe " Stewart was the driver of the 
 passenger-coach from the village to the station on the 
 Fitchburg Railroad, which ran to connect with the 
 three daily trains for Boston. The station was three 
 miles away, and now within the limits of Ayer. 
 
 Among the drivers to Keene, New Hampshire, 
 were Kimball Danforth (1817-40), Ira Brown, Oliver 
 Scales, Amos Nicholas, Otis Bardwell, Abel Marshall, 
 the brothers Ira and Hiram Hodgkins, George Brown, 
 Houghton Lawrence, Palmer Thomas, Ira Green, 
 
204 GROTON. 
 
 Barney Pike, William Johnsc-D, Walter Carleton 
 and John Carleton. There were two stage routes to 
 Keene, both going as far as West Townsend in com- 
 mon, and then separating, one passing through New 
 Ipswich and Jaffrey, a northerly route, while the 
 other went through Ashby, Kindge and Fitzwilliam, 
 a southerly one. 
 
 Anson Johnson and Beriah Curtis drove to Wor- 
 cester ; Addison Parker, Henry Lewis Lawrence, 
 Stephen Corbin, John Webber, and his son Ward, 
 drove to Lowell ; the brothers Abiel and Nathan 
 Fawcett, Wilder Proctor and Abel Hamilton Fuller, 
 to Nashua. 
 
 Micah Ball, who came from Leominster about the 
 year 1824, drove to Amherst, New Hampshire, and 
 after him Benjamin Lewis, who continued to drive as 
 long as he lived, and at his death the line was given 
 up. The route lay through Pepperell, Hollis and 
 Milford. 
 
 The forerunner of this Amherst stage was a one- 
 horse vehicle, which used to go over the road each 
 way two or three times a week, and carry the mail. 
 It began to run about the year 1820, and took pas- 
 sengers as occasion required. 
 
 Other reins-men were John Chase, Joel Shattuck, 
 William Shattuck, Moses Titus, Frank Shattuck, 
 
 David Coburn, Chickering, Thomas Emory and 
 
 William Kemp, Jr. - 
 
 The sad recollection of an accident at Littleton, re- 
 sulting in the death of Silas Bullard, is occasionally 
 revived by some of the older people. It occurred on 
 February 3, 1835, and was caused by the upsetting of 
 
GROTOX. 205 
 
 the Groton coach, driven by Samuel Stone, and at the 
 time just descending the hill between Littleton Com- 
 mon and Nagog Pond, then known as Kimball's Hill. 
 Mr. Bullard was one of the owners of the line, and a 
 brother of Isaac, the veteran driver. The Colum- 
 bian Centinel, February 5, 1835, contains the fol- 
 lowing account of the affair: 
 
 "From Briggs's News Room Bulletin." 
 
 " On Tuesday afternoon [February 3], as the Groton and Keene mail- 
 stage was returning to this city, in a narrow pass of the road in Little- 
 ton, one of the fore wheels of the stage came in contact with the hind 
 wheel of a wagon, which suddenly overturned the stage. — There were 
 eleven passengers in the vehicle at the time, who, with the exception of 
 Mr. Silas Bullard, of this city, and Mr. Washington Shepley, of Groton, 
 escaped uninjured. Mr. Bullard was seated with the driver at the time 
 of the accident, and was thrown, with great violence, to the ground, the 
 stage falling immediately upon him. His collar-bone and two of his 
 ribs were broken, shoulder blade dislocated, and otherwise injured. He 
 was conveyed to a private dwelling, where he has the best medical aid, 
 but his recovery is very doubtful. Mr. Shepley's injuries were of an in- 
 ternal nature, but not such as to prevent his immediate return to Gro- 
 ton. A passenger states that no blame can be attached to the driver/' 
 
 Mr. Bullard died on February 5th, and the Centinel 
 of the next day pays a worthy tribute to his char- 
 acter. 
 
 Besides the stage-coaches, the carrier-wagons added 
 to the business of Groton, and helped largely to sup- 
 port the taverns. The town was situated on one of 
 the main thoroughfares leading from Boston to the 
 northern country, comprising an important part of 
 New Hampshire and Vermont, and extending into 
 Canada. This road was traversed by a great number 
 of wagons, drawn by four or six horses, carrying to 
 the city the various products of the country, such as 
 
206 GROTON. 
 
 grain, pork, butter, cheese, eggs, venison, hides; and 
 returning with goods found in the city, such as mo- 
 lasses,, sugar, New England rum, coffee, tea, nails, 
 iron, cloths, and the innumerable articles found in 
 the country stores, to be distributed among the towns 
 above here. In some seasons it was no uncommon 
 sight to see forty such wagons passing through the 
 village in one day. 
 
 In addition to these were many smaller vehicles, 
 drawn by one or two horses, to say nothing of the 
 private carriages of individuals who were traveling 
 for business or pleasure. 
 
 The Groton Fire Department. — The first fire- 
 engine in Groton was made in the year 1802, by Lo- 
 ammi Baldwin, Jr., then a law-student in the office 
 of the Honorable Timothy Bigelow, but who after- 
 ward became a civil engineer. He was a son o£ 
 Loammi and Mary (Fowle) Baldwin, and born at 
 Woburn on May 16, 1780 ; and after his graduation 
 at Harvard College, in the class of 1800, he came to 
 Groton in order to study the profession of law. Like 
 many others he does not seem to have found out at the 
 start his proper calling, as his tastes were naturally 
 for mechanical science and the kindred arts. While 
 following his studies here, a house, situated just south 
 of the academy grounds, was burned down in the 
 winter-time and there was no fire-engine to stop it. 
 The neighbors had to fight the flames as best they 
 could, with snow as well as water. By this incident 
 he became so impressed with the need of an engine in 
 Groton, that with his own hands he constructed the 
 first one the town ever had. This identical machine, 
 
GROTON. 207 
 
 known for a long time as Torrent, No. 1, is still ser- 
 viceable after a use of more than eighty-eight years, 
 and will throw a stream of water over the highest roof 
 in the town. It was made in Jonathan Loring's shop, 
 then opposite to Mr. Boynton's blacksmith-shop, 
 where the ironwork was done. The tub is of copper, 
 and bears the date " 1802." Mr. Baldwin, soon after 
 this time, gave up the practice of law, and became 
 distinguished in his new profession. 
 
 The following description of the engine is found in 
 The Firemen's Standard (Boston) for April, 1884: 
 
 " The old ' machine ' has a quaint appearance with its copper tub on 
 which is inscribed its name, Torrent, No. 1, and its ancient tool box 
 which bears the date of its birth, 1802. The said tub is three feet six 
 inches long, two feet two inches wide, and twenty-two inches deep. On its 
 bottom rests an oak plank in which are set the valves and in which 
 stand the brass cylinders and air chamber, the former of which being 
 each five inches in diameter and sixteen inches high. A gooseneck on 
 the top of the air chamber serves as the outlet for the water and a reel is 
 attached to the hind part of the tub capable of carrying one hundred 
 ieet of two-inch hose, the first supply of which was made at the harness 
 shop and sewed with waxed thread" (page i). 
 
 Among the active members of Torrent Company, 
 nearly fifty years ago, was Elijah Tracy, a deaf-mute, 
 who attended the stated meetings, and turned out at 
 the fires, with as much regularity as his more favored 
 comrades. 
 
 At two different times within sixteen years, Torrent, 
 No. 1, has done most excellent service in putting out 
 fires, and it is the testimony of all acquainted with 
 the facts, that on each of these occasions it prevented 
 a serious conflagration. Notably this was so at a fire 
 which took place early on Sunday morning, October 
 26, 1884, when a dwelling-house, owned by Andrew 
 
208 GROTON. 
 
 Robbins, was burned down. At this time Mr. Dix's 
 buildings, in very close proximity, were in great 
 danger, but they were saved through the efforts of the 
 Fire Department and the use of the old engine, which 
 was worked to good advantage in narrow quarters, 
 where the other engine could not be taken. The 
 other occasion was when Walter Shattuck's store was 
 burned down on November 17, 1874 ; and largely by 
 means of this engine the Congregational meeting- 
 house was saved from destruction. 
 
 Torrent, No. 1, until recently, was housed at the 
 end of a row of horse-sheds, near the First Parish 
 meeting-house, but in the year 1885 it was transferred 
 to West Groton, for the protection of that part of the 
 town. It was there placed in the charge of a volun- 
 teer company of young men ; and on April 5, 1886, 
 the town voted to authorize the Board of Engineers 
 to form a permanent company in that village, which 
 was accordingly done, with the volunteer association 
 as a nucleus. The engine has been re-named, and 
 is now known as the Squannacook. An engine-house, 
 next to the new church on Groton Street, has been 
 built, which was formally opened with appropriate 
 ceremonies, on the evening of December 30, 1887. In 
 the upper story is a hall for public meetings, where, 
 on January 6, 1888, the company gave a ball. A 
 pamphlet was printed (Ayer, 1887, 12uio, pp. 8), enti- 
 tled "Constitution and By-Laws of Squannacook En- 
 gine Co., No. 2, West Groton, Mass.," which sets forth 
 the rules of their government. 
 
 The Union Engine Company was organized in the 
 spring of 1830, and the immediate occasion of its for- 
 
GROTON. 209 
 
 mation was the series of incendiary fires that occurred 
 during the year 1829. Presumably the name of the 
 engine company was taken from the Union Congre- 
 gational Church in the immediate neighborhood ; and 
 the engine was housed at the easterly end of the 
 horse-sheds, situated on the northerly side of the 
 meeting-house. 
 
 The following notice in the Groton Herald, May 
 8, 1830, is addressed to the subscribers for the engine ; 
 
 "TAKE NOTICE. 
 
 " r I THE Subscribers to the New Engine are hereby requested to meet 
 -*- at Alexander's Hotel, MONDAY the 10th inst., at 6 oclock, 
 P.M. to hear the report of their Committee, chosen for the purpose of 
 purchasing an Engine, and to transact any other business which they 
 may think expedient. 
 
 Elijah Whiton, ) _ 
 
 T. A. STAPLES. }<*"»''•*"• 
 
 Groton, May 8, 1830. 
 
 A Board of Engineers of the Fire Department was 
 originally appointed in April, 1875, by the selectmen, 
 in accordance with Chapter 35 of the Public Stat- 
 utes. Their first report was made in the spring of 
 1876, and printed in the Town Report of that year. 
 A new engine, known as the Lawrence, was bought 
 in August, 1875, and is kept in the town-house. The 
 following is a list of the chief engineers, with the dates 
 of their several appointments, which are made by 
 the selectmen : 
 
 April 10, 1875, George Sumner Graves. 
 April 22, 1876, Charles Blood. 
 April 24, 1877, Charles Blood. 
 April 22, 1878, Charles Blood. 
 April 23, 1879, Charles Blood. 
 April 17, 1880, Charles Blood. 
 April 20, 1881, John Gilson. 
 
 14 
 
210 GROTON. 
 
 April 21, 1882, John Gilson. 
 March 20, 1883, John Gilson. 
 March 29, 1884, George Sumner Graves. 
 March 18, 1885, George Sumner Graves. 
 March 15, 1886, Charles Woolley. 
 March 26, 1887, Charles Woolley. 
 April 2, 1888, Charles Woolley. 
 April 1, 1889, Charles Woolley. 
 April 1, 1890, Charles Woolley. 
 
 Groton Fire Club. — The Groton Fire Club was form- 
 ed during the winter of 1815 ; and the immediate oc- 
 casion of its organization was the burning of John 
 Wethered's dwelling on Wednesday evening, Febru- 
 ary 1, 1815. This house stood at the lower end of 
 Main Street, and some years previously had been 
 owned and occupied by Dr. Oliver Prescott, Senior. 
 Mr. Wethered was from AVilmington, Delaware, and 
 came to Groton from that State. According to tradi- 
 tion the dwelling was set on fire by a negro in his em- 
 ploy, who had been a slave at the South. 
 
 On November 7, 1814, Mr. Wethered bought the 
 place of Dr. Oliver Prescott, Jr. ; and three months 
 later the house was burned, as has been stated. On 
 April 29, 1816, Mr. Wethered sold it to Robert C. 
 Ludlow, of Boston, a purser in the United States 
 Navy, who, at this time, in connection with Commo- 
 dore Bainbridge and Charles W. Green, was interest- 
 ed in the ownership of the Lakiu farm, where they 
 were then raising sheep. On September 25, 1817, 
 Purser Ludlow sold it to Joshua Nash, who ten years 
 later became the father-in-law of the late Bradford 
 Russell, Esq., of Groton. 
 
 The present house on the same site was built about 
 the year 1826 by Miss Susan Prescott, afterward Mrs. 
 
GROTON. 211 
 
 John Wright, for the accommodation of her school 
 for girls, a famous institution more than sixty years 
 ago. After Mrs. Wright's occupation of the place, it 
 passed into the hands of Dr. Amos Farnsworth, and 
 since that time there have been several owners. The 
 house is now kept as a tavern. 
 
 The first meeting of the Fire Club was held on 
 February 4, 1815, when the Honorable James Pres- 
 cott was chosen president of the association, and Ca- 
 leb Butler, Esq., secretary. The club used to meet 
 annually, for the choice of officers, at one of the pub- 
 lic-houses in the village, when a supper was served ; 
 and sometimes on such occasions members of one of 
 the engine companies would be invited to join in the 
 festivities. Each member of the Fire Club was re- 
 quired to provide two leather buckets and a fire-bag, 
 which were to be always ready for use ; and a failure 
 to take them to a fire was met with a fine. Among 
 some of the descendants of the early members 
 these articles are now treasured as heirlooms. 
 
 On March 1, 1875, the town voted to adopt Chapter 
 XXIV., Sections 23-31, of the General Statutes of the 
 Commonwealth, by which action the need of a pri- 
 vate organization was largely superseded. The last 
 meeting of the Fire Club, according to the records, 
 was held in November, 1872, no day of the month 
 given. The following preamble, with a list of the 
 original members, is taken from the first two pages of 
 the record-book : 
 
 " The undersigned, Inhabitants of Groton warned by the recent confla- 
 gration in this village * and feeling one common interest and duty to be 
 
 i The dwelling-house of Mr. John Wethered was entirely consumed 
 by fire on the evening of the 1st day of February, a.d. 1815. 
 
212 
 
 GROTON. 
 
 constantly in readiness to act with promptitude and effect on such dis- 
 tressing emergencies, agree to form and procure immediately to organize 
 a society for that purpose, to be called, ' Groton Fire Club,' and do 
 pledge ourselves to comply with and conform to all such rules and regu- 
 lations, as the Society may at any time adopt to promote that end. 
 " Dated the fourth day of February, A.D. 1815. 
 
 James Prescott 
 
 Sam 1 Lawrance 
 
 James Lewis 
 
 Abr. Moore 
 
 Walter Dickson 
 
 Alpheus Richardson 
 
 David Fletcher 
 
 Benjamin Moors 
 
 Thomas T. Cunningham 
 
 John Rcckwood 
 
 William Farnsworth 
 
 James Ridgeway 
 
 Wm Liver more 
 
 George Brigham 
 
 Daniel Eaton 
 
 Joseph F. Hall 
 
 Josiah Billings 
 
 Thos. C. Gardner in behalf 
 of my father [Major 
 Thomas Gardner.] 
 
