Bedford Town (part 3 of 4)

Besides the pews, there \\-as the pulpit, far up above the floor, and reached by a winding stairway on the west side, next to the minister's pew. The desk projected into the audience room, after the style of a shelf, and beneath it were the deacons' seats. The minister was elevated about ten feet above the congregation, and the deacons' seats Avere slightly elevated. These men of distinction sat facing the people, and apart from their families. This custom originated from their duties of "Deaconing" off the hymns, and lasted long after that service was abandoned.

The rustic condition of the meeting-house remained until after the Revolutionary War, with the exception of a few needed repairs. In 1767, "Voted to shingle the fore side of the meeting house and do it with eighteen inch shingles and lay them but five inches and a half to the weather and that it be well done and done by tlie last of Sept. next and that they also mend the back side."

A vivid description of this meeting-house, as it ajipeared at the opening of the present century, was given by Eev. Dr. William A. Stearns, late president of Amherst College, in an address delivered at Bedford in 1868, from which the following is taken : -

The first meeting-house stood on the north side of the Common, very near the road, tlie west end facing towards the village. It was painted, or rather was covered, or rather half covered, - for the paint was nearly worn off, - with a thin coat of dark, dirty yellow. It had no bell, steeple, tower, or cupola. The luiderpinning was constnicted mostly of small stones, some of which the boys would easily remove when they were playing "hide and seek," and crawl under it. There were three outer doors, one opening south, one towards the east, and one towards the west. At each door was a horse-block, designed for the special accommodation of ladies, who often rode to church on a pillion behind their husbands or fathers.

In the interior of the house, the pulpit stood on the north side, next the road. In the front was a gallery of pews ; on the left hand, a gallery of long seats, which the singers occupied: on the right, a gallery, filled mostly by single men, who had no other seat; up back, high in the corners, or cock loft, as they called it, were the negro pews, rarely occupied by more than one oi' two of that class of worshippers. Up over the front gallery, in the ceiling, -was a scuttle, opening, if it ever was opened, into the roof. It had a mysterious look to children, and I used to hear it said sometimes in the village that it was the place where the tithing-man put naughty boys. I believe the town powder was kept up there for some years. The pews below were sipiare, high, and with bannisters under the railing, which the children, when standing, could look through, and would amuse themselves with turning and squeaking when they could do it with impunity. The seats of the pews, rarely cushioned, were hung on hinges, so that they could be turned up for comfort in standing dui-ing the long prayer, "which often reached half an horn' in length." Oh, I remember, as though it were yesterday, bow those old seats used to come clattering down when the prayer was over, as if they were saying, according to the different spirit of the worshippers, "Amen, amen; glad you are done, glad you are done; amen!" The house never had a fire in it, and in the winter, oh, how cold! I see the minister, with the thermometer down to zero, with coat, cloak, and gloves on, and handkerchief round his neck, till thawed out by the warmth of his subject, he threw some of them off. I hear the men, in such weather, knocking their feet together, here and there over the house, during the latter half of the sermon, as if they were saying, "Oh, do stop; I shall freeze to death if you do not say. Amen, soon!" I hear the windows rattle, and the howl of the storm without, and almost shiver just as I used to, as I sat, curled up in solemn endurance, looking sometimes wishfully at the foot-stove, which it was my privilege to carry, but, being a boy, not often to enjoy.

Foundation member.'! of the church, July 15, 1730 : Nicholas Kowes, Joseph French, William Hartwell, John Hartwell, Nathaniel Merriam, Daniel Davis, Daniel Taylor, James Wheeler, Stejahen Davis, Richard Wheeler, Daniel Cheever, Eleazer Davis, Jonathan Bacon, Obed Abbott, Nathaniel Page, Jr., John Lane, Jacob Kendall, Christopher Page, Thomas Dinsmore, Benjamin Kidder, Josiah Fassett. (Lemuel Shattuck, historian of Concord, credits eleven of the last twelve to Billerica, and later authorities add the last name to the list of that town.)

Of Church of Christ (Unitarian) and First Parish : Rev. Mr. Davis, Rev. Robert Wolcott, Rev. Joshua Chandler, Rev. George W. Woodward, Rev. Jason Whitman, Rev. William Cushing, Rev. George W. Webster, Rev. Grindall Reynolds ; a period of stated supply, including the ministrations of Rev. Charles F. Russell, Rev. Thomos G. Milsted, and others ; Rev. Geo. F. Piper, Rev. Samuel Andrew Dyberg (ordained and installed Dec. 10, 1890).

Of Church of Christ (Evangelical) and Trinitarian Congregational Society : Rev. Samuel Stearns (died in office). Rev. Jonathan Leavitt, Rev. S. Hopkins Emery, Rev. Oren Sikes (died in office). Rev. Henry J. Patrick, Rev. William J. Batt, Rev. George Lewis, Rev. Edward Chase, Rev. Otis D. Crawford, Rev. George E. Lovejoy, Rev. Howard A. Hanaford, Rev. Edwin Smith.

Phinehas W. Chamber! William A. Stearns, Thaddeus H. Davis, Isaac P. Bacon, George S. Skelton, Henry A. Gleason, Moses E. Eowe, George P. Davis,

Chapter Xxiv

Such parts of the frame of the first house of worship as could be utilized in the second were placed in the frame of that structure, and the building contains reminders of the primeval forest. When the second meeting-house was completed the spire reached the height of one hundred feet from the surface of the ground, and was regarded as a superior specimen of the architecture of the day, which opinion is endorsed by modern architects. The house still stands as a monument of the perseverance, fidelity and self-sacrifice of the people of Bedford.

