Norfolk County, Massachusetts - Chapter 21: The Town of Medway, 1918

Chapter 21: The Town of Medway

ORIGINAL OWNERSHIP - FIRST GRANT OF LAND - THE FIRST ACTUAL SETTLER - THE STONE HOUSE - FIRST LOTS LAID OUT - THE NEW GRANT - DIVISION OF LOTS -

The town of Medway lies in the western portion of the county of Norfolk and is bounded in the following manner : on the north by Middlesex County ; on the west by Worcester County ; on the south by the towns of Bellingham and Franklin; and on the east by the town of Millis. The territory of Medway presents an undulating surface, well watered by the Charles River and some of its tributaries. The uplands of this town once became notable as fine meadow lands, a fact which aided in the first settlement of the town. Part of the town is hilly, but not in sufficient area to destroy the value of the land.

Original Ownership

The territory now comprising the town of Medway originally belonged to the territory claimed by the Nipmuck Indians, once a very powerful tribe. Prior to King Philip's war this tribe became divided, one of the principal branches being the Natick. The negotiations with these Indians relative to the country in this vicinity were carried on mostly by the settlers of Medfield, a description of which is given in the chapter on that town. In addition, the early legal transactions of the Town of Medfield will answer for the earliest government of Medway, as the latter town was largely contained in Medfield when set aside from Dedham.

First Grant Of Land

In the year 1643 tne General Court of Massachusetts Bay granted to the Rev. John Allin 200 acres of wild land in the forest beyond the west bounds of Dedham. This is probably the first grant, at least the first recorded, in the territory which later was to become the Town of Medway. Reverend Allin, according to history, never occupied his land in person.

In 1649 Captain Robert Keaine (also spelled Kayne, Kaine and Keane), of Boston, received a grant of 1,074 acres to the north of the Allin farm. The line between Medfield and Sherborn afterwards drawn corresponded very nearly with the line between these two grants.

About the same time thirty-three acres of land were laid out "before Bridge Street." These seven lots were bounded on the east by the river and formed a tract later crossed by the turnpike. The first land on the west side of the river to be divided among the citizens of Medfield was the part known as the "broad meadows."' In 1653 Abraham Harding and Peter Adams had grants in Grape Meadow, east of the Black Swamp. In 1655 grants were also made to Benjamin Alby and Alexander Lovell.

The First Actual Settler

The first actual settler within the territory afterwards included in the Town of Medway was George Fairbanks. He came about the year 1657, although this date, as well as his birth and parentage, is buried in obscurity. The year 1657 is approximated only. Fairbanks was married on August 26, 1646 to Mary A. Harris in Dedham, raised a family of five children, and died January 10, 1682. On February 6, 1660, the Town of Medfield granted to Fairbanks "such timber for fencing as shall make 300 rails, with posts for it, as shall be set out by brother Wight and John Metcalf shall appoint him with what he has already fallen to make up 300 rails." This is the first mention of him in the town records. Fairbanks was not associated with the settlement of Medfield Plain, but purchased the land which in 1643 nad been granted to Reverend Allin by the General Court. So he held his land by purchase and not by town grant. His dwelling was the noted "stone house" near the north border of the pond. The location of his farm prevented Fairbanks from being listed as one of the Medfield proprietors in the division of the New Grant. In fact, his political and social activities were almost wholly confined to the town of Sherborn, where he once served as selectman. For at least seven generations the original farm remained in the hands of and was cultivated by Fairbanks' descendants. In 1660 it is recorded that his nearest neighbors were "Nicholas Woods, Daniel Morse, Henry Lealand, Thomas Holbrook and Thomas Bass."