 Levi Wait 
 
 Aaron Bancroft 
 
 Samson Woods 
 
 Luther Lawrence 
 James Brazer 
 Amos Farnsworth 
 W m Bancroft 
 Caleb Butler 
 Amos Lawrence 
 Aaron Lewis 
 Joseph Mansfield 
 Asa Tarbell 
 Aaron Lewis 2 d 
 Asa Graves 
 Abel Farnsworth 
 Ezra Farnsworth 
 Jona Loring 
 Asa Lawrence, Jr. 
 Luther Woods 
 John Stebbens 
 Sami Dana 
 Wm Childs 
 Sam 1 Farnsworth 
 Eliphal* Wheeler 
 Stuart J. Park " 
 
 On May 6, 1872, the town voted to build five reser- 
 voirs, which should hold 4000 gallons each. They were 
 to be so situated as to give protection to the greatest 
 number of houses in the village, with due regard 
 to a sufficient supply of water. The reservoirs were 
 placed, respectively, near the three meeting-houses, 
 the Town-House, and the High School ; and they are 
 kept full by the water which runs from the roofs of 
 these several buildings. After that vote, a few years 
 later, another reservoir was placed in Court Street. 
 
GROTON. 213 
 
 Starch-Factory, Paper-Mills, Etc.— In the 
 spring of 1832 the following act was passed by the 
 General Court of Massachusetts; and under the au- 
 thority of the enactment a company was organized at 
 Groton for the manufacture of starch. 
 
 A mill was built for the purpose on the Groton side 
 of the Squannacook River, three-quarters of a mile 
 above the village of West Groton, but the undertak- 
 ing did not prove to be a success. It stood on the 
 site of the present paper-mill in that locality; and the 
 place is shown on Mr. Butler's Map of Groton. It 
 was expected that this new industry in the town would 
 help the farmers of the neighborhood by encouraging 
 the cultivation of potatoes, which were to be used in 
 making the article ; but the scheme was a failure. 
 
 "Chap. CXXVII. 
 " An Act to incorporate the Dana Manufacturing Company." 
 
 " Sec. 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives, in 
 General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, That Oliver 
 Sheple, Samuel Dana, Samuel Dana, Jr., Oliver Sheple, Jr., James 
 Dana, and Washington Sheple, their associates and assigns be, and they 
 hereby are constituted a corporation and made a body politic, by the 
 name and style of the Dana Manufacturing Company, for the purpose 
 of manufacturing cotton and woollen goods, iron wares, and starch from 
 any materials, in the respective towns of Groton and Shirley in the 
 county of Middlesex, and for this purpose shall have all the powers and 
 privileges, and be subject to all the duties and requirements contained in 
 an act passed the twenty -third day of February in the year of our Lord one 
 thousand eight hundred and thirty, entitled ' an act defining the general 
 powers and duties of manufacturing corporations,' 
 
 " Sec. 2. Be it further enacted, That the said corporation may take and 
 hold such real estate, not exceeding in value the sum of two hundred 
 thousand dollars, and such personal estate not exceeding in value two 
 hundred thousand dollars, as may be suitable and convenient for carry- 
 ing on the business aforesaid." 
 
 [Approved by the Governor, March 13, 1832.] 
 
214 GROTON. 
 
 The building was subsequently used as a paper-mill, 
 and burned many years ago, probably during the sum- 
 mer of 1846. Soon afterward another mill was erect- 
 ed on the same site, which was bought on October 22, 
 1852, by Lyman Hollingsworth of Jephthah Richard- 
 son Hartwell. The plant was sold in 1881 by Mr. 
 Hollingsworth to Messrs. Hollingsworth and Vose, of 
 Boston, who still own it. The senior partner of this 
 firm is a nephew of the former owner. The product 
 of the mill is a Manilla paper of high grade, of which 
 about three tons are made daily. On August 7, 1889, 
 I visited the mill when they were making a paper, 
 which is sent to England in boxes, for the manufac- 
 ture of sand-paper, and very likely to be returned 
 here in that form. In the stock-houses there were two 
 hundred tons of old cordage, more or less, ready to 
 be ground up and used in connection with " wood 
 pulp,'' which enters largely into the composition of 
 the article. Last year a new dam, a solid granite 
 structure in place of the original one, was built ; 
 though, in times of low water, steam-power is re- 
 quired to turn the machinery. 
 
 The direct road from the village of West Groton to 
 the paper-mill — perhaps three quarters of a mile in 
 length — was laid out by the county commissioners 
 on April 13, 1838. An attempt was previously made 
 by interested persons, in the spring of 1832, to have 
 the same piece of highway buiit, but it did not meet 
 with success, as it was then adjudged by the commis- 
 sioners to be " not of common convenience and neces- 
 sity.'' Of course the road was opened in order to ac- 
 commodate the business of the new fattorv. 
 
GROTON. 215 
 
 The paper-mill on the Nashua River, at the Paper- 
 Mill Village, was originally a wooden structure, and 
 built in the year 1841 by Oliver Howe, who owned the 
 saw-mill and grist-mill in the close proximity ; and 
 here the manufacture of Manilla paper was carried 
 on. During more than a century there has been a 
 dam at this place across the river, and in early times 
 there was, also, a ford known as the Stony Fordway 
 or Stony Wading-place. Among the Massachusetts 
 Archives at the State House is a rough plan, made 
 probably about the year 1740, which gives the names 
 of the bridges, etc., in this neighborhood, at that 
 period. It is found in the volume marked on the back 
 11 Maps and Plans " (XVI. 6), and bears the catalogue 
 number 1482. 
 
 About the year 1846 the property, on which stood 
 these several mills, was sold to the brothers John 
 Mark and Lyman Hollings worth ; and on Sept. 1, 
 1851, Lyman sold his share to the other brother, John 
 Mark, who rebuilt the paper-mill, making it of brick, 
 but the building was very soon afterwards burned. 
 The following item is taken from the Boston Dally 
 Journal, Monday, June 7, 1852 : 
 
 " Paper Mill Burnt. We learn that a paper-mill, dwelling-house 
 and out-buildings adjoining, situated in Groton, and owned by Mr. J. 
 M. Hollingsworth were totally consumed by fire on Saturday [June 5]." 
 
 The mill was at once rebuilt, and soon again in 
 operation. 
 
 " JdSfJ. M. Hollingsworth's extensive and costly paper mills, at Groton 
 Junction [Paper Mill Village], are nearly ready to go into operation. 
 Mr. H. intends to manufacture first quality book paper, employing 
 about 35 hands." 
 
 Lowell Weekly Journal and Courier, May 20, 1853. 
 
21 G GKOTON. 
 
 On March 7, 1865, Mr. Hollingsworth, just before 
 his death, on April 6th of that year, sold the property 
 to his brother Lyman, who himself died on April 1, 
 1890 ; and eleven years later it was burnt for the sec- 
 ond time. The Boston Evening Journal, Friday, 
 May 26, 1876, has the following account of the fire: 
 
 " Mill Burnt at Groton, Mass. 
 "The large paper mill of Lyman Hollingsworth at North [?] Groton 
 was destroyed by fire on Thursday afternoon [May 25]. It gave em- 
 ployment to about fifty workmen, and was valued at $140,000. The in- 
 surance is placed in the following companies : Etna, Hartford, and 
 Phcenix, of Hartford ; Home of New York ; North British and Mer- 
 cantile ; Springfield Fire and Marine ; Fire Association of Philadelphia ; 
 Meriden Fire; Roger Williams of Providence, and Shawmut of' Boston. 
 It is divided as follows : On mill, $50,000 ; machinery, $24,000, and on 
 stock, covering the probable loss, 88,000. It is not yet known how the 
 fire occurred." 
 
 The mill was again rebuilt, this time by Lyman 
 Hollingsworth, and the manufacture of book paper 
 continued, now with a daily product of about five 
 tons. On Dec. 13, 1881, the establishment was sold 
 to Messrs. Tileston and Hollingsworth, of Boston, 
 and in July, 1889, by them transferred to the Tiles- 
 ton &'Hollingsworth Company, of Boston, a corpora- 
 tion organized under the laws of the Common- 
 wealth. 
 
 At West Groton there is a leather-board mill, of 
 which the daily product is about four tons. It em- 
 ploys thirty-five men, and stands on the site of a saw- 
 mill and grist-mill, which were built as early as the 
 year 1765, and perhaps earlier. There is also a saw- 
 mill on the Squannacook River, near the Townsend 
 line, giving employment to eight or ten men, where 
 box-shooks, reels, staves, etc., are made. 
 
GROTON. 217 
 
 THE GEOGRAPHY OF GROTOX. 
 
 Rivers. — In early times, before the original Plan- 
 tation had been cut up in order to form other town?, 
 the Nashua Eiver flowed through the township of 
 Groton for a distance of ten miles or more, and nearly- 
 bisected its territory ; while to-day its course within 
 the town's limits is hardly more than three miles. 
 This river is formed by the union of two branches, 
 known respectively as the North Brauch and the 
 South Branch, which come together at Lancaster. 
 The former has its source in Ashburnham, near the 
 foot of the Watatuck Mountain, and in Westminster, 
 and passes through Fitchburg and Leominster ; while 
 the latter rises in the neighborhood of the Wachusett 
 Mountain, at Princeton, and among the hills of Rut- 
 land and Holden, and passes through West Boylston 
 and Clinton. Both these branches for a considerable 
 distance above their confluence are known also as the 
 Nashua. The stream at Groton is about one hundred 
 feet above tide-water. 
 
 At a very early period the Nashua River was some- 
 times called the Penacook, and at other times the 
 Groton River. In Thomas Noyes's survey of the 
 grant of Major Simon Willard's farm, in the autumn 
 of 1659, the land is described as " lying and being for 
 the most part on the east side of Groaten Riuer." 
 And again, at the session beginning on Sept. 6, 1676, 
 the approval of the General Court was given to Jona- 
 than Danforth's survey of lands laid out to William 
 Hauthorne, " lying in the wilderness; on the North 
 of Groaten Riuer at a place called by the Indians 
 Wistequassuck," now within the limits of Townsend. 
 
218 GROTOX. 
 
 At a later period it was more frequently referred to as 
 the Lancaster River; and it is likely that the stream 
 bore different names in different towns along its 
 course even at the same time. In the record of " The 
 lands of Mr. Samuell Willard, which is layd out to 
 him in the towne of Grotten," on Sept. 29, 1680, ref- 
 erence is made to the Nashawag River — another form 
 of spelling. 
 
 The Squannacook River forms the divisional line 
 with Shirley for perhaps four miles, which is the whole 
 distance of contact with that town. This stream 
 rises in Ashby and flows through Townsend and by 
 West Groton, emptying into the Nashua. The name 
 is found in the Proprietors' records as early as the 
 spring of 1684. 
 
 Ponds. — Baddacook Pond — lies about two miles 
 from the village, near the Lowell Road. It covers an 
 area of 103 acres, and is the largest pond in the 
 town. It is mentioned in the record of James Par- 
 ker's land under the date of July 6, 1666. 
 
 Outlet : Baddacook Brook, which flows into Cow 
 Pond. 
 
 Cady Pond — a small and deep pond, covering per- 
 haps two acres, lying less than a mile from the village 
 in a southeasterly direction, near the Boston Road. 
 It was named after Nicholas Cady, one of the early 
 settlers, who owned land in the neighborhood. This 
 pond and Flat Pond, both very small, are the only 
 ones in the town whose waters ultimately reach the 
 Nashua River. 
 
 Outlet: a small unnamed brook running south- 
 westerly into James' Brook. 
 

 GROTON. 219 
 
 Cow Pond — sometimes called Whitney's Pond, in 
 the easterly part of the town, covering an area of 
 seventy-one«acres. Cow Pond Meadow is mentioned 
 in the record of Ralph Reed's land before the year 
 1664. 
 
 Outlet : Cow Pond Brook, which flows into Massa- 
 poag Pond. 
 
 Duck Pond — near the Ridges, east of Knop's Pond, 
 and separated from it by a ridge only — lies perhaps 
 half a mile south of Cow Pond. It covers fifty-five 
 acres, and has no outlet. 
 
 Flat Pond — a small sheet of water near the Throne, 
 in the west part of the towm. 
 
 Outlet : a small unnamed brook into the Squanna- 
 cook River. 
 
 Half- Moon Pond— a, small pond in the upper part of 
 the meadow, which lies south of the Hillside Road. 
 
 Knop's Pond — near the Ridges, west of Duck Pond, 
 and is of the same size as that pond, covering fifty- 
 five acres. So called from James Knapp, or Knop, 
 an early settler who owned land in the neighborhood. 
 
 Outlet : a brook into Cow r Pond. 
 
 Long Pond — lies on the southern border of the 
 town, partly in Groton, but mostly in Ayer, covering 
 forty-five acres. 
 
 Outlet: a brook into Sandy Pond. 
 
 Martin's Pond — near the foot of Gibbet Hill, on its 
 northeasterly side — covers sixteen and two-thirds 
 acres; it was named after William Martin, an early 
 settler. In the record of James Parker's land, on 
 July 6, 1666, "the pond called Goodman Martin's 
 Pond," is mentioned. The following article, found 
 
220 GROTON. 
 
 in the warrant for the town-meeting held on Septem- 
 ber 17, 1792, seems to show that the outlet of the 
 pond was formerly through Hog Swamp, and Half- 
 Moon Meadow into James's Brook, though there is 
 now no other evidence to confirm this view : 
 
 " Art. 8. To see if the town will order the water running from Mar- 
 tin's Pond to be turned into the old Channel as it formerly used to run, 
 through the Town, and appoint some proper person or persons to remove 
 the obstructions and Effect the Business." 
 
 In the proceedings of the meeting, it is recorded 
 that this article was " Past in the Negative." A 
 measurement of the pond was lately made, when 
 frozen over, which proves it to be much smaller than 
 it was half a century ago. 
 
 Outlet: Martin's Pond Brook into the outlet of 
 Knop's Pond, half-way between" that pond and Cow 
 Pond. 
 
 Massapoag Pond — on the easterly border of the 
 town, but lies mostly in Dunstable and Tyngsborough, 
 covering an area of fifty-six acres. It is now used as 
 a storage basin of water by the Vale Mills Manu- 
 facturing Company, of Nashua, New Hampshire, and 
 in dry seasons it is drawn upon for a supply. 
 
 Outlet: Salmon Brook, which empties into the 
 Merrimack River at Nashua. 
 
 Springy Pond — a small sheet of water connected 
 with Knop's Pond by a brook. 
 
 Wattle's Pond — three miles north of the village, on 
 the road to East Pepperell, with no outlet. The origin 
 of the name is unknown ; but perhaps from Wattle, 
 " a rod laid on a roof for the purpose of supporting 
 the thatch." Many of the houses of the early settlers 
 were thatched. 
 
GROTON. 221 
 
 The area of the ponds, with the exception of 
 Martin's Pond, is taken from the Fourth Annual 
 Report of the State Board of Health of Massachu- 
 setts (January, 1873), as given on pages 124 and 125. 
 