This house was more distinctly a house of worship, as all matters of a secular nature were forbidden by a vote of the town. It retains its original appearance on the outside, with the exception of the south end. There were windows for the benefit of the congregation on either side of the pulpit and a means for lighting the desk ; but these were all removed at the first season of repairing after the separation, and the high pulpit with its surroundings was substituted by one of more more modern design. A later act was to shut off the galleries from the room below ; and at the most recent repairing, mentioned elsewhere, a touch of modern art was given to the interior of the house. A plan is now (April, 1891) soon to be carried out, whereby a partial return to the original inside plan will be made, and much waste room will be utilized for social purposes.

The following is the list of purchasers of the pews when the house was completed, with prices paid. It will be seen that several individuals

Name Of Purchaser. Sum Total Sold For

Dea. Moses Fitch was chosen to give the deeds of the pews in behalf of the town, and his daughter, Rachel, very skilful with the pen, wrote the entire number.

The people were contented to remain through the long services, both of forenoon and afternoon, in the meeting-house, with no fire, until about 1830, when the question of introducing some heating apparatus was agitated ; but it met with severe opposition and defeat at first.

The first innovation was a clumsy machine to furnish heat for the pulpit, so as to enable the. minister to warm his fingers sufficiently to turn the leaves of his manuscript. The congregation retained their home-made mittens, and shivered on until a later date.

On Xov. 8, 1832, several of the citizens met at " Fuller's Tavern," and organized the Trinitarian Congregational Society. They at once proceeded to build a house of worship on land given by Jeremiah Fitch. This was enlarged by adding a chapel in later years. In the progress of time the house required a thorough renovation, which it received in 1886. A needle spire was placed upon the body of the house, ten memorial windows were substituted for the original plain glass, an apartment was added for social purposes, and the whole was completely furnished with modern appliances.

The first service held in the renovated house was that of the rededication, on Sept. 30, 1886. Then the sons and daughters of the town came home and made merry together under the roof built by the fathers fifty-tliree years before. Order of exercises : -

With joy to-day the children meet Beneath the roof their fathers built; With thankful hearts our song we raise To Him who guided all their ways.

A Christian band those builders were; Their deeds of valor oft were told ; Then, too, shall we no longer wait To lionor them whose work was great.

Collation and social reunion from 5 to 7 p. m. Evening service at 7: Singing by Temple Quartette, of Boston ; short addresses by former pastors and representatives of the founders of the church.

Parsonage. - In the days when the settlement of a minister meant a lifetime of service, " a settlement fee " was given in addition to the regular salary. This was to enable the pastor to provide his own dwelling ; and not infrequently the preacher conducted the affairs of his own farm. This was the case with the four ministers settled by this town.

Brief pastorates at length rendered this custom impracticable for clergj'men in general; and the difticulty of securing suitable tenements, at times, prompted several gentlemen, members of the Trinitarian Congregational Society, to purchase the estate on the corner of JIain and South Streets for the use of the minister of the society. This property was held by the company for a while, but in the year 1872, after the death of Dea. Amos Hartwell, through the proposition of his widow it was given to the Trinitarian Congregational Society. The donors were -

Mrs. Louisa Hartwell . ' Benjamin F. Hartwell Phinehas W. Chaml>erlin Samuel Davis .... Thaddeus H. Davis ilrs. Mary A. Putnam . Jonathan A. Lane Josiah A. Stearns Marcus A.Latham, Moses E. Rowe, Charles L. Wait, in equal shares,

Chapter Xxv

The clergymen and physicians have constituted the larger part of the resident professional men ; and during the first century and a quarter of the town's corporate history it furnished more clergymen than it called to service here.

The legal profession was not represented here until a comparatively recent date. Those who held commissions as justices of the peace performed all ordinary legal duties, and the title of " Squire " was sufficient to command the respect and confidence of the people. Two lawyers have recently located in town. They are both grandsons of Bedford, their mothers being natives.

Elihu G. Loomis, son of Rev. Elihu Loomis and R. Augusta Lane, fitted for college at Lawrence Academy, Groton, and Phillips Academy, Andover ; graditated from Amherst College in 1874; studied law with George W. Morse, of Boston, and at law school of Boston University ; admitted to Suffolk County bar in 1878. (See Gen. Sec.)

George R. Blinn, son of John F. Blinn and Susan L. Dutton, was born in Charlestown, July 11, 1859 ; graduated from Harvard College in 1885 ; admitted to Suffolk County bar in February, 1887. He married, June 3, 1886, Clara Augusta Pollard, of South Newmarket, N.H.

Physicians. - Dr. John Fassett was the first resident physician. Shattuck says he was from Harvard ; if so, he must have been a temporary resident of that town, as he was born in Billerica (probably Bedford side) in 1670 (see family sketch), and married, in 1697, Mary Hill, of Billerica. He was helpful in organizing the town, and was the first treasurer. He died Jan. 80, 1736, in the sixty-seventh year of his age.