In 1652 Nicholas Woods and Thomas Holbrook, both from Dorchester, settled on the west side of the river, between Death's Bridge and Holbrook's Mills. They were located one-half mile from each other, were beyond any town and were four miles from any English neighbors. In the same year, or soon afterward, Hopestill Lealand, seventy years of age, with his son Henry, came here from Dorchester. In 1658 John Hill and Thomas Breck located to the southwest of the above named, one-third of a mile north of Boggestow Pond. They were also from Dorchester. By marriage most of these men soon became related, forming a large family community. Thomas Bass appeared in the vicinity about 1660 and married Woods' daughter. It is probable that Benjamin Bullard resided nearby at this time.

Joseph Daniel was the second actual settler within the bounds of Medway. He was the son of Robert Daniel, of Cambridge or Watertown. He first became identified with Medfield, becoming a townsman there in 1662. His marriage to Mary Fairbanks on November 16, 1665, was the first in Medway, although that of Jonathan Adams and Elizabeth Fussell occurred the same year.

Prior to the year 1660 George Fairbanks was the only settler west of the river in what later was set off as the Town of Medway. John Fussell and his son-in-law, Jonathan Adams, were early settlers on the west side. William Allin probably located here about 1668, when be married Elizabeth Twitchell, daughter of Benjamin Twitchell. Allin died in 1736, when over ninety years of age. Before 1669 Peter Calley located near the Boggestow Pond. At the time of the burning of Medfield Abraham Harding was constructing his house in Medway territory. Josiah Rockwood in 1677 settled on the place later known as the Oak Grove farm. John Rockwood built his house here about the same time. John Richardson is first mentioned in the records of the town in 1678. Before 1680 Peter Adams probably had settled on the west side of the Charles. In his house the first public worship after the incorporation of Medfield was held. Samuel Daniel, brother of Joseph Daniel, settled in 1680 and after his death fifteen years later the farm was sold to Jasper Adams. Vincent Shuttleworth came to the territory in 1681. He was a deserter during the Indian wars and for the offense was fined a sum of £5 ; later, however, he further proved his worthlessness by becoming the first pauper of Medfield. John Partridge, John Adams and John Clark came in 1681. Samuel Hill appeared about 1693.

The tax list for the year 1693 gives the names of the following men then living in Medfield west of the river : John Adams, Jonathan Adams, Sr., Jonathan Adams, Jr., Peter Adams, John Clark, Joseph Daniel, Joseph Daniel, Jr., John Ellis, George Fairbanks, Jonathan Fisher, Abraham Harding, Samuel Hill, John Partridge, John Richardson, John Rockett and Josiah Rockett.

The Stone House

During the early days of settlement in the town of Medfield west of the river, later included in Medway, the settlers were compelled to devise some means for protection. The Indians were hostile and were burning, killing and pillaging throughout the neighborhood, so it became necessary for the men to act quickly in order to safeguard their families from destruction. Accordingly, a stone garrison house was constructed on the north side of Boggestow Pond. This stone blockhouse, or fort, was about sixty-five feet long and two stories in height, and was built of flat stones carried to the site. The house was lined with heavy white pine planking and a double row of loop-holes were cut clear around the four sides. The single door at the south end, facing the pond, served as an entrance and window. Here one could enter without over exposure to the enemy were he nearby. The upper story was arranged for the women's quarters, with a small sick room at one end.

It is known with certainty that George Fairbanks used this stone house as a residence. The precaution of the settlers proved to be very fortunate, for on several occasions the stone house was subjected to siege by the Indians, every time without success. The bullets were easily turned aside by the thick stone walls and the white men's fire in return prevented the enemy from venturing near.

First Lots Laid Out

Late in the year 1658 the town of Medfield voted to lay out certain uplands on the west side. These lands are described in the town records by the following sentences : "On the long plain to begin next to Boggestow River on that end." "At the further corner of our bounds by Charles River to begin next to the town." "In pine valley to begin at the north end and go through it." "At the end of pine valley on a parcel of land that the path goes through."

In the spring of 1659 fifteen lots were granted, in all one hundred and eighty acres. A highway was projected on the east side of the lots, running north and south. The lots were bounded on the east and west sides by waste lands and were taken up, beginning at Boggestow Brook, in the following order :

About the only one of the above men who became an inhabitant of the territory so set aside was Nicholas Rockwood, who, in his old age, came to live with his son John. The land was taken by the men from Medfield principally to provide homes for their sons, a few of whom later profited by their fathers' wisdom.