 A story is told relative to Massapoag Pond, based 
 on tradition, which probably has no real foundation. 
 It is said that — 
 
 "Its outlet was on the easterly side, and as it was the reservoir into 
 which Cowpond brook poured its waters, a considerable mill-stream is- 
 sued from it. The waters passed without any rapids for a considerable 
 distance, affording no favorable site for a mill. The north end of the 
 pond was bounded by a ridge of loose sand, rising but little above the 
 surface of the water, and being about six rods only in width ; on the op- 
 posite side of which was a descent of about forty feet. Here, then, was 
 an eligible spot for an overshot mill. At a town-meeting held May 21, 
 1688, a grant was made to Samuel Adams of a small pond near Buck 
 meadow, and leave given to drain it by a brook running into 'Tyng's 
 cove.' At the same meeting, for the encouragement of any who would 
 set up iron-works at Massapoag, a grant was offered of the wood on the 
 easterly side of Unquetenassett brook. It is said that Adams, who is 
 supposed to have accepted the grant, erected a grist-mill at the site above 
 mentioned, conducting the water across the sand-bank to the flume of 
 his mill. At the time of a flood about the year 1700 (the precise time is 
 not known), a breach was made across the sand-bank, and it being very 
 loose and moveable, the whole bank was soon torn down by the water 
 to the depth of more than thirty feet ; and consequently a sheet of water 
 of that depth, where the pond was so deep, and where of less depth the 
 whole water upon the surface, flowed suddenly off (all in one night), 
 with irresistible violence. The mill, of course, was demolished, and the 
 stones, though diligently sought for, and even the skill of the famous 
 Moll Pitcher, of Lynn, employed in the search, have never yet been 
 found. The bottom of the pond being uueven, fish in abundance were 
 left in the cavities, which wore easily taken, and the inhabitants of the 
 neighboring towns, as well as of Groton, came and carried off loads ot 
 them. W T here the water formerly issued from the pond, a small brook 
 now runs in, and the outlet is, at the place of disruption, called the 
 'gulf.' The water finds its way into the old channel, two or three 
 miles from the pond, in a northwesterly direction from Dunstable meet- 
 ing-house." 
 
 [Butler's History of Groton, pages 246, 247J. 
 
222 GEOTON. 
 
 The name of Buck Meadow, which has been in use 
 for more than two centuries, is firmly established, 
 and the site well known. The meadow lies near 
 Lovewell's Pond, formerly within the limits of Groton, 
 but now in Nashua; and Adams's mill stood undoubt- 
 edly at the outlet of this pond, where there is a 
 small water-power. This theory would tally with the 
 town records ; and furthermore a tradition is still ex- 
 tant that there was once a mill in the neighborhood. 
 Lovewell's Pond is much smaller than Massapoag, 
 and at that time probably had no designation. It 
 was named after Captain John Lovewell, who was 
 killed by the Indians on May 8, 1725. The following 
 is the entry in the records : 
 
 "May : 21. 1688. The inhabitants of Groton Granted to Samull 
 Adams y e pond that lyes neare buck medow which hath its outlet into 
 the medow known by y e name of Tyngs Couee, and the swampy land 
 adioyeng ther to prouided y e sd land do not exceed fifteen accers ; 
 " atest ; Josiah Parker Clarkt 
 
 and sd adams hath liberty to drean the s d pond at y e small brook that 
 runes in to Tyng'sCoue prouided sd Adames macks good all dameges that 
 shall be don ther by " 
 
 There are now three small brooks running into 
 Massapoag Pond on the easterly side, and their fall 
 is too great for any one of them ever to have been the 
 old outlet to the pond. Furthermore, it would have 
 been impossible for any of these brooks to drain the 
 pond (which even at the present time covers fifty-six 
 acres) without causing too great damage for Adams to 
 make good. There is no indication along their banks 
 that they have been much larger streams than they are 
 to-day. While the formation of the banks at the 
 mouth of the pond, or the " gulf," so called, is pecu- 
 
GROTON. 223 
 
 liar, there are no signs that the water-line was ever 
 any higher than it is at the present time. None of 
 the local antiquaries are able to identify Tyng's Cove, 
 which is a name undoubtedly derived from Jonathan 
 Tyng, one of the earliest settlers of Dunstable. 
 
 At the same town-meeting, held on May 21, 1688, 
 the inhabitants of Groton — 
 
 " Deed then by the maior uoat grant for the incoregment of such men 
 as will set up Ioran works at masabog pond ; that thay shall haue y° ues 
 & improument of the woods and timbr y* is now common one the est sid 
 of uncuttanaset brook and so to nashua riuer and groton line est ward & 
 60uth ward to good man greens' masabog medow. . . ." 
 
 I give this extract from the town records in order to 
 show that the inhabitants at that period knew the 
 pond by its present name ; and if they had seen fit 
 then to grant Adams any special privilege connected 
 with it, they would have called it " Massapoag," and 
 would not have said " y e pond that lyes neare buck 
 medow." 
 
 Hills. — Barralock Hill — is mentioned in the record 
 of Samuel Woods' lands ; but I am unable to identify 
 it. Perhaps it is the hill due north of Baddacook 
 Pond. 
 
 Brown Loaf Hill — commonly called Brown Loaf — 
 is a handsome, symmetrical hill standing alone, more 
 than a mile from the village, near the Lowell road. 
 Brown Loaf Hill Meadow is mentioned in the descrip- 
 tion of Joseph Parker's lands, December 2, 1664, which 
 would imply that the hill was so named before lhat 
 time. Brown Loaf Hill is also mentioned in the 
 record of James Parker's lands made on July 6, 1666 ; 
 and Brownloafe Playne and Brownloaf Hill are given 
 in the record of James Fisk's lands in John Morse's 
 
224 GROTON. 
 
 handwriting, of which the date is absent, but which 
 was certainly made at a very early period. The 
 height of the hill is 448 feet above mean tide on the 
 coast line. 
 
 Chestnut Hills — the range lying northerly of Mar- 
 tin's Pond ; so called from the abundant growth of 
 chestnut-trees on its sides. The highest hills in the 
 town, their greatest elevation being 544 feet. 
 
 Clay-Pit Hill — the small hill at the corner of the 
 East Pepperell road and Break Neck. 
 
 Gibbet Hill — a noted landmark overlooking the vil- 
 lage on its easterly side. It is mentioned in the land- 
 grant of Sergeant James Parker, which was entered in 
 the town records of Richard Sawtell, the first town 
 clerk who filled the office from June, 1662, to Jan- 
 uary, 1664-65. The tradition is that the hill w r as so 
 called from the fact that once an Indian was gibbeted 
 on its top. If this ever occurred, it must have hap- 
 pened before Sawtell's term of office. The town was 
 incorporated by the General Court on May 25, 1655, 
 but no public records are known to have been kept 
 before June 23, 1662. Its height is 516 feet. 
 
 Horse Hill — in the eastern part of the town, near 
 Massapoag Pond. It lies partly in Dunstable, and is 
 covered with woods. 
 
 Indian Hill, or Hills — the range beginning near 
 James's Brook, a mile south of the village, and run- 
 ning in an easterly direction on the south side of the 
 Great Road to Boston. The height is 524 feet above 
 mean tide. 
 
 Naumox — a low hill or ridge a short distance west 
 of the road to East Pepperell, near the Longley mon- 
 
GROTON. 225 
 
 ument, and running parallel with the road. The 
 name is also used in connection with the neighbor- 
 hood. 
 
 Prospect Hill — very near Cady Pond, and east of 
 it ; perhaps 250 feet or more above the Nashua, and 
 503 feet above mean tide. 
 
 Ridge Hill, or The Ridges — the name of a peculiar 
 ridge, three miles southeasterly from the village, 
 along which the Great Road runs. It also gave the 
 name to a tavern formerly kept in the immediate 
 neighborhood. 
 
 Rocky Hill — there are two hills of this name, one 
 lying northeasterly of Baddacook Pond, near the old 
 District School- house No. VIII. (now the Trowbridge 
 School), which is also known as the Rocky Hill 
 School, and the other situated in the southeast part 
 of the town, between Long Pond and the Ridges. A 
 visit to either of these hills will show why it was so 
 called. 
 
 Sandy Hill — a small elevation on the road to East 
 Pepperell, below the Longley monument, near the 
 place where the Nashua road branches oft'. 
 
 Shepley Hill — lies west of the East Pepperell road, 
 near Naumox. The name is rarely heard now, 
 though it was in use as far back as February 28, 
 1670, — evidently so called from the Shepley family. 
 
 Snake Hill — in the south part of the town, but 
 lies mostly in Ayer. Rattlesnakes have been killed 
 on it within the memory of the present generation. 
 Its height is 497 feet. 
 
 The Throne — a high hill in the western part of 
 the town, on the summit of which is a level field of 
 15 
 
226 GROTON. 
 
 perhaps sixty acres, containing a small pond, — near 
 the Townsend line. A map of Groton resembles a 
 tea-kettle, the portion west of the Nashua River 
 forming the spout, and the Throne comes in the 
 spout. It is 484 feet high. 
 
 Meadows. — The early settlers of Groton, accord- 
 ing to the town records, had many parcels of meadow 
 allotted to them in the assignment of land. Sergeant 
 James Parker owned in twenty different meadows, 
 and the other settlers also were large owners. It is 
 probable that they did not attach the same significa- 
 tion to the word " meadow " which now belongs to it 
 in New England, where it means low, swampy land, 
 without regard to the mowing. They called by this 
 name all grass-land that was annually mown for hay, 
 and especially that by the side of a river or brook ; 
 and this meaning of the word was and still is the 
 common one in England, whence theybrought their 
 language. They sometimes spoke of a " swamp," 
 meaning by it what we call a "bog;" but much of 
 this kind of land has since been reclaimed, and is 
 now known as " meadow." As a matter of fact, it 
 happened that the lands which could be mown for 
 the fodder were low lands ; and it would require per- 
 haps less than a generation to transfer the meaning 
 of mowing lands to the low lands, which were nearly 
 the only ones that could be mown in the early days 
 of the Colony. This explanation will make clear the 
 following vote of the town, passed on February 18> 
 1680-81 : 
 
 "At the same meetiDg it was agreed vpon and voted that M r Hubberd 
 should haue all the comon which was capable to mak niedow iii swan 
 
GROTOX. 227 
 
 pond medow vp to the ypland for seauen acre and a halfe for to mak 
 vp his fifteen acres of medow." 
 
 The following names of meadows are found in the 
 town records, and in a few instances I have indicated 
 their locality : 
 
 Accident ; Angle, in the northerly part of the 
 town ; Big Spring, in the neighborhood of Hawtree 
 Brook ; Broad, immediately west of the village ; 
 Brook ; Brown Loaf, east of the hill ; Buck, now 
 lying within the limits of Nashua, New Hampshire; 
 Burnt, in the vicinity of Baddacook Pond ; Cow 
 Pond, near the pond of that name ; East ; Ferney, 
 near Brown Loaf; Flaggy, to the southward of the 
 Baddacook road, near the pond ; Flax ; Great 
 Flaggy, presumably near Flaggy, and perhaps the 
 same; Great Half-Moon, the same as Half-Moon, 
 which lies east of the village ; Little Buck, probably 
 a part of Buck Meadow ; Little Half-Moon, a part 
 of Half-Moon, being an offshoot from it; Lodge; 
 Long; Maple; Massapoag, evidently near Massapoag 
 Pond; New Angle; Pine; Plain; Pretty; Provi- 
 dence; Quasoponagon, "on the other sid of the 
 riuer," near the Red Bridge, through which Wrang- 
 ling Brook runs ; Reedy, known by this name to-day, 
 lying north of the Reedy Meadow Road; Rock, 
 south of Snake Hill ; Sallo, perhaps Sallow, a kind 
 of willow ; Sedge ; Skull, through which Unqueten- 
 assett Brook runs, near the Dunstable line ; Sledge, 
 north of Reedy Meadow, near the Sledges ; South ; 
 South Brook; Spang; Spot; Spring; Spruce; 
 Swamp ; Swan Pond; and Weavers. 
 
 In the record of Daniel Pearse's land, by William 
 
228 GROTOX. 
 
 Longley, town clerk, oil July 6, 1666, reference is 
 made to the " iland lying within the meadow called 
 Litle Halfe Moone Meadow." This land now be- 
 longs to Governor Boutwell, and there is upon it a 
 small knoll which is always spoken of as the island, 
 undoubtedly a survival of the expression applied to it 
 when more or less surrounded by water. 
 
 Brooks. — Cold Spring Brook — a small brook, rising 
 in Cold Spring " on y e Left hand of the high way 
 that goe to Reedy medow." It runs across the Nashua 
 road, the East Pepperell road, through Hazen Swamp 
 and Libby Lobby Moat, into the Nashua River. 
 
 Cow Pond Brook — has its source in Cow Pond 
 Meadows and Cow Pond, and empties into Massapoag 
 Pond. Formerly there was a dam between the mead- 
 ows and the pond, where there was a saw-mill ; and 
 later on the same site a paper-mill, which disappeared 
 about thirty -five years ago. 
 
 Gift Brook — in the north part of the town, rises in 
 Gift Meadow, crosses Chicopee Row, and empties into 
 Unquetenassett Brook. 
 
 James's Brook — one of the longest brooks within the 
 limits of the town. It takes its rise in Half-Moon 
 Meadow, crosses Main Street in the village, and runs 
 southerly and westerly for three or four miles into the 
 Nashua River. At its mouth is the beginning of the 
 line separating the town of Ayer from Groton. For- 
 merly there w r as a tannery on the banks of the brook, 
 near Indian Hill, known as Dix's tannery ; and a mile 
 below, on land of the late Benjamin Moors, east of the 
 road, at one time there was a mill, — but now no traces 
 of either are left, except some remains of the mill- 
 
GROTON. 229 
 
 dam. The stream took its name from an Indian, 
 Avho was a famous hunter and trapper in very early 
 times. It empties into the Nashua River, nearly 
 opposite to the mouth of the Squannacook. 
 
 Hawtree Brook — in the northerly part of the town, 
 near Chicopee Row ; after it unites with Walnut Run 
 and two or three other small streams, it forms Unque- 
 tenassett Brook. In the early records of the town the 
 Hawtrees are frequently spoken of, which refer to the 
 neighborhood of this brook. 
 
 Nod Brook — rises near the Soapstone Quarry, crosses 
 the Nod road, and runs into the Nashua River. 
 
 Reedy Meadow Brook — rises in Reedy Meadow and 
 flows northerly, emptying into the Nashua River 
 below East Pepperell. It is sometimes called John- 
 son's Brook. 
 
 Sedge Brook — a small brook from Sedge Meadow, 
 running into Reedy Meadow Brook. 
 
 Tuity Brook — contracted from Gratuity — a very 
 small stream which rises near the head of Farmers' 
 Row and runs through Hazle Grove into the Nashua 
 River below Fitch's Bridge. 
 
 Unquetenassett Brook — often called Unkety — A 
 stream formed by the union of Walnut Run, Haw- 
 tree Brook, and one or two small tributaries, and run- 
 ning northerly through Skull Meadow and that part 
 of Dunstable formerly Groton into the Nashua. 
 
 Walnut Run — a brook issuing from the sides of 
 Chestnut Hills and uniting with Hawtree Brook and 
 one or two other streams, forms the Unquetenassett. 
 