Dr. Joseph Ballard was the second physician. He was from Lancaster, in 1767. He married Sarah Simonds, and had Sarah, Joseph, and Benjamin (the namesake of the father became a physician). He was a faithful servant of the town, and was a delegate to the Provincial Congress, at Concord, in 1774. He died Jan. 29, 1777. His widow removed to Buckland, Franklin County, and married a physician. When Dr. Ballard located in town he was legally warned out, but persisted in remaining, and became a useful citizen. (See page 33.)

Dr. Amariah Preston was born Feb. 5, 1758. In 1777 he entered the Continental army, and served three years. In 1790 he settled in Bedford, and married Hannah Reed. He was the honored physician of the town for forty-five years, and enjoyed the confidence of the people, whom he faithfully served. He was a justice of the peace, and wrote the trio of wills by which the " Page and Hartwell Fund " was established in the town. He died in Lexington, Oct. 29, 1853, aged ninety-five years, eight months. Dr. Preston was an ardent patriot from youth ; having given three years of life in the cause of liberty, he shrank from no service in town, state, or nation that became a patriot's duty. In the ninety-fifth year of his age the old love of freetlom was rekindled within him throiigh the visit to the United States of Louis Kossuth, former governor of Hungary, who fled from his country to escape the cruelty of Austria. While he was a guest at Lexington, May 7, 1852, the venerable man addressed him as follows: "Although nothing impedes the rapid progress of time, or delays the increase of age, but all pass rapidly to be numbered with the years beyond the flood, yet liberty, like a genial star, remains behind to bless the world; and when sought by the greatest of patriots, even by a "Washington, although it came enveloped in garments of blood, was received with joy and gratitude, and is now enjoyed by the millions of inhabitants of the United States of America. It is my heart's desire that Heaven's blessing may rest on you, and shield your cause, till not Hungary only shall be liberated and set free from tlie tyranny and oppression of despots, but that liberty - true, unsophisticated liberty - with increasing splendor, shall enlighten the world."

Dr. Bela Gardner, who was born in Littleton, was one of thirteen children of Abel, of Hingham, who was a blacksmith and a soldier of the Revolution. His grandfather was Jacob, who had ten children. Richard, of the "Maj'fiower," is supposed to have been the head of the family in this country. Dr. Bela was born July 28,

1796 ; married, April 24, 1823, Hannah, daughter of David Fitch and Hannah I'roctor. She died Jan. 20, 1844 (see epitaph). He died June 27, 1844, and was buried in South Burial Ground, Boston. Dr. Gardner was self-educated, taught school when young, and studied medicine with Dr. Paul Kittridge, of Lowell. He came to Bedford about 1820, and began the practice of liis profession, which he followed till death. He was a respected member of the Masonic fraternity. Of the eight children of Dr. Bela Gardner and Hannah Fitch, four died young; Mary died in 1889 ; William lives in Iowa, Martha in Illinois, and Samuel A. is in California. He was left an orphan when quite young, and spent some years with his aunt, Mrs. Mary Fitch Hartwell, of this town. A more than ordinary desire for an education led him to bend his energies in that direction, and through indomitable perseverance he has accomplished much in the realm of letters. He is a prominent clergyman of the Universalist denomination, was ordained at Mendota, 111., Dec. 2, 1868, and is now settled over a society in the State of California. He has travelled in the old world, and published several valuable works.

Dr. Abel B. Adams was son of Seth Adams and Betsey Bryant, born Aug. 23, 1811, in Wayland, Mass. He received his early education in that town. He was a graduate of Harvard Medical School, and commenced practice of the medical profession in Bedford in 1837. He married, April 25, 1841, Susan Merriam, daughter of John Merriam, Esq. Their children were Edward B , born July 16, 1843, died Jan. 18, 1866 ; Mary F., born April 22, 1850, died March 7, 1876; Merriam, born Feb. 10, 1856, died Sept. 5, 1856 ; S. Augusta, born July 16, 1858, married George H. Reed, of Lexington ; Alfred, born March 20, 1863, died Aug. 19, 1876. Dr. Adams was a successful physician, and an honored citizen of this town and of Lexington, to which town he removed in 1865. He died Aug. 13, 1884.

Henry Shaw, M. D., was born in Raynham, Mass., Sept. 12, 1829. He was a son of Linus H. and Louisa A. Shaw. His early education was acquired in the common schools, he completed a medical course at Harvard University in 1856, and was surgeon in the United States navy from 1862 to 1868. He began the practice of medicine at Bedford in 1868, where he continued until 1882. He left this for a position on the State Board of Charities, and since 1875 has been connected with the charities of the city of Boston. During his residence in this town the Bedford Free Public Library Corporation was organized (1876). The formation t)f this excellent iiistituti( n was due to his perseverance more than to the etforts of any other citizen : and the superior collection of books is largely due to his literary taste and good judgment. His thorough knowledge of parliamentary law led the people to select liim to serve as moderator of their deliberative assemblies. He was a prominent worker in the Unitarian society of the town. He married, in 1856, Jane M., daughter of Hiram and Betsey Taft, of Upton. Children : Charles J., born at Sudbury, 1857, married Lizzie Gehring, has two children; Nelly L., born at Leominster, 1859, married William A. Mason, has three children ; Jennie, born at Leominster, 1860 ; Henry E., born at Upton, 1862 ; Alice M., born at Framingham, 1866.