The New Grant

In the records of the town of Medfield occurs the following : "The Eleventh of May one Thousand six hundred fifty-nine, in answer to a petition of the town of Medfield presented to the General Court was granted by the court to the town of Medfield an addition of land at the west end of their former grant, as the record of the court will make appear."

In the Colonial Record for May, 1659, appears the following: "In answer to a petition of the inhabitants of Medfield, the court judgeth it meet to grant unto them as an addition to their former bounds and at the west end thereof two miles east and west and four miles north and south, provideth it entrench not upon any former grants, and that Captain Lusher and Lieutenant Fisher are hereby appointed to lay it out."

At the next annual town meeting of Medfield, February 6, 1660, the following vote was passed by those assembled : "It is ordered that the new grant made to the town this year by the court shall be divided by way of dividend to all the inhabitants of the town that are proprietors in the town and that it shall be divided by the common rules of division by number of persons and estates."

land. At a later town meeting, April 20, 1660, two highways were ordered to be laid through the new grant, one a half mile north of the Charles River from east to west and the other through "the midst of the tract of land from the way that runs west to a line to the north end of the same." These roadways divided the grant into three separate sections, known as the River, East and West Sections. The River Section was divided into twelve lots, including an area of 1,079 acres. The West Section was divided into nineteen lots, embracing 1,096 acres. The East Section was divided into sixteen lots, covering 1,658 acres. There were about 200 acres in the northeast corner of the grant which were undivided. The total cost of laying out this new grant was £19 6s. 5d.

Division Of Lots

The following table will show the names of those who received lots in the new grant, the order in which they received them and the amount of land in each :

Under the date of March, 1702, the Black Swamp, so called from the forest of pines covering the area, was ordered to be laid out into lots. The record is : "Voted, that the Black Swamp shall be laid out with such necks of uplands and ilands as shall make it f ormable by our former rules of laying out lands." There were one hundred and twenty-three landed proprietors listed, the following twenty-seven of whom were residents on the west side of the river: Jasper Adams, John Adams, Jonathan Adams, Jr., Peter Adams, Benjamin Allen, William Allen, John Clarke, Theophilus Clark, Timothy Clark, Ebenezer Daniel, Joseph Daniel, Joseph Daniel, Jr., John Ellis, Sr., George Fairbanks, Jonathan Fisher, Henry Guernsey, Abraham Harding, Samuel Hill, John Partridge, Samuel Partridge, Widow Rebecca Richardson, John Richardson, John Rockwood, Josiah Rockwood, Vincent Shuttleworth and Ebenezer Thompson.

Meeting House Strife

During the following decade or so there was a strong increase in the population on the west side of the river. The people at length became desirous of obtaining a separate meeting house for the west side of the river and so petitioned the Town of Medfield on May 7, 1712, for this privilege. Their petition was unsuccessful, so later the matter was carried to the General Court. This last petition was opposed vigorously, but met with colonial favor, and the General Court "recommended to the town of Medfield to raise money towards the building of another meeting house on the west side of the Charles River." This was opposed by a vote of the town and March 9, 17 13, "voted that the town shall petition the General Court, declaring their inability to build another meeting house in the town and to bare the charge attending it."