 Also the name of a place — perhaps it was the mouth 
 of a stream — on the Nashua River where in olden 
 
230 GROTON 
 
 times there was a bridge. It stood farther up the 
 river than Fitch's Bridge. 
 
 Wrangling Brook — in West Groton, a mile and a 
 half in length — meanders through Quasoponagon 
 Meadow, and then empties into the Nashua a short 
 distance below the Eed Bridge. 
 
 Koads. — Baddacook Pond Road — a continuation 
 of the Martin's Pond Road to the neighborhood of 
 the pond. 
 
 Break Neck — the short strip of road from the East 
 Pepperell road to Common Street, south 67 the soap- 
 stone quarry. 
 
 Chicopee Row — running north for three miles from 
 the Cemetery. The district to which it leads is 
 known as Chicopee, a name given long ago. 
 
 Farmers' Row— applied to the road on the height 
 of land west of the village. It begins at the west end 
 of Pleasant Street, and runs in a southerly direction 
 for two miles, passing by the Groton School. 
 
 Great Road — one of the principal thoroughfares 
 between Boston and parts of New Hampshire and 
 Vermont. The section of the road through the vil- 
 lage is known as Main Street. 
 
 Hillside Road — the highway along the southern 
 slope of the Indian Hills. 
 
 Love Lane — the highway from the Lowell Road, 
 near the First Parish Meeting-house, to the Great 
 Road near Cady Pond. 
 
 Martin's Fond Road — the highway from the site 
 of the first meeting-house to the neighborhood of the 
 pond, where it becomes the Baddacook Pond Road. 
 
 Reedy Meadow Road — from the Nashua road to 
 Chicopee Row, immediately south of Reedy Meadow. 
 
GROTON. 231 
 
 Squash Path — through the woods from the East 
 Pepperell road to the Nashua road — a short distance 
 beyond Cold Spring Brook. 
 
 Tuity Road — a contraction of Gratuity Road — the 
 road leading to Fitch's Bridge from the Great Road 
 near the railroad bridge, half a mile north of the village. 
 The name had its origin in the early history of the 
 town, when grants of land were made to the inhabit- 
 ants as gratuities. Tuity Brook, a very small stream, 
 crosses this road and empties into the Nashua River, 
 below Fitch's Bridge. 
 
 Miscellaneous. — Brickyard— on the north side 
 of the Great Road, about a mile from the First Parish 
 Meeting-house. It was much used during the last 
 century ; and probably was the place where the bricks 
 were made for the parsonage, as mentioned in the 
 town-records, June 20, 1706. Only a few traces of it 
 are now left, though a clump of elms by the road- 
 side is a good guide to the site. 
 
 Brown Loaf Plain — to the west of Brown Loaf. 
 
 Community — the name of a district or neighbor- 
 hood beyond the Groton School, where many of the 
 residents formerly held similar religious views. It 
 had its origin nearly fifty years ago, when the Sec- 
 ond Adventists, or, " Millerites," gave up their regu- 
 lar services in the village. 
 
 Dead River — the old course of the Nashua River, 
 around the island which was formed by the cutting 
 through of the " neck." 
 
 Deep Soil — in the neighborhood of the race-course, 
 in Hazle Grove; so-called on the lucus a non lucendo 
 principle. 
 
232 GKOTON. 
 
 Fitch's Bridge — over the Nashua River, a mile and 
 a quarter below the Red Bridge. 
 
 General Field — often mentioned in the early town, 
 records, refers to land owned in severalty by the pro- 
 prietors of Groton, who kept it as one field, for rea- 
 sons not now understood. It was upland, and lay in 
 the southwest part of the town, near the river. It 
 appears to have been allotted to the proprietors, ac- 
 cording to the number of acre-rights which each one 
 owned. Perhaps it was land already cleared when 
 the first settlers came. 
 
 The Gift — a parcel of land near Reedy Meadow, 
 in the north part of the town. 
 
 The Hawtrees — mentioned several times in the early 
 records, and referring, doubtless, to some native 
 shrubs or trees ; for instance, Zachery Sawtell had 
 meadow-land "Neare the hawtrees " confirmed to him 
 on November 18, 1670. It' evidently became the name 
 of a limited district or neighborhood in the north part 
 of the town, and from it undoubtedly Hawtree Brook 
 was named. The late Professor Asa Gray, the distin- 
 guished botanist, wrote me that there are three or four 
 species of wild hawthorn in Massachusetts. He says: 
 " One of the forms of the Black or Pear Thorn (Cra~ 
 tcegus tomentosa) would be the likeliest for Groton, of 
 perhaps the Cockspur Thorn. The former has the 
 more edible fruit, and would be sure to attract atten- 
 tion." 
 
 Hazen Swamp — near the mouth of Cold Spring 
 Brook. 
 
 Hazle Grove — the neighborhood of the east bank of 
 the Nashua River above Fitch's Bridge. 
 
GROTON. 233 , 
 
 HicJcs's Hole — a small piece of meadow, lying north 
 of Reedy Meadow. 
 
 High Plain — on the north side of the Baddacook 
 road, in the neighborhood of the pond. It lies in the 
 angle of the roads, west of the house of John John- 
 son, Jr., as laid down on the map of Groton, made 
 from a survey during the years 1828 and 1829. 
 
 Hog Swamp — lying between the westerly side ot 
 Martin's Pond and Martin's Pond Road. Governor 
 Boutwell's private way to the Chestnut Hills passes 
 through it. 
 
 Hoyfs Wharf— the name of a place on Cow Pond 
 Brook where one Hoyt formerly kept his boat. It 
 was near the house of Samuel Hazen, — as laid down 
 on the map of Groton, made from a survey during the 
 years 1828 and 1829, — nearly a mile north of Cow Pond. 
 
 The Island — a small, though prominent, hill in the 
 meadow south of Hillside Road ; undoubtedly once 
 surrounded by water. 
 
 Jamaica — the name of a small patch of meadow 
 behind the hills on the west side of Chicopee Row. 
 
 Libby Lobby Moat — below the Ox Bow, opening into 
 the Nashua River. This word is probably another 
 form of Loblolly, in use at the South, and denoting 
 wet land. 
 
 Lily Moat — on the east side of the Nashua and 
 south of the road, near the Red Bridge. 
 
 Madagascar — the name of the district where the 
 paper-mill formerly stood on the brook, between Cow 
 Pond and Knop's Pond. 
 
 Nod — the district lying in the neighborhood of 
 the four corners, below the soapstone quarry. The 
 
• 234 GROTON. 
 
 road from the Hollingsworth Paper-mills to this place 
 is called the Nod Road. 
 
 Ox Bow — the bend of the Nashua River, in the 
 northerly part of the town, below the Lawrence pas- 
 ture. 
 
 Paugus Hole — in Paugus Brook, on the west side of 
 Brown Loaf, where, it is said, the body of Paugus's 
 descendant, who came to kill Chamberlain, was sunk, 
 after he himself was killed. 
 
 Pine Plain — probably near the Nashua River, and 
 perhaps on the westerly side. In December, 1673, 
 Joseph Morse had meadow-lands on the Pine Plain, 
 " neare the fordway." 
 
 Punch Bowl — one of several natural depressions 
 near the Lowell road, below Brown Loaf. The name 
 is also applied to the neighborhood. 
 
 Red Bridge — over the Nashua River, on the road 
 to West Groton. , 
 
 Sledges — the name of a meadow northeast of Reedy 
 Meadow, mentioned in the early records, where John 
 Lakin owned land. Mr. Butler, in his History (page 
 273), says that "this word seems to signify strips of 
 meadow or parcels of low lands abounding in iron 
 ore." Bog-iron is found in that quarter of the town, 
 and in old times was worked by a company formed 
 for that purpose. 
 
 Sodom — the district in the northwest part of the 
 town, near the Townsend line. The name refers to 
 the quality of the soil, and not to the character of the 
 inhabitants. 
 
 Squannacook — an Indian word — the old name of 
 West Groton, — applied to the river passing by that 
 village. 
 
GROTON. 235 
 
 Stony Fordway, or Wading-Place — near the site of 
 the Hollingsworth Paper-mills, on the Nashua River, 
 a mile and a half northwesterly of the village. 
 
 Swill Bridge — was between the homesteads of Eber 
 Woods, Jr., and Joel Davis, — as given on Mr. Butler's 
 map of Groton, from a survey made in the years 1828 
 and 1829, — a short distance west of the present rail- 
 road bridge. Originally it was a causeway, perhaps 
 twenty rods in length, over the southerly end of 
 Broad Meadow, though now it is a solid road. 
 
 Thomas Tarbell's Fordway — was between where the 
 Red Bridge now stands and Fitch's Bridge, which 
 is a mile and a quarter below. 
 
 Tobacco Pipe Plain — on both sides of the road 
 from the Ridges to Sandy Pond, near Rocky Hill. It 
 is mentioned in the "Bye-Laws of Groton relative to 
 Schools ; and Instruction of the School Committee, 
 1805," and in old deeds. 
 
 Reflection of Light. — The reflection of the 
 electric light in Boston and the surrounding towns 
 can be seen from certain elevations at a great dis- 
 tance. When the atmospheric conditions are favor- 
 able, it is distinctly visible on particular nights from 
 Indian Hill at Groton, in the neighborhood of Ma- 
 jor Moses Poor Palmer's house, and from other 
 places in the town. A slight haziness in the air is 
 needed in order to receive the reflection. The dis- 
 tance from Boston to Groton in a straight line is 
 about thirty miles, though the illumination is helped 
 by the electric systems of Newton and Waltham, 
 which are somewhat nearer. From different points 
 in the village of Groton the reflection of the circuits 
 
236 GROTON. 
 
 at Nashua, Lowell, Clinton and Fitchburg is often 
 visible, which places are twelve or thirteen miles dis- 
 tant as the crow flies. 
 
 The illumination of the heavens during the great 
 fire that occurred in Boston on the night of Novem- 
 ber 9, 1872, was distinctly seen by various persons in 
 different parts of the town. 
 
 BIOGRAPHICAL. 
 
 ABBOTT LAWRENCE. 
 
 The name of Lawrence is one of the earliest to be 
 found among the Puritan settlers of Massachusetts. 
 John Lawrence, the first emigrant of the name, was 
 established in Watertown as early as 1635. 
 
 Abbott Lawrence was the fifth son of Samuel and 
 Susanna Lawrence. He was born in Groton on the 
 16th day of December, 1792. He received the family 
 name of his paternal grandmother, Abigail Abbott, 
 daughter of Nehemiah Abbott, of Lexington. His 
 education, begun at the district school, was completed 
 at the academy of the town, of which his father had 
 been a trustee for many years. He enjoyed nothing 
 in the way of educational advantages beyond this, but 
 he evidently improved the time and turned all that 
 he received to the best account. In 1808 he was sent 
 to Boston and placed as an apprentice to his elder 
 brother, Amos Lawrence, who had been for some 
 years established there as an importer of English 
 goods. By steady application and fidelity he pre- 
 
GROTOX. 237 
 
 pared himself in this subordinate position for the re- 
 sponsibilities which were soon to come upon him as 
 a principal. In 1814 he was admitted to partnership 
 with his brother. The times were by no means encour- 
 aging, as we were in the midst of our war with Eng- 
 land, and after a few months the prospect seemed so 
 unpromising that Mr. Lawrence proposed to withdraw 
 from the business and enter the army. He had pre- 
 viously been an active member of the New England 
 Guards. He applied to the War Department for a 
 commission, but before an answer could be received 
 the news of peace arrived, and he abandoned all 
 thought of a military life. He embarked in the first 
 vessel that left Boston for England after the procla- 
 mation of peace to purchase goods for the market. 
 " The passage was a short one. With characteristic 
 ardor, he was the first to leap on shore, being thus, 
 perhaps, the first American who touched his fatherland 
 after the war was ended." He remained abroad for 
 some time, on the occasion of this his first voyage to 
 Europe, visiting the Continent, where he saw the allied 
 armies immediately after the battle of Waterloo. 
 
 Messrs. A. & A. Lawrence soon engaged largely in 
 the sale of cotton and woolen goods of domestic man- 
 ufacture, and devoted all their energies to foster this 
 great branch of the national industry. Mr. Lawrence's 
 interest in the work of railroad construction in New 
 England was hardly less than in the establishment 
 and extension of the manufacturing system. He was 
 a large subscriber to the various railroads projected 
 for the concentration of trade in Boston, and this 
 from a feeling of patriotism rather than the expecta- 
 
238 GROTON. 
 
 tion of profit. Mr. Lawrence was chosen to represent 
 Massachusetts at the Harrisburg Convention in 1827 
 and took a prominent part in its proceedings. In 
 1831 he was elected to the Common Council of Boston, 
 but declined a re-election. In 1834 he was elected to 
 Congress. On taking his place he was at once put on 
 the Committee of Ways and Means. On the expira- 
 tion of his term his constituents testified their sense 
 of his services by inviting him to a public 
 dinner. This he declined in a letter in which 
 he touches on the great questions of the day. He de- 
 clined a re-election to Congress, although the mem- 
 bers of the opposite party gave him the remarkable 
 assurance that, if he would consent to stand, no can- 
 didate should be brought out against him. Two 
 years later he consented to accept a second nomina- 
 tion and again took his seat in the House. Shortly 
 after his arrival he was attacked by typhus fever, so 
 that for some time small hopes were entertained of his 
 recovery. He resigned in the following autumn. 
 
 In the Presidential campaign of 1840, Mr. Law- 
 rence took an active part in favor of the election of 
 General Harrison. In September, 1842, he was pres- 
 ident of the Whig Convention which nominated Henry 
 Clay for President on the part of Massachusetts. 
 
 In 1842 Mr. Lawrence was appointed by the Gov- 
 ernor one of the commissioners on the part of Mas- 
 sachusetts to negotiate a settlement of our northeast- 
 ern boundary, which had been a source of irritation 
 for many years between the United States and Eng- 
 land. Quoting Mr. Prescott's language : " It is not 
 too much to say that but for the influence exerted by 
 
GROTON. 239 
 
 Mr. Lawrence on this occasion the treaty, if it had 
 been arranged at all, would never have been brought 
 into the shape which it now wears." Mr. Nathan 
 Appleton in his memoir confirms this statement in the 
 following words : " It is the belief of the writer, who 
 was then in Congress, that to Mr. Lawrence more than 
 to any other individual is due the successful accom- 
 plishment of the negotiation which resulted in the 
 important Treaty of Washington." 
 
 In July, 1843, Mr. Lawrence, accompanied by his 
 wife and daughter, embarked from Boston for England 
 in the steamer "Columbia." The following day they 
 were wrecked on Black Ledge, near Seal Island. 
 After a week's detention on the island, they were 
 transported to Halifax whence they proceeded on their 
 voyage. 
 
 Mr. Lawrence's reputation had preceded him. He 
 was received in England with marked attention, and 
 the hospitality of many distinguished and influential 
 people was extended to him. 
 
 In 1844 he was a delegate to the Whig National 
 Convention and one of the electors at large for the 
 State of Massachusetts. He was an ardent sup- 
 porter of Henry Clay for the Presidency and deeply 
 disappointed on his defeat. 
 
 In 1845 the Essex Company was organized and Mr. 
 Lawrence was its president and the first and largest 
 subscriber to its stock. The city of Lawrence, incor- 
 porated as a town in 1847, was named for him. 
 