Stephen Andrew Wood, M. D., was born in Lowell, Dec. 22, 1851, and was a son of Stephen, who was born in Dracut, March 3, 1818, and Louisa Ann, daughter of Aaron Andrew, M. D., of Boston, born Oct. 17, 1821. Stephen Andrew represents the fifth generation of this Wood family in this country. The line is : Robert, Solomon, Stephen, Stephen, Stephen A. His early education was somewhat broken, owing to the changes of residence of parents. It was acquired in Lowell, Westford, Dunstable, Groton, and North Chelmsford, and in Lowell again at the opening of the War of the Rebellion, and later in Nashua, N.H., where he graduated from Crosby Academy in 1869 ; and this was sujiplemented by a course at McCoy's Commercial College in Lowell. He began the study of medicine in 1872 with Herman J. Smith, M.D., city physician of Lowell at that time, and continued the course with Norman Smith, M.D., of Nashua, N.H. He entered the New York University in 1875, taking a two years' course. Being obliged to depend upon his own resources for the pursuit of his chosen profession, he accepted the position of city messenger of Nashua and messenger of county court, New Hampshire, in 1878, and remained there until December, 1883, at the same time continuing the study of medicine under the direction of George W. Courier, M.D., of Nashua. He was a justice of the i>eace during this stay in New Hampshire. He graduated from the Medical University of Vermont, in class of June, 1884 (of which he was an honorary member) ; in July was admitted a member of the New Hampshire Medical Society, and in September following to the membership of Massachusetts Medical Society. He began the practice of medicine at Bedford, Nov. 10, 1884. He became a member of Granite Lodge, I.O.O.F., and Nashowon Encampment, in 1S7(); of Nashua

Lodge of K. of P. in 1880, and of Rising Sun Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons in 1882. He was a charter member of Bedford Comniandery, U.O.G.C. in 1889. He united with the Baptist Church of Burlington, Vt., in June, 1884, and by letter with the Bedford Trinitarian Church in 1885. Stephen A. Wood married, July 3, 1872, Adrianna, daughter of Charles G. and Hannah P. Fletcher, of Groton. Child : Fannie A. L., born May 21, 1874, at Nashua, N.H.

College Graduates. - David Lane, son of James Lane (see Epitaph and Gen. Sec.) ; Job Lane, 3d, son of Job Lane, Jr., Yale, 1764 ; Oliver Wellington Lane, son of Capt. James Lane (see Gen. Sec.) ; James Converse, son of Josiah Converse, 1779 ; Samuel Horatio Stearns, son of Rev. Samuel Stearns, 1823, Harvard (see Gen. Sec.) ; William Augustus Stearns, son of Rev. Samuel Stearns, 1827, Harvard (see Gen. Sec.) f Jonathan French Stearns, son of Rev. Samuel Stearns, 1830, Harvard (see Gen. Sec.) ; Edward Josiah Stearns, son of Elijah Stearns, Esq., 1833, Harvard (see Gen. Sec.) ; Elijah W. Steaans, son of Elijah Stearns, Esq., 1838, Harvard (see Gen. Sec.) ; Ebenezer Sjierry Stearns, son of Rev. Samuel Stearns, 1841, Harvard (see Gen. Sec.) ; Alfred P. Johnson, 1861, Harvard ; Ernest H. Hosmer, 1886, Harvard ; Francis Warren Bacon, 1890, Harvard; Annie M. Smith, 1890, Wellesley; Bessie S. Samjison, 1890, Jlount Holyoke ; Edwin R. Smith, 1887, Williams.

As we complete this section but a few weeks before the close of the school year, the graduating class of 1891 is given : Frederick A. Laws, M. Alice Piper, Jennie N. Murry, M. Lenore Flint.

Chapter Xxvi

Rkdford did not seek for notoriety in the legislative halls, but did not fail of laeing ably represented in seasons of great moment. John Reed, Esq., who had served the town in 1776, was again elected in 1783. Hostilities had ceased in the field, the treaty of peace had been signed in Paris, and proclaimed to tlie people on the eighth anniversary of the battle of Concord ; but questions of great importance were to be decided. The Tory element was to be dealt with. The animosity which the refugees had aroused in their former brethren and fellow citizens, for declining to take part in the struggle for independence, still actuated many. At the May meeting the town voted "to give the representative five shillings per day for his services while he attends the court." A letter was received from the town of Boston, dated April 10, 1783, relating to the return of absentees and conspirators, and the town chose a committee to instruct their representative, consisting of Dea. Stephen Davis, John Merriam, William Merriam, Lieut. Timothy Jones, Capt. Christopher Page, and Timothy Page. After an adjournment for one week, the committee reported, and the representative received his instructions. The records fail to give the language of the instructions, but the war record of the town as a whole, and of each member of the committee, leaves no place for doubt that the instructions embodied the ])rinciples for which they had fought.

The constitution provided that each town then incorporated might elect one representative, and the House of Representatives had power to impose a fine upon towns neglecting to choose. The day of election was made a festive occasion. It was the housekeeper's limit for spring renovation, and " 'lection cake " was an indispensable luxury of the day, and continued to be served in many homes years after the day had ceased to be of political interest.

The selectmen who signed the first election returns under the new form of government, were John Merriam, William Page, William Merriam, James Wright, Joseph Convers. Tlirough amendments to tiie Constitution the political year was made to begin on the first Wednesday of January, the election having taken place on the Tuesday after the first Monday in the November previous.