Incorporation

The General Court finally despatched a committee to look over the ground, with the view of establishing a new town west of the Charles River. This committee handed in a favorable report after their investigations. Judge Sewall wrote that .he "helped the selectmen prepare the bill for Medway, the new town on the west of Charles River." The act was passed the next day, October 25, 1713. Medway, in the order of incorporations, was the sixty-ninth town in the Massachusetts Colony. The Act of Incorporation itself, which is still preserved, reads as follows :

"Whereas the lands of the township of Medfield within the county of Suffolk are situated on the Charles River, to wit, on both sides of the said river, being divided by the same : and the town plat and principal settlement, as also the meeting house for the public worship of God, being seated on the east side for the accomadation of the first and ancient inhabitants, who are now much increased, many issued forth and settled on the west side of the river to a competent number for a distinct town of themselves, and labor under many hardships and difficulties by reason of separation by the river to enjoy equal benefit and town privileges with others of their fellow townsmen and neighbors, and have therefore made application to the town as also addressed this court to be made a distinct town. Committees appointed by this court having been upon the ground, viewed the land and reported in their favor for proper bounds to be set them.

"That all those lands lying on the west side of the Charles River, now part of the township of Medfield, be erected and made into a distinct and separate town by the name of Medway, the river to be the bound betwixt the two towns. And that the inhabitants of Medway have, use and exercise and enjoy all such power and privileges which other towns have, so by law use, exercise and enjoy. So that they procure and settle a learned, orthodox minister of good conversation among them and make provision for an honorable support and maintenance for him, and that in order thereto, they be discharged from further payment to the ministry in Medfield from and after the last day of February next.

"Provided also that all province and town taxes that are already levied, or granted, be collected and paid, and all town rights and common undivided lands remain to be divided among the interested as if no separation had been made.

"And Mr. George Fairbanks, a principal inhabitant of the said town of Medway, is hereby directed and empowered to notify and summon the inhabitants duly qualified for voters to assemble and meet together for the choosing of town officers to stand until the next annual election according to law. "A true copy - examined.

The first board of selectmen consisted of Samuel Partridge, Jonathan Adams, Sr., Jonathan Adams, Jr., Edward Clark and John Rockett, the latter also acting as the first clerk of the town.

The Name

Like many of the other towns in Norfolk County there are several reasons advanced for the naming of the town. Some traditional records have given the reason for the name Medway as the location of the town, lying midway between the meadow lands as it did. Another is that Medway was the half way stopping point on the old post road frorh Dedham to Mendon. Other authorities have placed the origin of the name as the Medway River in England.

The Original Founders

There were forty-eight men who were credited with the honor of being the founders of the town of Medway. The names of these men follow : Daniel Adams, Jasper Adams, John Adams, Jonathan Adams, Jonathan Adams, Jr.; Joseph Adams, Obadiah Adams, Peter Adams, James Allen, William Allen, John Barber, Joseph Barber, John Bullard, Malachi Bullard, William Burgess, Theophilus Clark, Timothy Clark, Edward Clark, Joseph Curtis, Ebenezer Daniel, Jeremiah Daniel, Joseph Daniel, Joseph Daniel, Jr., Samuel Daniel, John Ellis, Joseph Ellis, George Fairbanks, Henry Guernsey, Abraham Harding, Abraham Harding, Jr., John Harding, Thomas Harding, Samuel Hill, Samuel Hill, Jr., Ephraim Hill, Michael Metcalf, Samuel Metcalf, Benoni Partridge, John Partridge, Jonathan Partridge, Samuel Partridge, Daniel Richardson, John Richardson, John Rockwood, Josiah Rockwood, Ebenezer Thompson, Nathaniel Whiting and Nathaniel Wight.

Population

It is probable that at the time of incorporation the Town of Medway had a population of nearly 300 people. The first census taken, in the year 1765; gave the number of people as 785, including 380 males, 388 females and 17 negroes. By this same census there were 123 houses in the town. From that time until the present the different census figures have been as follows :

First Town Meeting

The first town meeting of Medway was held on November 23, 1713. The principal object of the meeting was to choose officers to serve until the following annual election. After making a choice for selectmen, town clerk and constable, matters relative to the meeting house were discussed and voted upon. The record states this as follows :

"Voted, That John Rockett and Jonathan Adams, Sr., Serg. Samuel Partridge and Serg. Jonathan Adams and Edward Clark to be a committee to take care to procure the meeting house built.