 Most justly has it been said : " The broad compre- 
 hension, unwavering faith and large capacity of Ab- 
 bott Lawrence should never be forgotten by dwellers 
 in the city that bears his name." 
 
240 G-ROTON. 
 
 In 1846 Mr. Lawrence addressed to the Hon. Wm. 
 C. Rives, of Virginia, his celebrated letters on the 
 tariff. Mr. Webster wrote to Mr. Lawrence from 
 Washington : " Your letters to Mr. Rives have a very- 
 great circulation, as you are aware, and are highly 
 praised by intelligent men. The second of them will 
 form the substratum of what I propose to say (if I 
 say anything) on the tariff subject." ''These letters 
 attracted much attention in all parts of the country 
 and especially in Virginia, where they were re-printed 
 and commented upon at length in the leading news- 
 papers. So deep was the impression made in that 
 State by them, and such a spirit of enterprise did they 
 enkindle, that some of the leading citizens invited 
 him to come and establish a manufacturing town at 
 the Great Falls of the Potomac. This appeal on the 
 part of a sister State for co-operation and leadership 
 in the development of its industry and capital was a 
 remarkable recognition and tribute to the ability and 
 character of Mr. Lawrence. . . . But vast interests 
 were at stake nearer home, and he could not allow 
 himself to be diverted from this work by the projected 
 enterprise on the shores of the Potomac, no matter how 
 alluring the promise of results both to himself and to 
 others." 
 
 Mr. Hill in his Memoir thus spoke of Mr. Law- 
 rence : " His character, in all respects that of the pure 
 New England type, was peculiarly so in the love and 
 zeal which he always manifested in the cause of 
 popular education. . . . We have an illustration of 
 this in the letters written by him when he established 
 the Lawrence prizes in the High and Latin Schools 
 
GROTOX. 241 
 
 of Boston, (1844-45) giving to each the sum of $2000 
 — using his own language — the interest to be expended 
 in medals, books, and other prizes among those pupils 
 who may excel in the various branches of learning 
 which are taught in those schools." In a like spirit 
 he aided in the endowment of the Franklin Library 
 at Lawrence which also received a bequest of $5000 
 at his death. 
 
 For several years he had felt (to use his own words) 
 " the pressing want in our community (and in the whole 
 country) of an increased number of men educated in 
 the practical sciences." " He was satisfied," says Mr. 
 Prescott, " that, how T ever liberal the endowments of that 
 institution " (Harvard University) " for objects of lib- 
 eral culture, no adequate provision had been made for 
 instruction in science." When, therefore, the Corpo- 
 ration of the University announced its purpose of or- 
 ganizing a school of theoretical and practical science, 
 he responded by a gift in 1847 of fifty thousand dollars. 
 In recognition of his munificence the institution was 
 named the Lawrence Scientific School. Soon after its 
 establishment, Professor Agassiz was appointed to the 
 chair of Zoology and Geology. Mr. Lawrence en- 
 dowed the school with a further like sum by his will. 
 
 Mr. Lawrence was a leader in the movement to 
 supply the city of Boston with an abundance of pure 
 water. He attended several public meetings held to 
 promote that object, and made speeches in support of 
 it. One of them may be found in full in " Hill's Me- 
 moir" of him. The project met w r ith the strongest 
 opposition. The first act of the Legislature (passed 
 March, 1845) authorizing the city to take water from 
 1G 
 
242 GROTON. 
 
 either Long Pond or Charles River was rejected at 
 the polls by a large majority, but a second act, such 
 had been the change in public opinion only eleven 
 months later, was accepted by a still larger majority. 
 Water was brought into the city from Long Pond in 
 October, 1848, and Mr. Lawrence lived to see all his 
 prediction? more than verified. 
 
 In the Presidential canvass of 1848 the name of Mr. 
 Lawrence was prominently associated for the office of 
 Vice-President with that of General Taylor for Presi- 
 dent, and at the convention in Philadelphia he wanted 
 but six votes of being nominated for that office. 
 This result was owing to the peculiar and unexpected 
 course of some of the delegates from his own State. 
 He, however, heartily sustained the nomination of 
 Taylor and Fillmore. Immediately after the inaugu- 
 ration of General Taylor, Mr. Lawrence was offered 
 a seat in his Cabinet, but declined it; soon after he 
 was nominated to the mission to England, which he 
 accepted. After serving three years his private 
 affairs obliged him to return, and in October, 1852, he 
 resigned. No minister from the United States was 
 ever more respected or left behind him a more envia- 
 ble reputation. The Rev. John Cumming, in dedicat- 
 ing the American edition* cf his " Apocalyptic 
 Sketches " to Mr. Lawrence, says : " I regard this as 
 an opportunity of expressing a conviction shared and 
 felt by the good and great of this country how much 
 they appreciated your presence in London, as the 
 representative of your magnificent nation, and how 
 deeply, — I may add universally, — they regretted your 
 departure. We never had so popular a minister from 
 
GROTON. 243 
 
 America or one who has done so much to leave last- 
 ing and elevated impressions of his countrymen." 
 
 After his return from England, Mr. Lawrence held 
 no public positioo, though he still maintained a warm 
 interest in public affairs. He vigorously opposed the 
 new State Constitution of 1853 and made numerous 
 speeches against it ; but with this exception and his 
 efforts in the " canvass for General Scott as President, 
 he took no active part in politics. He showed the 
 same zeal as ever in the cause of education, and 
 watched with the deepest interest over the rising for- 
 tunes of the Scientific School which he had founded 
 at Cambridge." 
 
 Mr. Lawrence married, on the 28th of June, 1819, 
 Katharine, the eldest daughter of the Hon. Timothy 
 Bigelow, the distinguished lawyer. He died in Bos- 
 ton on the 18th of August, 1855, and was buried with 
 civil and military honors. 
 
 Recognizing Mr. Lawrence's hearty and generous 
 interest in the cause of education, as well as his valu- 
 able public services, Williams College in 1852 and 
 Harvard College in 1854 conferred on him the hon- 
 orary degree of Doctor of Laws. 
 
 HON. MOSES P. PALMER. 1 
 
 Moses Poor Palmer is a son of Moses Harriman and 
 Mary Harriman (Hale) Palmer, and was born at Derry, 
 N. H., on May 1, 1830. His parents were cousins, and 
 in the year 1832 the family removed to East Bradford 
 
 iBy Hon. Samuel Abbott Greeu. 
 
244 
 
 GROTON. 
 
 (now Groveland), where the son received his early 
 education, attending school at Merrimack Academy, 
 in that village. During the summer months he 
 worked upon his father's farm, and in the winter on 
 the shoemaker's bench, as was the custom of young 
 men at that time in his neighborhood. He learned 
 the trade of shoe-cutting at Marlborough ; and in the 
 year 1854 he came to Groton in order to superintend 
 a shoe factory that had just been started. It was or- 
 ganized by Messrs. Bigelow T and Eandal), in a build- 
 ing that had then only recently been given up as a 
 tavern, and situated near the Congregational meeting- 
 house. On December 19, 1855, the establishment 
 was burned, and then the business was transferred to 
 the building previously used as a bakery and situated 
 at the corner of Main and West Streets. Here young 
 Palmer remained until 1858, when, in partnership 
 with his brother, he began the manufacture of shoes 
 at Marlborough, where he continued until the break- 
 ing out of the Rebellion in the spring of 1861. He 
 then recruited a company of riflemen at Marlborough, 
 and, on May 6th of that year, was commissioned as 
 captain. In the mean time the quota of men asked 
 for by President Lincoln was filled, and for that 
 reason the company was not at once accepted, but 
 was assigned afterward to the Fourth Battalion of 
 Rifles, which became the nucleus of the Thirteenth 
 Massachusetts Volunteers. On June 25th this or- 
 ganization was ordered to garrison Fort Indepen- 
 deuce, Boston Harbor, where it w r as soon recruited to 
 ten companies ; and on July 16th Palmer was com- 
 missioned as first lieutenant. On July 30th the regi- 
 
GEOTON. 245 
 
 merit left for the seat of war, and, on August 16, 
 1862, Lieutenant Palmer was promoted to a captaincy, 
 although he had been in command of the company 
 during most of the time since the regiment left Boston , 
 In the campaign of 1862 he was in command through 
 all the principal battles of the Army of the Potomac, 
 notably the second battle of Bull Run, where he was 
 wounded three times, — one of which wounds was a 
 very severe one, a bullet passing through his neck 
 and lower jaw, — and also slightly wounded at Fred- 
 ericksburg. He took part in Bolivar Heights, Front 
 Royal, Thoroughfare Gap, Chaucellorsville, and 
 various other battles and skirmishes. 
 
 During the fight at Gettysburg on July 1, 1863, 
 while in the First Corps (Reynolds'), he was severely 
 shot in the right knee and crippled for life, and on 
 March 9, 1864, was honorably discharged from the 
 military service. Owing to this wound he has lost 
 the entire use of his knee, and is compelled to walk 
 on crutches. On May 10, 1866, for gallant and meri- 
 torious services in the field, he was breveted major 
 of volunteers. 
 
 After his discharge from the army Captain Palmer 
 returned to Groton, the home of his wife, and bought 
 a farm, situated on the Great Road to Boston, about 
 a mile from the village, where he now lives, much re- 
 spected in the community. For twelve years (1877- 
 89) he served the town as selectman, assessor and 
 overseer of the poor, and for four years was the 
 chairman of the board. He has been commander of 
 E. S. Clark Post, No. 115, Grand Army of the Re- 
 public; master of Grange No. 7, Patrons of Hus- 
 
246 GROTON. 
 
 bandry ; an officer of the Groton Farmers' and 
 Mechanics' Club, and a member of the Middlesex 
 North Agricultural Society at Lowell, having been 
 for many years one of its vice-presidents and trustees. 
 He has been a justice of the peace since March 30, 
 1881, and is now treasurer of the New England Milk 
 Producers' Union. His success as a farmer shows 
 what can be accomplished by skill and application, 
 and furnishes a good example for young men to follow. 
 
 Major Palmer was a member of the House during 
 the session of 1884, and a member of the Senate dur- 
 ing the sessions of 1888-90, a period of three years, 
 a longer term of service than has ever been accorded 
 to any other Senator from his district. 
 
 On July 7, 1861, he was married to Martha Green, 
 daughter of Joshua and Matilda (Prescott) Eaton, of 
 Groton ; and they have one son and two daughters. 
 
 CHARLES HARRISON WATERS. 1 
 
 For a period of twenty-eight years, from 1855 to 
 1883, Charles Harrison Waters was one of Groton's 
 most capable, efficient and respected citizens. He pos- 
 sessed in a marked degree the qualities which make a 
 strong character ; and his usefulness was equal to his 
 energy. 
 
 He was the oldest son of Horace Waters and Ruth 
 Hovey, of Millbury, Mass., where he was born July 
 31, 1828. His school days were not protracted, end- 
 ing with a term or two at an academy. At the age of 
 
 1 By Rev. Joshua Young, D.D. 
 
GROTON. 247 
 
 fifteen he was a factory boy ; at eighteen, an overseer 
 in a mill, already with an aim in life, and to the end 
 of his busy career he pursued, in the main, the way 
 of his father before him, that of a successful manu- 
 facturer. 
 
 Dec. 21, 1854 he married Mary J. Farnsworth, 
 daughter of James Farnsworth, of Groton, where, in 
 the following year, he took up his residence, at first, 
 on the Farnsworth estate in the west part of the vil- 
 lage, and, subsequently, purchasing and remodeling 
 for his occupancy the house owned by Mr. John Pea- 
 body on Main Street (North). There were born to 
 him three children, two of whom remain. 
 
 Mr. Waters was a man of action ; his was an alert 
 mind, his a ready hand. He could not be of the number 
 of those " who merely exist in a state of benumbed tor- 
 por, not finding it needful to be more than half awake." 
 He must be up and doing. And so he worked and 
 over-worked until he broke down. Warning came to 
 him some five years before, and he gave it heed just 
 long enough to make a flying trip to Europe, but only 
 to gird on the harness again as soon as he got back. 
 
 Mr. Waters had the genius of an inventor. Prob- 
 lems of natural philosophy, physics, books of science 
 had to him far more attraction than other subjects. 
 
 He was still a young man only twenty-three when 
 he went to Jewett City, Connecticut, and engaged in 
 the manufacture of rope and twine, introducing origi- 
 nal methods. Much of the machinery now in use in 
 the extensive works of the Clinton Wire-cloth Com- 
 pany (of which he was first the agent, then the general 
 manager, then vice-president, and finally president, 
 
248 GROTON. 
 
 which office he held at the time of his decease) was of 
 his invention. 
 
 In prosecuting the new enterprise known as the 
 Avery Lactate Company, and while personally super- 
 intending the construction of the building at Little- 
 ton, from the walls of which he was descending when 
 attacked by paralysis, he either made himself, or 
 caused to be made, some important and original in- 
 vestigations in chemistry. Had his life been spared 
 it is not impossible that this business venture would 
 have been successful. 
 
 Undoubtedly the quality .of efficiency would be 
 mentioned as his chief mental characteristic. By vir- 
 tue of his natural executive ability it was his right to 
 lead — not simply to have his own way, but to have 
 things done and well done. He used his power for good. 
 And underneath that large, forceful brain there was 
 also an equally large and benevolent heart. The charity 
 that emanated from his house was widely recognized, 
 his own kindness of heart being seconded by that of his 
 estimable wife. As a citizen, he was public-spirited in 
 an eminent degree. He was in favor of improvements, 
 whether it was to have better schools or better roads. 
 In the beautiful village of his residence, whatever gives 
 attractiveness to the place, or character and dignity to 
 the people, is due as much to his personal effort as to 
 that of any other man of his generation. His relig- 
 ious affiliation was with the Unitarians. His atten- 
 dance on the ministrations of the house of God was as 
 regular and constant as the return of the Sabbath. 
 His mind recognized a Supreme Intelligence, and 
 bowed with reverence and adoration to an authority 
 
 " Enthroned above the reach of sight." 
 
GROTON. 
 
 •249 
 
 For several years he was the president of the North 
 Middlesex Conference of Unitarian and other Chris- 
 tian churches. He died March 13, 1883, aged fifty- 
 four years. 
 
 A unique monument of his own design marks his 
 resting-place in the village cemetery. 
 
 LUTHER BLOOD. 
 