May 2d, 1777, Stephen Hartwell for hiering .Soldiers, 0 6 8 " " 1777, John Reed Esq. For hiering Soldiers, Ih 0 0 " " " Joseph Hartwell For hiering Soldiers, 15 1.5 0 " " " Oliver Reed For hiering Soldiers, 15 0 0 " " " Josiah Davis For hiering Soldiers, 15 0 0 " " " Dea. Stephen Davis For hiering

April ;!d, 1777, Eleazer Davis for hiering Soldiers, 7 10 0 May 28d, 1777, William Merriam For hiering Soldiers, 6 0 0 " '- " William Merriam six load Wood

Chaptek Xxvii

It was a custom of our ancestors to share their bounties with the minister, and cases are not infrequent in this town where the spiritual leader was remembered by parishioners in their last bequests. These acts were not regarded by the donors as altogether gratuitous, but as the just desert of the one who labored for the good of the community and received but a limited salary. They were of much Iielp to the ministers in maintaining tlieir families and educating their children.

Rev. Nicholas Bowes was favored with several bequests when the people were struggling to establish the necessary institutions of the town. In 1751 he received, by the will of Mrs. Susannah Dean, " ten pound Lawful money."

Rev. Samuel Stearns was often remembered in this way, and peculiarly favored in the gifts of domestic supplies. His memoranda of presents during the first year of housekeeping, published by his son, Rev. William A. Stearns, must be of interest to the descendants of the families of a century ago. It is evident that some peojde recognized the Jewish obligation to give a tenth of their income.

30th May, 1797. Dea. Wright, 1 cheese, 3 lbs. of butter, 3 fowls, and sundry small articles. Mr. Fassett, 1 bushel rye and a cheese. Mr. Nathaniel Page, 1 bushel rye meal and 1 bushel potatoes. Col. Jones, 4 fowls.

.June 1. Mr. .Solomon Lane, 1 spare rib of pork. Mr. William Page, a bushel and a half of rye meal, and the same quantity of Indian, and a bag of potatoes. Mr. Oliver Reed, 1 bushel Indian corn and a large cheese.

roasting piece of beef, f'apt. Webber, salt pork and some green sauce. Widow Merriam, 6 lbs. tallow. Mr. Hartwell, piece salt pork and 111 pigeons.

Esq. Reed, a quarter of lamb. Mr. N. Page, quarter of lamb. Esq. Jones, a leg of lamb, apples, and cabbages. Dea. Davis, 1 doz. pigeons, 1 cheese, and some apples. Mr. Benjamin Bacon, 6 lbs. beef. Widow Lane,

2 lbs. butter. Mrs. Fitch, 1 lb. butter. Mr. O. Reed, 1 quarter pork. Esq. Jones, }£ bushel onions. Mr. Samuel Hartwell, 1 bbl. cider. Dea. Davis, 1 bbl. cider and a bushel apples. Mr. Lane, 1 lb. butter. Mrs. Fitch, 2 lbs. butter. Mr. John Lane, a piece of fresh pork. Mr. David Page, S lbs. butter. Capt. Page,

6 lbs. salt pork. Solomon Lane, 1 lb. butter. David Page, Jr., 40 lbs. beef. Mr. Page, 3 lbs. beef. Mr. Thomas Abbott, Jr., 1 quarter lamb. Oliver Reed,

1 quarter lamb. Thamas Page, 1 quarter lamb. Esq. Reed, 1 quarter lamb. Edward Stearns, 6 lbs. beef. Mr. Fitch, 7 or 8 cabbages. Dea. Merriam, 6 lbs. of pork and a leg of lamb. Capt. Page, 8 lbs. beef and 6 lbs. butter. Dea. Wright, 5 lbs. butter and 1 dozen cabbages. Mr. Jolui Reed, 3 lbs. butter, 8 lbs. pork,

Mr. Stearns, 1 bushel beets. Mr. Fassett, .5 lbs. butter, 1 cheese, and 2 doz. candles. Mr. Hartwell, some apples. Mr. Ball, 3 lbs. butter. Mr. Bowers, 1 leg pork, 1.5 lbs. Mr. liane, 7 lbs. pork and 14 candles. Mr. Samuel Lane, Jr., 0 lbs. beef. Mr. Hill, 6% lbs. beef. Capt. Webber, 6 lbs. butter. Capt. Page, 1 goose. Mr. Moses Fitch, 1 goose. Mr. Moses Abott, 1 goose. Col. Jones, 10 lbs. beef. Mr. Bacon, 8 lbs. beef. Mr. Henry Abbott, 2 qts. brandy. Dea. Wright, a large sparerib.

Capt. Page, 1 leg pork, John Reed, Jr., 5 lbs. pork. Mr. S. Hartwell, 1 doz. sausages, a cheese, and 2 lbs. butter. Dea. Davis, 1 lb. butter, 7 lbs. pork, doz. eggs. Mr. B. Bacon, 1 lb. butter and cheese. Esq. Reed, 1 cheese. Mr. Wright, 10 lbs. jjork. Stephen Lane, leg of pork. S. Hartwell, pork, 15 lbs. Moses Abbott, pork. Capt. Weljber, butter, 12 veal. Esq. Eeed, a day's work oxen and plough, and half a day's work of himself.

Moses AbliotI, Jr., a quantity of sauce. Oliver Reed, 1 bushel lye. Wm. Page, 1 quarter of veal, 17 lbs. Mr. Wright, a sparerib of pork. Esq. Reed, 10 lbs. of pork and a calf's harslet. Esq. Reed, 1 day's work of oxen. Mr. John Reed, Jr., 1 day's work with himself and cart.