"Voted, that Abraham Harding, Sr., John Partridge and Theophilus Clark to procure and carry in a petition to the town clerk of Medfield in order to the procuring of accomadations for the setting of the meeting house upon the place commonly called bare hills, and some convenient accomadations for the minister thereabouts."

The above is an example of the character of the town records for the first half century of the town's existence. Church matters formed the principal business during this time.

For the first thirteen years of municipal life the town was not represented in the Provincial Court. The town had taken a vote on December 3, 1713, "to send none, accounting ourselves not obliged to send any." This rule was followed until 1726, when the town named Jonathan Adams as the first representative to the General Court.

were ordered to be laid out through the new grant, dividing the same into three sections. The first lot, obtained by Ralph Wheelock, was located just where the village of Medway now stands. The records of the town, under date of April 13, 1 661, state:

"Whereas the way leading through the new grant from east to west is found not passable nor capable of being made so, it is therefore agreed on, and also laid out by the men that were deputed thereunto that the way is to assent (ascend) the hill by the river and thence to cross the lot of Mr. Ralph Wheelock to the side line of John Metcalf, by a little pine standing on a stony ridge and so to turn down by John Metcalf's side line to the other way at the head of his lot, which is a matter of forty rods and to be four rods wide." At this time there was no road from the Great Bridge westward, except that which is described as "the path up into the wilderness," which had been surveyed as a highway, part of it being across Wheelock's lot.

"Tune 4, 1715. The selectmen met at the house of Nathaniel Wight to lay out highways for the benefit of this town, and for the convenience of travelers to pass from town to town as follows : begin in the country road that leads to Mendon near twenty rods east from Nat Wight's, upon a straight line across part of the plain known by the name of Stony Plain, and cross a swamp place commonly called Paradise Island, and by the southeast side of Ebenezer Thompson's field on to bare hill along at the southwest end of the meeting house to the laid out highway through the plain commonly known by the name of hills."

The old Mendon road from east to west was laid out in 1670. This was afterward the county road, along which Washington rode on his way to Cambridge to take command of the American Army in 1775. It is also said that while passing through this town he stopped at Richardson's Hotel in the east parish to dine.

By an act of incorporation, passed March 9, 1804, the Hartford and Dedham Turnpike Corporation was established. A turnpike was constructed through the town from east to west, called the Hartford turnpike. The road was opened for travel in 1807 and toll gates built. One was built near the old Hammond Place, now marked by the railroad crossing in Millis. Tolls were collected for a score of years.

The Medford turnpike was laid out and established as a public highway June 4, 1838, and received the name of Main Street. It extended from Medfield to Bellingham. The old county road, the oldest highway in the town at present, was given the name of Village Street.

The first postoffice in the town was established at Medway Village in the spring of 1803. Capt. William Felt was appointed the first postmaster. His first quarterly return was made July 1, 1803, Gideon Granger being postmaster-general. The office was kept in the store of Captain Felt and the mail was carried by a post rider who went over the route once each week. The office was afterward transferred to Sanford Hall.

The second postoffice in the town was established in East Medway (now Millis) March 17, 1819. Timothy Hammond was appointed the first postmaster. At first the office was kept at the house of Adam Bullard.

The fourth postoffice in the town was established February 23, 1838, in Rockville. Deacon Timothy Walker was appointed the first postmaster here.

Municipal Improvement

From the unimproved lands, ungraded roadways and unsatisfactory buildings of the early times the town of Medway has developed into a community of modern things, including improved and level roads, well kept estates, excellent business blocks and beautiful residences. In scenic beauty Medway is in the first rank of Norfolk County towns. Like the neighboring town of Medfield the foresight of past generations in matters such as tree planting has been of great benefit to the present generation. Water works, electricity and adequate sewerage are but a few of the municipal improvements added to Medway within the last forty years.