 Luther Blood was born at Groton, October 21, 
 1810, and is a son of Luther and Sally (Cook) 
 Blood. His grandfather, Caleb, married Hannah 
 Holden, November 1, 1753, and Elizabeth Farns- 
 worth, March 3, 1774. He had twenty-seven chil- 
 dren, of whom Luther was the twenty-fifth. Eliza- 
 beth' the grandmother, was a member of the old 
 Farns worth family, whose name was among the first 
 settlers of the town. Caleb was born November 23, 
 1734, and was the son of John and Joanna (Nutting) 
 Blood, who were married July 13, 1712. The first 
 ancestor in Groton of Luther Blood was probably 
 James, who was one of four by the name of Blood 
 who early went to the township and became original 
 proprietors, and are mentioned as petitioners for a 
 plantation at that place. The family name is a fa- 
 miliar one ; and while some who bear it have become 
 widely scattered in the land, there have yet been 
 those who have continued it in Groton and the adjacent 
 places, which were formerly a part of the ancient 
 town. The old homestead, where the subject of this 
 sketch was born, is situated in West Groton, near 
 Fitch's Bridge. It is on the west side of the Nashua 
 
250 GROTON. 
 
 River, and is now owned and occupied by Augustus 
 Blood, a brother of Luther. This estate has for many- 
 years been in the possession of the Blood family. 
 The grandfather of Luther came into possession of it 
 when it was wilderness land, and by his industry and 
 thrift it became a smiling homestead, where succes- 
 sive generations of the family have been reared. On 
 this farm the subject of this sketch spent his early 
 years, where his life was in accord with the customs 
 and ways of the rural and sparsely-peopled places of 
 our old New England towns. There was plenty of 
 hard, rough work on the farm, and that substantial 
 and wholesome fare, which may have been a condi- 
 tion of the robust health which he, at his advanced 
 age, now enjoys. The education he received was at 
 the humble school-house in what is still known as 
 District No. 4, and consisted in what could be ob- 
 tained in a course of six or eight weeks each year. 
 
 At the age of eighteen he left home and learned 
 the carpenter's trade. Two school buildings still 
 stand which were erected under his supervision, and 
 which, by their contrast, suggest the rapid improve- 
 ment in our educational means. One of these is a 
 small, unoccupied, brick school-house, in District 
 No. 4, built in 1835 ; the other the beautiful Law- 
 rence Academy, erected in 1870. 
 
 May 2, 1844, Mr. Blood married Sarah Park Stone, 
 of South Groton, now the town of Ayer. Miss Stone's 
 birthplace was about a mile from Ayer Junction ; but 
 her later home was the "Stone Place," on the old 
 road from Ayer to Groton. Mr. and Mrs. Blood have 
 no children. Their residence is pleasantly situated 
 
GROTON. 251 
 
 on High Street, near the Lawrence Academy and the 
 Unitarian Church. Mr. Blood was an old-time Whig, 
 till the breaking up of that party, since which time 
 he has been a Republican. His habits have been 
 simple and regular. He has been temperate and in- 
 dustrious, and bears the marks of well-developed 
 old age. 
 
 SAMUEL A. GREEN. 1 
 
 Samuel Abbott Green was born in Groton, Mass., 
 March 16, 1830. He graduated at Harvard in 1851. 
 After receiving his medical degree, in 1854, he spent 
 several years in Europe. On his return he began the 
 practice of his profession in Boston. May 19, 1858, 
 he was appointed by Governor Banks surgeon of the 
 Second Massachusetts Militia Regiment, and at the 
 breaking out of the Rebellion he entered the service 
 as assistant surgeon of the First Massachusetts Regi- 
 ment, and was the first medical officer in the Com- 
 monwealth mustered in for three years' service. Sep- 
 tember 2, 1861, Dr. Green was promoted to surgeon of 
 the Twenty-fourth Massachusetts Regiment, a posi- 
 tion which he occupied until November 2, 1864. 
 During this time he was on the stafis of various cavalry 
 officers. On the Burnside expedition to Roanoke he 
 had charge of the hospital-ship l< Recruit," and later, 
 of the hospital-ship " Cosmopolitan," on the South 
 Carolina coast. He was also chief medical officer at 
 Morris Island during the siege of Fort Wagner. 
 He was appointed post-surgeon at Jacksonville and 
 
 i By the Editor. 
 
252 GKOTON. 
 
 St. Augustine, Fla., in October, 1863, and from this 
 point went to Virginia, and was with the army when 
 Bermuda Hundred w T as taken. After the' surrender of 
 Richmond Dr. Green was appointed acting staff-sur- 
 geon in that city, where he remained three months. 
 
 In 1862 he was successful in organizing Roanoke 
 Cemetery, one of the first regular burial-places for 
 Union soldiers, which was dedicated, with appropri- 
 ate ceremonies on February 23, 1862. Dr. Green was 
 faithful to his trust, and those characteristics which 
 have marked his later life shone resplendent in the 
 service, and in 1864, for gallant and distinguished 
 services in the field, he was breveted lieutenant-col- 
 onel of volunteers. 
 
 At the close of the war he returned to Boston, where 
 he has filled various positions of trust and responsi- 
 bility. From 1865 to 1872 he was superintendent of 
 the Boston Dispensary. He was a member of the 
 Boston School Board in 1860, '62, '66 and 72 ; trustee 
 of the Boston Public Library from 1868 to '78, and 
 acting librarian from October, 1877, to October, 1878. 
 In 1870 he was appointed by Governor Claflin on the 
 commission to care for disabled soldiers. He was 
 city physician from 1871 to 1880, and also, in 1878, 
 he was chosen a member of the board of experts, 
 authorized by Congress to investigate the yellow fever. 
 He is now serving his fourth term as an Overseer of 
 Harvard College, and is also one of the trustees of 
 the Peabody Education Fund, which was established 
 by the late George Peabody for educational purposes 
 at the South. 
 
 In 1882 Dr. Green was elected mayor of Boston. 
 
GROTON. 203 
 
 While Dr. Green has been active and prominent in 
 the affairs of Boston generally, the distinguishing 
 feature of his career, perhaps, is the time and research 
 he has given to historical studies, and the various 
 works which he has prepared and printed — many of 
 them privately — form an invaluable addition to the 
 historic literature of the Commonwealth. 
 
 Among his works may be mentioned the following : 
 "My Campaigns in America," a journal kept by 
 Comte William de Deux Ponts, 1780-81 ; translated 
 from the French manuscript, with an introduction 
 and notes (Boston, 1868) ; "An Account of Percival 
 and Ellen Green and Some of their Descendants," 
 (printed privately, Groton, Mass., 1876); "Epitaphs 
 from the Old Burying-Ground in Groton, Mass." 
 (1879); "The Early Records of Groton, Mass, 1662- 
 1677" (1880); " History of Medicine in Massachu- 
 setts," a centennial address delivered before the Mas- 
 sachusetts Medical Society, June 7, 1881 (Boston, 
 1881); "Groton during the Indian Wars" (Groton, 
 1883); " Groton during the Witchcraft Times " (1883); 
 " The Boundary Lines of Old Groton " (1885) ; " The 
 Geography of Groton," preserved for the use of the 
 Appalachian (Mountain) Club (1886); "Groton His- 
 torical Series," thirty-seven numbers, 1883-1890, and 
 the " History of Groton," in this work. 
 
INDEX 
 
 ADAMS, Amos, 195. 
 Adams, Augustus, 203. 
 Adams, James, 190. 
 Adams, James, Jr., 190. 
 Adams, Dea. Jonathan Stow, 168. 
 Adams, Dr. Joseph, 187. 
 Aldrich, Rev. Jeremiah Knight, 84. 
 Alexander, Amos, 192, 202. 
 Alexander's Tavern, 192. 
 Allen, Rev. John, 87. 
 Ames, Jacob, 59, 62. 
 Ames, John, 50, 58. 
 Ames, Simeon, 195. 
 Andruss, Theodore, 173, 179. 
 Appleton, Hon. Nathan, 199. 
 Archibald, Adams, 181. 
 Austin, John, 202. 
 Ayer, Rev. Oliver, 88. 
 
 BABCOCK, Rev. John Martin 
 Luther, 79. 
 Baldwin, Loammi, Jr., 206. 
 Baldwin, Prof. Marvin Morse, 11. 
 Ball, Micah, 204. 
 Bancroft, Abel, 159. 
 Bancroft, Dr. Amos, 101, 175. 
 Bancroft, Dr. Amos Bigelow, 107. 
 Bancroft, Dea. Benjamin, 92, 160, 
 
 161, 185. 
 Bancroft, Edmund Dana, 132. 
 Bancroft, William Austin, 138. 
 Banks, William, 153. 
 Baptist Society, organization of, 
 
 86. 
 Bard well, Otis, 203. 
 Barron, Elias, 60. 
 Barstow, Rev. John, 85. 
 Bernard, Gov. Francis, 149. 
 
 Bigelow, Hon. John Prescott, 138. 
 Bigelow, Hon. Timothy, 92, 118, 
 
 127, 129, 135, 189. 
 Bixby, George Henry, 181. 
 Blanehard, James, 120, 157, 159. 
 Blasdell, Dr. Henry, 95. 
 Blood, Abraham, 143. 
 Blood, Charles, 209. 
 Blood, Edmund, 181. 
 Blood, Joseph, 24. 
 Blood, Luther, sketch of, 249. 
 Blood, Richard, 157, 158. 
 Blood, Timothy, 131. 
 Boiden, Jonathan, 160. 
 Boutwell, Hon. George Sewall, 131, 
 
 133, 134, 159, 166, 173, 178. 
 Bowers Inn, the, 186. 
 Bowers, Isaac, 170. 
 Bowers, Samuel, 171. 
 Bowers, Samuel, Jr. , 186 
 Bowker, Daniel D. R., 196. 
 Boynton, Calvin, 160, 161, 162. 
 Boynton, Hon. John, 6, 118, 130, 
 
 i31, 159. 
 Bradstreet, Rev. Dudley, 73. 
 Brazer, James, 92, 93, 130, 164, 165. 
 Bnizer, AVillam Farwell, 137, 165. 
 Briggs, Charles, 203. 
 Brigham, George Dexter, 159. 
 Brooks, Daniel, 191, 203. 
 Brown, Maj. Aaron, 92, 129, 
 
 165, 169. 
 Brown, Artemas, 192. 
 Brown, Frank, 203. 
 Brown, George, 203. 
 Brown, George Henry, 14, 132, 
 
 173, 179, 182. 
 Brown, Horace, 192, 203. 
 Brown, Ira, 203. 
 
 148, 
 
 133, 
 
256 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Bulklev. Rev. Edwin Adolphus,83. 
 
 Bulkley, John, 185, 186. 
 
 Bullard, Hon. Henry Adams, 138. 
 
 Bullard, Isaac, 203. 
 
 Bullard, Silas, 204. 
 
 Bunker Hill, Groton in the battle 
 
 of, 143. 
 Burgess, Silas, 203. 
 Burns, George James, 147. 
 Butler, Caleb, 130, 159, 173, 177, 
 
 211. 
 But-trick, Jonathan, 203. 
 Buttrick, Tilly, 194. 
 
 CADY, Joseph, 184. 
 Cady, Nicholas, 218. 
 
 Camp Stevens, 144, 145. 
 
 Capell, John, 167, 195. 
 
 Capell, the Misses, 167. 
 
 Carle ton, John, 204. 
 
 Carleton, Moses, 169. 
 
 Carleton, Walter, 204. 
 
 Carrier-wagons, 205. 
 
 Carter, Kev. Samuel, 72. 
 
 Central House, 188. 
 
 Chamberlain, Dr. Edson Champion, 
 116. 
 
 Chamberlain, John, 60, 63, 64. 
 
 Champney, Ebeuezer, 129. 
 
 Champney, Francis, 92. 
 
 Chaplin, Rev. Daniel, 75, 81, 92. 
 
 Charlestown, N. H., 66. 
 
 Chase, Benjamin, 185. 
 
 Chase, Dr. Ezekiel, 95. 
 
 Chase, John, 204. 
 
 Child, David, 138, 168. 
 
 Child, Ephraim, 18. 
 
 Childs, William, 192. 
 
 Clark, Mai. Eusebius Silsby, 138, 
 147. 
 
 Clark, Captain Josiah, 86. 
 
 Cobbet, Rev. Thomas, 33. 
 
 Coburn, David, 204. 
 
 Colburn, James, Jr., 186. 
 
 Colburn, James Minot, 188. 
 
 Connecticut Historical Society, col- 
 lections of, 8. 
 
 Coolidge, Dr. Joseph Franklin, 
 
 Cooper, Timothy, 28, 33. 
 Corbin, Stephen, 204. 
 Corey, Aaron, 203. 
 Corey, Calvin, 203. 
 Corey, Chambers, 144. 
 
 Coroners, list of, 137. 
 
 Cotton, Rev. John, 37. 
 
 Crispe, Benjamin, 42. 
 
 Cummings, Allen, 132. 
 
 Cummings, Dr. James Merrill, 108 
 
 Curtis, Beriah,204. 
 
 Cushing, Leonard Williams, 203. 
 
 Cutler, Jonas, 163. 
 
 Cutts, Joseph, 145. 
 
 DANA, James, 213. 
 Dana, Hon. Samuel, 118, 129, 
 
 130, 134, 135, 150, 173, 175, 194, 
 
 213. 
 Dana, Rev. Samuel, 75, 92, 187. 
 Dana, William, 203. 
 Danforth, Jonathan, 217. 
 Danforth, Kimball, 203. 
 Danforth, Thomas, 18, 148. 
 Davis, Dolor, 5. 
 Davis, Joel, 235. 
 Davis, John, 46. 
 Davis, Dr. Kendall, 111. 
 Davis, Nathan, 92. 
 Dickinson, Thomas, 23. 
 Dickson, Walter, 46. 
 Dix, Benjamin Perkins, 164, 170. 
 Dodge, James, 144. 
 Domesday Book, 11, 12. 
 Downing, Emanuel, 9. 
 Drew, Thomas, 39. 
 Dudley, Gov. Joseph, 53. 
 Dudley, Paul, 136. 
 Dummer, Lieut.-Gov. Wm., 58. 
 
 EDES, Isaiah, 161. 
 Edes, Peter, 137. 
 Eldredge, Dr. Micah, 104. 
 Emerson, Dearborn, 189, 190, 191, 
 
 200. 
 Emerson Tavern, the, 187. 
 Emory, Thomas, 204. 
 Episcopal Church, 91. 
 Everett, Israel, 96. 
 
 FARNSWORTH, Abel, 137. 
 Farnsworth, Dr. Amos, 106, 
 172,211. 
 Farnsworth, David, 66. 
 Farnswcrth, Ebenezer, 67. 
 Farnsworth, Ebenezer, Jr., 172. 
 Farnsworth, Ephraim, 62. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 257 
 
 Farms-worth, Ezra, 185, 186. 
 Farnsworth, Harriet Elizabeth , 173, 
 
 179. 
 Farnsworth, Dea. Isaac, 126, 129, 
 
 137, 159, 185. 
 Farnsworth, Ensign John, 123. 
 Farnsworth, Jonas, 172. 
 Farnsworth, Marquis D., 190. 
 Farnsworth, Matthias, Jr., 45, 51. 
 Farnsworth, Reuben, 62. 
 Farnsworth, Dr. Samuel, 66, 97. 
 Farnsworth, Stephen, 66, 67. 
 Farnsworth, Thomas Treadwell, 
 
 187. 
 Farnum, David, 171. 
 Farr, Kimball, 193. 
 Farrar, Stephen, 194. 
 Farwell, Capt. Henry, 143. 
 Farwell, Isaac, 68. 
 Fassett, Lieut. Amaziah, 143. 
 Fawcett, Abiel, 204. 
 Fawcett, Nathan, 204. 
 Fire Club, 210 ; list of founders of, 
 
 212. 
 Fire Department, 206. 
 First Parish Meeting-house, 1 ; 
 
 separation of Second Church 
 
 from, 81. 
 Fisk, James, 158, 223. 
 Fisk, Peter, 144. 
 