The pastor received annually from the town twenty cords of wood, the preparation of which for the fire furnished one of the merriest occasions of the year.

Bakberev Pest. - It was a general belief in the provinces, about the middle of the eighteenth century, that the decline in the production of certain varieties of English grain was due to the barberry pest, and a law was enacted in 17r)4 for its extermination.

Every owner of land was reqitired to clear it of the barberry bush ; and the selectmen were required to clear the roads and common grounds, in order to make the extermination thorough and effectual. The law imposed quite a burden upon the farmers and a drain upon the treasury of this town, as the bush had become very common here. Scientists do not class the barberry with native plants, but it was early found in New England where the soil is conducive to its rapid propagation. Among the Lane papers is a letter from Mary Belcher to Whipple, in 1640, in which is the following : " If you can get me a few barberis & send at rowlah you will do me a kindness."

Chapter Xx Viii

In some towns the annals are incomplete, - portions having been lost by lire or other calamities, - but in Bedford the records are continuous from the beginning of the town.

In the early years there was some laxness on the part of certain families in tlie returns of births, marriages and deaths, but this defect is corrected in a measure by the record kept by Rev. Nicholas Bowes. His record of baptisms often enables one to supply a deficiency in tliat of births kept by the clerk of the town. The almost universal custom of baptizing an infant on the Sabbath following the birth makes it possible to fill some blanks with comparative certainty.-^ Where both church and town records fail, a gravestone often furnishes the record of a person whose life was spent in the town. The first record of the church was kept in a book the pages of which are six inches by eight, and bound in vellum or parchment, which has become very loose, and several of the leaves containing records are missing, viz. : In the record of baptisms all between Sept. 29, 1745, and Jan. 20, 1751, also between Sept. 27, and Nov. 1, 1741, are lost.

The characteristics of Rev. Joseph Penniman are seen very distinctly in his records, and they are not as reliable ; but his successor, Rev. Samuel Stearns, kept a perfectly reliable record in a thoroughly systematic manner. The record of deaths kept by Rev. Nicholas Bowes shows that during the first quarter of a century there were one hundred and seventy-three deaths in all, the average for a year being seven. The largest number in any one year was twenty, in the year 174'J. There were fifteen in 1750 and sixteen in 1754. (By referring to the chapter on^ejntephs it will be seen that this great mortality *\vaS" among the children ; it covered the years when the throat distemper thwarted the skill of physicians.) The smallest number in any one year was two, in 1732; there were four in 1751.

The town records are in a good state of preservation, but still remain iu the form of manuscripts, and are thus liable to be lost, as only the original copy is possessed, with the exception of the first book of births, marriages, and deaths. A copy of this has been made by the accurate hand of Mr. George Tolman, of Concord, and presented to the town.

Brevity of entries is a verj^ general defect in early records ; a mere statement of a fact becomes blind indeed after those who participated iu the event have passed away. Another great defect arises from the absence of reports of committees. Records were made of cases of importance, being referred to a committee, and later the committee having reported, it was accepted, and ordered on file ; but those files have doubtless been lost sight of in the attics of early clerks before a place of safety was provided. This defect is most noticeable during the years of the Revolutionary War.

It is due to the memory of Samuel Fitch, the first town clerk, to record in this connection, that his wise forethought in recording the doings of the meetings during the organization of the town has enabled us to obtain much that is of interest in those early days. The entire records will compare favorably with those of towns that we have examined during the preparation of this brief history. The student of manuscript records learns very early in his research that a great benefit is derived from years of continuous service of the same clerk. This town has been fortunate in that respect, as will be seen by the following statement : -

Whereas God in his mysterious providence has suddenly removed by death our friend and townsman, William A. Stearns, clerk and treasiu-er of the town, a citizen of imblemished and of upright character, faithful in the discharge of the various offices intrusted to him by his constituents, one who deserved and retained the confidence of his associates, -

Therefore we feel it a duty to express oiu- appreciation of him as a kind neighbor and Christian friend, and of his valuable services in behalf of the town, committed to him, and that we deeply sympathize with his bereaved and afflicted family in their deep sorrow.

One of the very early records of tlie town is of a vote to allow the " Law Book " to be passed around among the different families. This book contains the first printed copy of the act of incorporation of the town of Bedford. The titlepage is as follows: "The Charter Granted by their Maejsties King William and Queen Mary to the Inhabitants of the Province of the Massachusetts Bay in New England. - Boston in New England. Printed by B. Green. Printer to the Honourable the Lieut. Gouvernour & Council for Benjamin Eliot and sold at his shop, near the Town House in King's Street. 1726."

This volume had been lost many years, when, in 1886, it was forwarded from Chicago, 111., to the writer of this sketch, with the following letter : -

I send to you an old book that was in the Library of Reuben Bacon, Esq. . . . How it came there does not appear, but may liave been left when he (Bacon) surrendered the clerkship of the town and parish. It should be in the archives of the town. . . .

It has travelled thousands of miles, been through the "great Chicago fire," and e.Kisted while nearly five generations of the inhabitants of Bedford have been born and died.