Sanford Hall in the village of Medway was erected in the year 1872 at a cost of about $16,000. It was dedicated December 31, 1872, and named for the largest donor to the building fund, Milton A. Sanford, of New York, who was born in Medway. Theodore W. Fisher, M. D., of Boston, gave an historical address on the occasion and Rev. R. K. Harlow made the address of dedication.

Partridge Hall in Millis (then East Medway) was erected in 1876. The building of this hall was largely through the efforts and material aid of the family whose name it bears today.

Another feature of the town of Medway is the library known as the Dean Public Library, which was founded by Dr. Oliver Dean and incorporated March 3, i860. The East Medway Circulating Library was established about forty years ago.

On March 4, 1700, the town of Medfield voted that "the inhabitants on the west side of the Charles River shall have two acres of land for a burying place, where they and a committee chosen by the selectmen for that end shall order it in any of the town commons there." This ground, according to the available records, was not laid out until the town was incorporated, but burials were made in Medfield and in the southern part of Sherborn. The voters of Medway met at the house of Peter Adams, October 29, 17 14, and a vote passed to locate a burying ground on Bare Hill, within forty rods of the meeting house. A committee was appointed, consisting of George Fairbanks, Zachariah Partridge and John Richardson, to confer with the committee from Medfield upon the question of laying out this cemetery. This cemetery was the first and for many years the only one in the town of Medway.

The second cemetery laid out was in the west precinct, about the time of the erection of the first church in 1750. Oakland Cemetery, near Medway, was the third burying ground in the town. This ground was consecrated June 20, 1865.

It may be said here that the first burial in Oakland Cemetery was that of Mrs. Mary Darling, who died October 26, 1865, at the age of one hundred and two years.

Items Of Interest

Wild animals in the earliest days of settlement were a source of constant annoyance to the settlers. In 1730, in the vicinity of Winthrop Pond, bears became troublesome and many hunting parties were organized to search for them. The records show that in 1737 Seth Harding was paid one pound for killing a wild cat. In 1742 £ig us 6d were ordered to be paid for the slaughter of 817 squirrels and 684 blackbirds. The last deer killed in the vicinity was in 1747 and the last panther was seen about 1790.

Among the notable men who have been attributed to Medway was William T. Adams, author, known by his nom de plume of "Oliver Optic." Oliver Optic was born July 30, 1822. He became noted during his productive period as a writer of juvenile literature, many of his works now being considered classics in that particular style of authorship.

On March 3, 1792 the bounds between Medway and Sherborn were established. On June 25, 1792, a part of Medway was annexed to the town of Franklin. The bounds between the latter two towns were fixed on November 13th of the same year. On March 3, 1829, the bounds between Medway and Holliston were established and a part of each town was annexed to the other town. Bounds were again established between Medway and Franklin on February 23, 1832, and on March 13, 1839, part of Franklin was annexed to Medway. On February 23, 1870, part was set off to Norfolk, and on February 24, 1885, the eastern part was incorporated as the Town of Millis.

The records of the town contain many significant items during the time of the tea tax, which resulted in the Boston Tea Party. In March, 1770, the town voted that the inhabitants "will forbear the purchasing of tea and wholly restrain themselves from the use of it, upon which there is a duty laid by the Parliament of Great Britain and also that they will forbear the purchasing of any goods knowingly, directly or indirectly of any importer - until the revenue acts shall be repealed." In December, 1773, the selectmen were ordered to grant no favors or privileges to "inn-holders and retailers of strong liquors in this town from all such persons that shall buy, use and consume any tea in their homes while subject to duties." Throughout the records there are many other items which prove the patriotism and loyalty of the town of Medway. The use of His Majesty's name was first abolished from the town records in March, 1776.

The tax list for 1783 contained the names of 216 residents and 98 nonresidents. The poll tax at this time was 2s 6d. The principal taxpayers were : Asa P. Richardson, £1 2s 9d ; Capt. Joseph Lovell, £1 3s 8d ; and Nathaniel Lovell, £1 8d. In 1795 Federal money first came into use and the town finances were recorded in dollars, cents and mills for the first time.