 Fiske, George Washington, 173, 179. 
 Fitch, Zechariah, 40, 92. 
 Fletcher, Oliver. 126. 
 Flint, George, 202. 
 Folsom, Rev. George McKean, 79. 
 Ford, Capt. John, 156. 
 Fosdick, Christina Dakin, 180. 
 Foster, John, 2. 
 Foster, Stephen, 144. 
 Fox, Isaac J.. 192. 
 Frontenac, Count de, 36. 
 Fulham [Fullam], Francis, 137,154. 
 Fuller, Abel Hamilton, 204. 
 Fuller, Dr. Lemuel, 110. 
 Fuller, Micah, 68. 
 Fuller, Hon. Timothy, 128. 
 Fuzzard, John, 194. 
 
 GARDNER, Andrew Boynton, 
 182. 
 Gardner, Maj. Thomas, 130, 164. 
 Garrison-houses, 27- 
 Gates, George Samuel, 132, 162. 
 
 General Court, list of representa- 
 tives to, 118. 
 
 Geography of Groton. 217. 
 
 George, Horace, 197, 203. 
 
 Gerrish, Charles, lt',7. 
 
 Gerrish, Charles Hastings, 6. 
 
 Gill, Moses, 187, 192, 193. 
 
 Gilson, John, 60, 209, 210. 
 
 Gilson, John M., 192. 
 
 Gilson, Capt. Jonas, 167. 
 
 Gilson, Joseph, 60. 
 
 Gleany, William, 171. 
 
 Globe Tavern, the, 192. 
 
 Goddard, Mrs. Delano A., 188. 
 
 Goffe, Col. Edmund, 95. 
 
 Goodwin, Rev. Thomas Herbert, 89. 
 
 Gove, Dr. Jonathan, 97. 
 
 Graves, George Sumner, 133, 209, 
 210. 
 
 Green, Charles W., 210. 
 
 Green, Eleazer, 184. 
 
 Green, Ira, 203. 
 
 Green, Dr. Joshua, 103, 131. 
 
 Green, Dr. Samuel A., letter from 
 Hon. J. Hammond Trumbull, 6 ; 
 letter from Hon. Robert C. Win- 
 throp, 9 ; delivers address at 
 dedication of monument com- 
 memorating first meeting-house, 
 34; sketch of Hon. Moses P. 
 Palmer, 243 ; sketch of, 251. 
 
 Green, William, 156. 
 
 Greene, Isaac, 185. 
 
 Groton Academy, 91. 
 
 Groton, in other States, 10-11. 
 
 Groton, Mass., geographical posi- 
 tion of, 1 ; original grant of 
 township, 2 : earliest reference 
 made to, 2 ; petition to General 
 Court for plantation of, 4, 5; 
 Indian derivation of name, 6 ; 
 spelling of name, 13, 14; life of 
 early settlers, 14 ; first document 
 concerning, 15 : trials of early 
 settlers, 21 ; early history of, 27 ; 
 monument erected to commem- 
 orate first meeting-house, 33 ; 
 ministers, 68-90; formation of 
 Second Church, 81; Lawrence 
 Academy, 92-94; physicians, 
 94-117 ; list of representatives 
 to General Court, 118-133 ; resi- 
 dents who held commissions, 
 136 ; coroners, 137 ; prominent 
 natives and residents, 138-141; 
 
258 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 part taken in the Revolution, 
 142-144 ; part taken in the bat- 
 tle of Bunker Hill, 143; part 
 taken in the War for the Union, 
 144_147; Camp Stevens, 144; 
 population at different times, 147- 
 153 ; slavery in the town, 153- 
 157 ; list of town clerks, 157-159 ; 
 list of treasurers, 160-162 ; old 
 stores, 162-171 ; military com- 
 panies, 167 ; post-office, 171-183 ; 
 list of postmasters, 173 ; tele- 
 graph and telephone established, 
 183 ; old taverns, 183 ; stage- 
 coaches, 196; fire department, 
 206 : fire-club, 210 ; starch-fac- 
 tory, paper mills, etc., 213; ge- 
 ography, 217 ; biographical 
 sketches of prominent men, 236- 
 253. 
 
 Groton School, 46, 91. 
 
 Gulick, Rev. Edward Leeds, 86. 
 
 HALE, Samuel, 165. 
 Hall, Isaiah, 187. 
 Hall, Joseph, 187. 
 Hall, Hon. Willard, 139. 
 Hancock, Rev. John, 72. 
 Harlow, William Holmes, 182. 
 Harrington, Phineas, 201. 
 Harris, Hon. John, 139. 
 Hartwell, Dr. Benjamin Hall, 117. 
 Hartwell, Jephthah Richardson, 
 
 214. 
 Hauthorne, William, 217. 
 Hayden, Albert, 203. 
 Hazen, Samuel, 233. 
 Healy, Nathaniel, 47, 48. 
 Hemenway, Daniel P., 147. 
 Hemenway, Joseph, 168. 
 Hemenway, Phineas, 168. 
 Hemenway, Samuel, 92. 
 High School, 180. 
 
 Hildreth, Hon. Abijah Edwin, 118. 
 Hill, Gen. Albert Harleigh, 10. 
 Hill, Charles Henry, 181. 
 Hill, Henrv, 169. 
 Hills, Joseph, 15. 
 Hinckley, Thomas, 5. 
 Hoar, Joseph, 187, 192. 202. 
 Hoar, Joseph Nelson, 188. 
 Hoar's Tavern, 192. 
 Hobart, Rev. Gershom, 37, 46, 71, 
 
 189. 
 
 Hobart [Hubbard], Israel, 129, 137, 
 
 161. 
 Hobart, Shebuel, 160. 
 Hobart, Simon, 144. 
 Hodgkins, Hiram, 203. 
 Hodgkins, Ira, 203. 
 Holden, Charles, 68. 
 Holden, Isaac, 68. 
 Holden, Stephen, 44. 
 Hollingsworth, J. M., 215. 
 Hollingsworth, Lyman, 214, 215, 
 
 216. 
 Holmes, Rev. Lewis, 87. 
 Holt, John, 202. 
 Homer, Rev. Jonathan, 47. 
 Hough, Dr. Franklin B., 56. 
 Howe, Benjamin Lincoln, 138. 
 Howe, Oliver, 215. 
 Hubbard, John, 33. 
 Hubbard, Jonathan, 184, 185. 
 Hubbard, Rev. William, 2, 32, 149. 
 Hunt, Daniel, 188. 
 Hunt, George, 203. 
 Hutchinson, Gov. Thomas, 36,55. 
 
 INDIANS, 22, 24, 34, 39, 45, 47, 
 48, 58. 
 See Philip's War. 
 Indian Queen Inn, 200. 
 " Indian Roll," 119. 
 
 J EFTS, John, 60. 
 Jenkins, Ann, 39. 
 Jenkins, Jonathan, 144. 
 Jennison, Martin, 194. 
 Jewett, Newell M., 194. 
 Johnson, Anson, 204. 
 Johnson, Capt. Edward, 18. 
 Johnson, Mrs. Susanna, 67. 
 Johnson, William, 204. 
 
 KEEP, Lieut. Jonathan, 159, 
 161, 187. 
 Kemp, David, 144. 
 Kemp, James, 195. 
 Kemp, Moses, 190. 
 Kemp, William, 190. 
 Kemp, William, Jr., 204. 
 Kendall, Hon. Amos, 180. 
 Kendall, Obadiah, 203. 
 Kilbourn, Jeremiah, 166. 
 King William's War, 35. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 "J.V.i 
 
 Kittredge, Rev. Charles Baker, 82. 
 Knapp, Elizabeth, 94. 
 Knapp [Knop], James, 219. 
 Knox Manuscripts, 43. 
 
 I AKIN, Isaac, 51, 60, 65. 
 J Lakin, John, 234. 
 
 Lakin, Joseph, 120, 158, 159. 
 
 Lakin, Lemuel, 191,203. 
 
 Lakin, Oliver, 171. 
 
 Lakin [Larkin], Lieut. William, 25, 
 36,40,171 
 
 Lawrence, Hon. Abbott, 139, sketch 
 of, 236. 
 
 Lawrence, Capt. Abel, 124, 137, 159. 
 
 Lawrence Academy, 91 ; early bene- 
 factors of, 92 ; Jubilee celebra- 
 tion of, 93. 
 
 Lawrence, Amos, 92, 93, 126, 137, 
 165, 185. 
 
 Lawrence, Capt. Asa Stillman, 133, 
 138,143,170. 
 
 Lawrence, Rev. Benjamin Franklin, 
 89, 169. 
 
 Lawrence, Enoch, 50. 
 
 Lawrence, Henry Lewis, 187, 193, 
 204. 
 
 Lawrence, Houghton, 203. 
 
 Lawrence, James, 51, 185, 186. 
 
 Lawrence, Jonathan, 171. 
 
 Lawrence, Hon. Luther, 127, 130, 
 135, 177, 190. 
 
 Lawrence, Nathaniel, 25, 119, 122. 
 
 Lawrence, Samuel, 92, 137, 159. 
 
 Lawrence, Thomas, 160. 
 
 Lawrence, William, 172, 185. 
 
 Lawrence, Col. William, 76, 92, 93, 
 124, 133, 136, 137. 
 
 Leverett, Pres. John, 74. 
 
 Lewis, Aaron, 190, 195. 
 
 Lewis, Benjamin, 204. 
 
 Lewis, Capt. James, 167, 173, 176. 
 
 Lewis, James, Jr., 137. 
 
 Lewis, Jonathan Clark, 170. 
 
 Light, Reflection of, 235. 
 
 Livermore, William, 130, 160. 
 
 Livermore, William, Jr., 131, 132, 
 162. 
 
 Locke, Hon. John, 139. 
 
 Longlev, Dea. John, 37, 42, 123, 
 124, 158, 159, 160. 
 
 Longley, Joshua, 92. 
 
 Longley, Lydia, 43, 51. 
 
 Longley, William, 40, 41, 119, 158, 
 
 228. 
 Longley, William, Jr., 21, 157, 158, 
 
 159. 
 Lord, James, 203. 
 Loring, John Hancock, 193, 194. 
 Loring, Jonathan, 207. 
 Lothrop, Capt. Welcome, 173, 179. 
 Lovewell, Capt. John, 59, 64, 222. 
 
 McCOLLESTER, Dr. John 
 tiuincy Adams, 116, 138. 
 
 Manning, Samuel, 171. 
 
 Mansfield, Dr. George, 101. 
 
 Mansfield, Dr. Joseph, 100, 159. 
 
 Mark, John, 215. 
 
 Marshall, Abel, 203. 
 
 Marshall, John, 45. 
 
 Martin, Lieut. William, petition of, 
 3,5,6. 
 
 Martin, William, 219. 
 
 Massachusetts Historical Society, 
 45. 47, 150. 
 
 Mather, Cotton, 35, 43. 
 
 Mather, Rev. Increase, 30, 33. 
 
 Maynard, John M., 202. 
 
 Means, Rev. James, delivers ad- 
 dress at Jubilee celebration of 
 Lawrence Academy, 94. 
 
 Meeting-house, First Parish, 1 ; 
 monument erected to commemo- 
 rate, 33. 
 
 Methodist Church, 90. 
 
 Miles, Hezekiah, 39. 
 
 Military Companies, 167. 
 
 Miller, Rev. John, 68. 
 
 Ministers, John Miller, 68 ; Samuel 
 Willard, 69; Gershom Hobart, 
 71 ; Samuel Carter, 72 ; John 
 Odly IC-dliu], 73 ; Dudley Brad- 
 street, 73 ; Caleb Trowbridge, 
 74 ; Samuel Dana, 75 ; Daniel 
 Chaplin, 75 ; Charles Robinson, 
 76 ; George Wadsworth Wells, 
 77 ; Joseph Couch Smith, 77 ; 
 Crawford Nightingale, 78 ; George 
 McKean Folsom, 79 ; John Mar- 
 tin Luther Babcock, 79 ; Joshua 
 Young, 80 ; John Todd, 82 ; 
 Charles Baker Kittredge, 82 ; 
 Dudley Phelps, 83 ; Edwin Adol- 
 phus Bulkley, 83; William 
 Wheeler Parker, 84 ; Jeremiah 
 Knight Aldrich, 84; Benjamin 
 
200 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Adams Robie, 85; George Austin 
 Pelton, 85; John Barstow, 85; 
 Edward Leeds Gulick, 86 ; Amasa 
 Sanderson, 86 ; Alfred Pinney, 
 86 ; Lewis Holmes, 87 ; John 
 Allen, 87 ; George Everett Tucker, 
 87 ; Lucius Edwin Smith, 88 ; 
 Oliver Ayer, 88 ; Benjamin Frank- 
 lin Lawrence, 89 ; Herman Frank- 
 lin Titus, 89 ; Thomas Herbert 
 Goodwin, 89 ; Frank Curtis Whit- 
 ney, 89 ; Samuel Bastin Nobbs, 
 90. 
 
 Moore, Abraham, 173, 176. 
 
 Moore, Dr. James Moodv, 117. 
 
 Moores, Abraham, 157, 185, 186. 
 
 Moors, Benjamin, 187, 228. 
 
 Moors, Joseph, 92, 129, 130, 155. 
 
 Mors, Nathan, 184. 
 
 Morse, Dr. Benjamin, 95, 129, 135. 
 
 Morse, John, 32, 33, 158, 223. 
 
 Morse, Jonathan, 157, 158. 
 
 My rick, John. 47. 
 
 NAME, Indian derivation of, 6 ; 
 originator of, 8 ; spelling of, 
 13, 14. 
 Nash, Joshua, 210. 
 Needham, Hon. Daniel, 118, 132, 
 
 162. 
 New England Historic Genealogical 
 
 Society, 15, 18, 43. 
 Nicholas, Amos, 203. 
 Nightingale, Rev. Crawford, 78. 
 Nobbs, Rev. Samuel Bastin, 90. 
 Noyes, Thomas, 217. 
 Nutting, John, 27,28, 29, 33. 
 
 o 
 
 DLY [Odlin], John, 7i 
 
 PAGE, John, 24, 119, 122, 158. 
 Paine, Robert Treat, 70. 
 Palmer, Hon. Moses Poor, 118, 133; 
 
 sketch of, 243. 
 Paper Mills, 213. 
 Paris, John, 122. 
 Parish, Robert, 24. 
 Park, John Gray, 131, 135, 159. 
 Park, Hon. Stuart James, 118. 
 Parker, Abigail, 171. 
 Parker, Addison, 204. 
 
 Parker, Benjamin, 62. 
 
 Parker, Ebenezer, 171. 
 
 Parker, Lieut. Isaac, 66, 67. 
 
 Parker, Jacob Lakin, 137. 
 
 Parker, Capt. James, 25, 119, 120, 
 122, 157, 158, 160, 185, 218, 223, 
 224, 226. 
 
 Parker, James, Jr., 37. 
 
 Parker, John Warren, 131, 159. 
 
 Parker, Jonas, 191. 
 
 Parker, Joseph, 20, 223. 
 
 Parker, Josiah, 158, 159, '222. 
 
 Parker, Levi, 193. 
 
 Parker, Robert, 144. 
 
 Parker, Capt. Samuel, 171, 184, 185. 
 
 Parker, Rev. William Wheeler, 84. 
 