Mrs. Hosmer, in looking over her choice keepsakes, a few days before her death, desired me to forward to you this choice relic, to be delivered to the town of her nativity and love, as a gift to its people.

deducting only annual repairs . . £684 2s. Od. Servants for life between 14 and 45 years of age . 7 Stock in trade, in goods, wares and merchandise paid for or not . . . £68 Os. Od. Money at interest more than is paid interest for £2179 2s. 8d.

Chapter Xxix

1715 to 1748, King George's War: Lieut. John Lane, Hugh Maxwell, Thompson Maxwell. Lieut. Lane was with Sir William Pepperell, who sailed from Boston, March 24, 1745, for the capture of Louisburg.

1754 to 1763, last French and Indian War: Ebenezer Page, in the expedition to the eastward; Ensign Josiah Fassett, at the relief of Fort Williams ; Sergeant Page ; Nathaniel Merriam, died at Lake George, Sept. 15, 1758; John Abbott, died at Lake George, Nov. 2, 1756.

The following is the list of those who received abatements)|of their "town and highway rates," in 1763, in recognition of services rendered in the troubles with the French: Hugh Maxwell, Jeremiah Fitch, Jr., Jonas Wheeler, John Danforth, Stephen Mead,. Abraham Taylor, Samuel Kidder, Widow Brown (for her husband), James Wheeler. Adron Wood, Zachariah Fitch, Eben Taylor, Benjamin Kidder.

Benjamin Kidder is supposed to have been the same person who was with Lovewell, in 1755, at Pigwacket, "the most fierce and obstinate battle of Indian warfare." He was in David Melvin's company, as Sergeant, [and one of twenty-six who went for the reduction of Louisburg, and through the woods to Crown Point.

If more has been written of those who belonged to the Billerica side, it is because there were more from that part of the town who had military titles; hence they secured a more complete record. There was no lack of patriotism and courage on the Concord side. Five-sixths of those whose rates were abated for service in the year 1762 were from that side of the town ; and the Davises, who were full of military zeal in the early wars, belonged upon that side. Eleazer 3rd was commissioned a lieutenant in the opening of the Revolution.

In the Concord records it is seen that men of this location, Bedford, were active in shaking off the oppression of Sir Edmund Andros, in 1689. Lieut. Joseph French was a selectman of that year, and when at the age of eighty years led in forming this town. His name stands at the head of the founders of the church, in 1730.*

Certain traditions in regard to the commanding officers of both minute men and militia have been accepted as facts and recorded by local historians, but are not substantiated by official returns ; hence the documents filed in the archfves of the State are copied more fully than would otherwise be done in this connection.

We have not a complete record of the military organization of the town at the opening of the Revolution, but have reason to believe that the companies credited with service on April 19, 1775, were very nearly full, and that the following lists represent the militia roll of that time :

The account of the time that each man who belonged to the Minute Men of the Town of Bedford spent at Cambridge in defence of the Country together with the nineteenth of April last, and also of their travel reckoned from the middle of the town according to the minds of the Company.

* The Commonwealth of Massachusetts managed its own affairs in its own way from its start, in 1629 to 16S4. Their charter was annulled by Charles II., in 16S4, and Sir Edmund Andros was sent over, who ruled with despotic power. He was seized and thrust into jail, in 1689. In 1693, imder William and Mary, Massachusetts had a new charter, by which the Legislature was in the control of the people, but the Governor was appointed by the King.

To the above list of "Minute Men" tliirty-.six miles of travel are credited, and their time of service ranges from four to thirteen days. This roll was made up by Moses Abbott, the next in command to Captain Jonathan Wilson, who was killed in the attack upon the retreating British near Merriam's Corner, April 19, 1775. He had bravely led his men through the memorable scenes of the early hours of the daj^, been foremost in the chase across the Great Fields to intercept the enemy, and fell dead in the severe battle of the afternoon. It is to be regretted that no mention is made on this roll of his service and sacrifice. This unfortunate omission can be accounted for in two ways. First, it was some months before this roll was filed and allowed ; and, second, because Capt. Jonathan Wilson, like all the oiScers of the Minute Men, had not been commissioned. The rei^ort of the town treasurer for 1775 allows Moses Abbott, for six days' training with twenty-five Minute Men, eight pounds two shillings. The above list numbers twenty -five without the fallen captain, proving the truth of a tradition, "that undrilled citizens joined the ranks."

The account of Capt. John Moore, commander of the Militia Company of Bedford, giving the miles of travel and time spent in the Service and Defence of the Colony, on and directly after the alarm on the nineteenth day of April last, Exhibiting in Distinct Columns against each man's name the number of miles he travelled, The allowance thereof, The number of Days he was in that Service and the wages thereof, with the sum total of the whole, agreeable to the Kesolve of the Honl. Comicil published in the news-paper, and a vacant column for Deduction if any shall be to be made.

The fragmentary rolls in the archives of the state, and the imijerfect records of the time, make it impossible to give a complete list of the Bedford men who served in the Continental army during the Revolution. The best list that we have been able to obtain is the following, reported May 15, 1776. It includes the members of the companies given above, with the exception of the killed-^nd wounded and those who have died of disease, together with the foUow-

The committee report that all are then enlisted (May 15, 1775), with the exception of seven indicated by figures, and consequently participated in the siege of Boston.

Hugh Maxwell and Thompson ]Maxwell were in the battle of Bunker Hill (credited to other towns). While it is evident that other Bedford men were engaged in that bloody struggle, it is impossible to give the names.