 Parsons, Dr. John Eleazer, 116. 
 
 Patterson, James, 184. 
 
 Peabody, John, 162. 
 
 Peai-se, Daniel, 227. 
 
 Pelton, Rev. George Austin, 85. 
 
 Penhallow, Samuel, 44, 58. 
 
 Petitions, Deane Winthrop's, 3 ; 
 Lieutenant William Martin's, 3, 
 4, 5; entry in General Court 
 Records regarding, 6 ; record of 
 House of Deputies, 6 ; first docu- 
 ment to General Court, 15 ; John 
 Tinker's, 16. 
 
 Phelps, Kev. Dudley, 83. 
 
 Phelps, Levi W., 196. 
 
 Philip's War, 2, 23, 24, 27, 29-33. 
 
 Physicians, Amos Bancroft, 101 ; 
 Amos Bigelow Bancroft, 107 ; 
 Henry Blasdell, 95 ; Edson Cham- 
 pion Chamberlain. 116 ; Ezekiel 
 Chase, 95 ; Joseph Franklin Cool- 
 idge, 112 ; James Merrill Cum- 
 mings, 108 ; Kendall Davis, 111 ; 
 Micah Eldredge, 104; Samuel 
 Farnsworth, 97; Lemuel Fuller, 
 110 ; Jonathan Gove, 97 ; Joshua 
 Green, 103 ; Benjamin Hall Hart- 
 well, 117 ; John Quincy Adams 
 McCollester, 116 ; George Mans- 
 field, 101 ; Joseph Mansfield, 100 ; 
 James Moody Moore, 117 ; Ben- 
 jamin Morse, 95 ; John Eleazer 
 Parsons, 116 ; Peter Pineo, 111 ; 
 Richard Upton Piper. Ill ; Oliver 
 Prescott, 92, 98 ; Oliver Prescott, 
 Jr., 98,100; Marion Zachariah 
 Putnam, 114; Rufus Shackford, 
 109; Gibson Smith, 116; Nor, 
 man Smith, 109 ; Miles Spauld- 
 
INDEX. 
 
 261 
 
 ing, 110 ; George Steams, 106 ; 
 George Washington Stearns, 113 ; 
 David Roscoe Steere, 113 ; Eph- 
 raim Ware, 96 ; William Bar- 
 nard Warren, 114 ; William 
 Ambrose Webster, 112 ; Abel 
 Hervey Wilder, 108 ; Jacob Wil- 
 liams, 105 ; Ebenezer Willis, 115 ; 
 James Wilson, 105; Edward Hub- 
 bard Winslow, 113; Ephraim 
 Woolson. 96. 
 
 Pierce, George, 172. 
 
 Pike, Barney, 204. 
 
 Pike, Rev. John, 47. 
 
 Pineo, Dr. Peter, 111. 
 
 Pinnev, Rev. Alfred, 86. 
 
 Piper, Dr. Richard Upton, 111. 
 
 Pollard, Jacob, 138. 
 
 Population, 147-153. 
 
 Porter, John Mason, 138. 
 
 Post-Office, 171-183. 
 
 Post-rider, 172. 
 
 Potter, Luther Fitch, 195. 
 
 Prescott, Abel, 196. 
 
 Prescott, Abijah, 168. 
 
 Prescott, Lieut. Benjamin, 123, 124, 
 136, 143, 160. 
 
 Prescott, Charles, 194. 
 
 Prescott, Hon. James, 118, 125, 126, 
 127, 129, 133, 134, 135, 136, 137, 
 211. 
 
 Prescott, Hon. James, Jr., 135, 
 136. 
 
 Prescott, Jonas, 123, 157, 159. 
 
 Prescott, Capt. Jonas, Jr. , 123, 136. 
 
 Prescott, Dr. Oliver, 92, 98, 126, 130, 
 133, 134, 136, 159, 210. 
 
 Prescott, Dr. Oliver, Jr., 98, 100, 
 159, 210. 
 
 Prescott, Phinehas Gilman, 131, 
 133 
 
 Prescott, Col. William, 92, 98, 143, 
 144. 
 
 Priest, Eleazer, 68. 
 
 Priest, Joseph, 68. 
 
 Proctor, Wilder, 204, 
 
 Putnam, Dr. Marion Zachariah, 
 114. 
 
 Q 
 
 UEEN Anne's War, 44, 49. 
 
 "OAILROADS, 115. 
 
 Iv Rawson, Edward, 3, 5, 18. 
 
 Rebellion, War of, see Union, War 
 for. 
 
 Reed, Ralph, 219. 
 
 Representatives to General Court, 
 list of, 118. 
 
 Revolution, Groton in the war of 
 the, 142-144. 
 
 Rice, Hon. Thomas, 140. 
 
 Richardson, Alpheus, 161, 168. 
 
 Richardson, Amos, 5. 
 
 Richardson, Converse, 189. 
 
 Richardson, Capt. Jephthah, 189. 
 
 Richardson, Hon. William Mer- 
 chant, 134, 140, 173, 175. 
 
 Richardson Tavern, the, 189, 191. 
 
 Ridge Hill Tavern, the, 193. 
 
 Robbins, Andrew, 208. 
 
 Rob! ins, Eleazer, 154, 184. 
 
 Robbins, Levi, 203. 
 
 Roberts, Stephen, 196. 
 
 Robie, Rev. Benjamin Adams, 85. 
 
 Robinson, Rev. Charles, 76. 
 
 Rockwood, Capt. John, 130. 
 
 Rockwood, Samuel, 92, 157, 159. 
 
 Rockwood, Mrs. Sarah (Chaplin), 
 76. 
 
 Rogers, Rev. Ezekiel, 68. 
 
 Rouse, Alexander, 37. 
 
 Rowe, Samuel William, 170. 
 
 Russ, John, 202. 
 
 Russell, Ephraim, 137. 
 
 ST. JOHN'S Chapel, 91. 
 Sanderson, Rev.-Amasa, 86. 
 Sartel, Nathaniel, 159. 
 Sartell, Jonathan, 186. 
 Sartell, Capt. Josiah, 126, 143, 185, 
 
 186. 
 Sawtell, Capt. Ephraim, 160, 161. 
 Sawtell, Capt. John, 143. 
 Sawtell [Sartlel, Capt. Nathaniel, 
 
 122-124, 136, 160. 
 Sawtell, Obadiah, 66, 68. 
 Sawtell, Richard, 28, 157, 158, 224. 
 Sawyer, Capt. Wesley Caleb, 145, 
 
 146. 
 Scales, Oliver, 203. 
 Scripture, Samuel, Jr., 155. 
 Second Adventists, 169. 
 Second Church, formation of, 81. 
 Seger, Ebenezer, 47, 48. 
 Settlers, early, 14 ; trials of, 21 
 
262 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Sewall, Chief-Justice Samuel, 37, 
 
 44. 
 Shackford, Dr. Rufus, 109. 
 Shattuck, Capt. Daniel, 131, 162, 
 
 190. 
 Shattuck, Francis, 191. 
 Shattuck, Frank, 204. 
 Shattuck, George, 160, 162. 
 Shattuck, Joel, 204. 
 Shattuck, John, 49, 50. 
 Shattuck Manuscripts, 15, 18. 
 Shattuck, Milo Henry, 168, 190. 
 Shattuck, Capt. Noah, 130, 156, 
 
 159, 167. 
 Shattuck, Samuel, 62. 
 Shattuck's Tavern, 192. 
 Shattuck, Walter, 160, 162, 169, 
 
 170, 208. 
 Shattuck, William, 131, 133, 204. 
 Shed, Joseph, 159, 161. 
 Sheedy, John H., 166. 
 Shepard, William, 201. 
 Sheple, Jonathan, 157, 159, 185. 
 Sheple, Joseph, 135. 
 Sheple, Oliver, 213. 
 Sheple, Oliver. Jr., 213. 
 Sheple, Washington, 213. 
 Shepley, Hon. Ether, 38, 140. 
 Shepley, Gen. George Foster, 38. 
 Shepley [Sheple], John, 37, 41, 122, 
 
 123. 
 Shepley, Capt. Samuel, 3. 
 Shepley, Washington, 205. 
 Shepley, Wilder, 190. 
 Shepley, William, 190. 
 Sherman, Rev. John, 70. 
 Shumway, Eliel, 132. 
 Simpson, Maj. Daniel, 190. 
 Slavery in Groton, 153-157. 
 Smart, William, 203. 
 Smith, Dr. Gibson, 116. 
 Smith, Rev. Joseph Couch, 77. 
 Smith, Rev. Lucius Edwin, 88. 
 Smith, Nathaniel Pierce, 195. 
 Smith, Dr. Norman, 109. 
 Smith, Richard, 5. 
 Smith, Hon. Samuel Emerson, 140. 
 South Groton, Mass, 182; list of 
 
 post-masters, 182. 
 Spalter, John Hamilton, 168, 189. 
 Spaulding, Joseph, 185. 
 Spaulding, Dr. Miles, 110. 
 Spaulding, Timothy, 189. 
 Stage-coaches, 196. 
 Stamp Act, 141. 
 
 Staples, Gen. Thomas Adams, 169, 
 
 202. 
 Starch-Factory, 213. 
 Starling, Samuel, 172. 
 Stearns, Hon. Asahel, 141. 
 Stearns, Dr. George, 106. 
 Steurns, Dr. George Washington, 
 
 113. 
 Steere, Dr. David Roscoe, 113, 169. 
 Stevens, John, 186, 193. 
 Stewart, Joseph, 203. 
 Stillman, Rev. Samuel, 163. 
 Stockwell, Spencer, 147. 
 Stoddard, John, 53. 
 Stone, Samuel, 205. 
 Stoue, Simon, 123. 
 Stone, Warren Fay, 131, 133. 
 Stores, old, in Groton, 162-171. 
 Stoughton, Lieut.-Gov. William, 39. 
 Sullivan, Hon. James, 135, 141. 
 Swan, Major William, 76, 92, 136, 
 
 170. 
 
 rpAFT, Benjamin Franklin, 132. 
 J. Tarbel, Benjamin, 172. 
 Tarbell, Capt. Abel, 167. 
 Tarbel], Battice, 56. 
 Tarbell, John, 54. 
 Tarbell, Lesor [Eleazer], 57. 
 Tarbell, Loran, 56. 
 Tarbell, Louis, 56. 
 Tarbell, Michel, 56. 
 Tarbell, Peter, 56. 
 Tarbell, Samuel, 62, 160. 
 Tarbell, Lieut. Solomon, 161. 
 Tarbell, Thomas, 51-54, 56, 120,159, 
 
 185. 
 Tarbell, Thomas, Jr., 24, 159. 
 Tarbell, William, 185. 
 Tarbell, Zachariah, 54. 
 Taverns, old, 183. 
 Telegraph, first, 183. 
 Telephone, first, 183. 
 Tenny, Samuel Clark, 191. 
 Thomas, Palmer, 203. 
 Tilden, Charles Liuzee, 145. 
 Tileston & Hollingsworth, 50, 216. 
 Tinker, John, 5, 16, 22, 148. 
 Titus, Rev. Herman Franklin, 89. 
 Titus, Moses, 204. 
 Todd, Rev. John, 81, 82, 90. 
 Town Clerks, list of, 157-159. 
 Township, original grant of, 2. 
 Tracy Elijah, 207. 
 
 
INDEX. 
 
 263 
 
 Trowbridge, Rev. Caleb, 74. 
 Trowbridge, Caleb, Jr., 185, 186. 
 Treasurers, of Groton, 160-162. 
 Trees, marking of, 20, 21. 
 Trumbull, Hon. J. Hammond, 6, 7. 
 Tucker, Rev. George Everett, 87. 
 Tufton, Thomas Sackville, 170. 
 Tufts, Levi, 194 
 Tvng, Edward, 70. 
 Tyng, Jonathan, 223. 
 
 UNDERWOOD, Timothy, 203. 
 Union, War for, Groton in 
 the, 144-147. 
 
 V 
 
 ARNUM, Hon. John, 141. 
 Veazie, A. M., 195. 
 
 TT7ALDR0N, Capt. Richard, 23. 
 VV Walker, Seth. 68. 
 Ward, Capt. Samuel, 170. 
 Ware, Dr. Ephraim, 96. 
 Warren, Alden, 160, 162. 
 Warren, Dr. William Barnard, 114. 
 Waters, Charles Harrison, 246. 
 Waters, Henry A., 147. 
 Wayman, Rev John W., 13. 
 Webb, Benjamin, 196. 
 Webber, John, 204. 
 Webber, Ward, 204 
 Webster, Rev. Samuel, 142. 
 Webster, Dr. William Ambrose, 
 
 112. 
 Wells, Rev. George Wads worth, 77. 
 West Groton Mass., 90, 181 ; list of 
 
 postmasters, 181. 
 Wethered, John, 210. 
 Wheeler, Abner, 167 
 Wheeler. Eliphalet, 167, 173, 176. 
 Wheeler, Levi, 203. 
 Wheeler, Moses, 68. 
 Wheelock, J., 200 
 Wheelock. S., 200. 
 Whetcomb, David, 184. 
 White, Thomas, 186. 
 White, William, 186. 
 Whitney, Rev. Frank Curtis, 89. 
 
 Whiton, Elijah, 209. 
 
 Wilder, Dr Abel Hervey, 108. 
 
 Willard, Henry, 62. 
 
 Willard, Miriam, 67. 
 
 Willard, Moses, 67, 68. 
 
 Willard, Rev. Samuel, 69, 94, 118, 
 
 218. 
 Willard, Maj. Simon, 25, 118. 
 Williams, Dr Jacob, 105. 
 Williams, John, 53. 
 Willis, Dr. Ebenezer. 115. 
 Wilson, Dr. James, 105. 
 Winslow, Dr. Edward Hubbard, 
 
 113. 
 Winthrop, Adam, 10. 
 Winthrop, Deane, petition of, 3, 5, 
 
 6 ; sketch of, 8, 9. 
 Winthrop, Gov. Fitz-John, 10. 
 Winthrop, Gov. John, 8. 
 Winthrop, John, Jr., 10. 
 Winthrop, Hon. Robert C, letter 
 
 from, to Dr. Samuel A. Green, 
 
 9. 
 Wood, Artemas, 168, 173. 
 Wood, Ephraim, 136. 
 Woodbridge, Dudlev, 171. 
 Woodcock, Henry, 173, 179. 
 Woods, Benjamin, 144. 
 Woods, Daniel, 60. 
 Woods, Eber, Jr., 235. 
 Woods, Harvey Alpheus, 182, 196. 
 Woods, Gem Henry, 148, 166, 173, 
 
 178. 
 Woods, John, 154. 
 Woods, Levi W , 196. 
 Woods, Nathaniel, 184. 
 Woods, Robert Parker, 132. 
 Woods. Sampson, 92, 137. 
 Woods, Samuel, 160, 184, 223. 
 Woods, Thomas, 60. 
 Woodward, John, 190. 
 Woolley, Charles, 3, 2m 
 Woolley, Charles, Jr., 170. 
 Woolson,Dr Ephraim, 96, 
 Wright, Abijah. 192. 
 Wright, Mrs. John, 211, 
 Wyman, Ensign, 63. 
 
 TOUNG, Rev. Joshua, 80. 
 
HK195-78 
 

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