Solomon Stearns, with his father, Edward Stearns, in Concord fight; joined the army at Cambridge on the following day, and there contracteil a disease, which terminated his j'oung life. May 18, 1775, in the nineteenth year of his age. He was as truly a sacrifice in the cause of liberty as though he had fallen at Lexington or Concord.

Reuben Bacon was at Concord, April 19, 1775 ; went into camp at Cambridge, and joined the regular army. He contracted a disease there, and died, May 15, 1775, at the age of seventeen years three mouths eleven days. His death occurred ou the day that the first enrollment was made, proving that he died away from home.

Middlesex is denominated the monumental county, and memorial shafts are seen in many towns; but the brave deeds of the people of Bedford in the early wars are commemorated only through the gratitude of posterity.

In 1857, Reuben Bacon, Esq., presented an order, which was adopted by the town, to petition the Legislature for aid to erect a monument to Capt. Jonathan Wilson, killed at Concord, April 19, 1775. No favorable results followed. Francis Coggswell, representative to the General Court for that year, was one of the committee. The others were Reuben Bacon, Jonathan Bacon, and Cyrus Page.

Chapter Xxx

Transferred to war department, at Washington, October, 1SG3 ; enlisted in the general service, Aug. 10, 1864 ; discharged, Feb. 9, 1365 ; time of service, 4^ years. Eliab S. Wilkins, 1st Cav.

Was at battle of Missionary Ridge, where he lost left arm, October, 1863 ; discharged, April 6, 1804. John Williams, Aug. 5, 1802, D, 33d, 3 yrs..

Samuel W. Stearns was a member of a company of state militia of Fitcliburg which enlisted and entered tlie service as Company B, Fifteenth Regiment, when the war broke out. Being under eighteen years of age, he went as captain's boy. He served in this capacity sis months, when, having obtained the rec[uisite age, he enlisted as a private, and was soon made corporal. He was in the hospital at Portsmouth

- The one hundred days men were mustered in, .July 16, 1864, at Camp Meigs, Readville, Mass., by Capt. George Gibson. t Hired from out of town. X .State at large .

Grove, R.I., for a season, suffering from disease contracted during service under General McClellan in -the Peninsula campaign. He joined his regiment in camp, August 28, 1863, and in the following October received a mortal wound in the head during the engagement at Bristoe Station, Va., from which he died October 14. He was hastily buried with his comrades near where he fell, and in the following spring was disinterred and brought to Bedford, where he rests in a patriot's grave. A comrade wrote of his bravery during the battle of White Oak Swamp thus -. " Samuel stood like a little veteran, while some men in the regiment flinched under the terrible iire we received."

Charles W. Luut was mustered into the ser vice as corporal, at Lynnfield, Oct. 5, 1861. His term of service covered two years and seven months, and included many of the most severe exfieriences of the war. He was engaged in the following battles : Yorktown, Williamsburg, Hanover Court House, Gaines Mill (was wounded in the chin in this engagement, and soon promoted to sergeant). Fair Oaks, Savage Station, Malvern Hill, Gettysburg. Antietam, Chancellorsville, Rappahannock Court House. Wilderness, Laurel Hill, and Spottsylvania, where he was wounded in the thigh, and suffered amputation of the leg. He died in an ambulance train en route for Washington, D.C., May 11, 1864, at the age of thirty-one years. He was buried with thirteen others at Belle Plain, and afterwards reinterred in the Xational Cemetery at Petersburg. His wish, often expressed, was : "If I die on the field of battle, let me be buried with my comrades.'' The death of the soldier's father had called liiin liome on a furlough in the spring of 1864, and his return to the army was soon followed by severe battles, in one of which he received the mortal wound. The testimony of his comrades shows him to have been a brave soldier. A letter from Hon. Henry Wilson, of the United States Senate, received one month before the death of Sergeant Lunt, has the following : -'He is a sergeant in Company F, and a good soldier, who has always sustained an excellent character." His name is seen on the soldiers' monument erected by the ladies of Bedford, and the " Lunt Memorial," a window in the church where he worshipped, keeps his name and that of his parents in the minds of the people of his native town.

N.iVAL Servkik. - William F. Gragg, entered the service, Aitgust, 1862, as surgeon's steward, on tlie " Hoiisatoiiic," wliicli was destroyed by torpedoes, February, 1864; was then in service on the "Circassian"; died at home, Dec. 24, 1864, having served about eighteen years in the United States navy.

Charles E. Hosmer, entered the service, June, 1864, as surgeon's steward, on the " Santiago de Cuba"; was promoted to assistant surgeon, and transferred to the Mississippi squadron, on the "St. Clair"; discharged Oct. 13, 1865. He was in the North Atlantic blockading squadron at the two battles of Fort Fisher, Dec. 24 and 25, 1864, and Jan. 14 and 15, 1865.

Albert P. Sampson was commissioned as master's mate, in 1862; was in the Gulf squadron, itnder Admiral Farragut ; was promoted to an ensign in 1863, and received an honorable discharge at the close of the war.

Albert L. Butler was born in Leominster, March 6, 1832, and moved to Bedford when an infant. In August, 1862, he enlisted in Company A, Massachusetts Forty-fourth Regiment, from Cambridge, where he was clerk of the police court. He was in camp at Readville from August 29 to October 22, when the regiment sailed for North Carolina, reaching New Berne, October 26. The regiment started on what is called the Goldsboro expedition, December 11. In a skirmish at Whitehall he was wounded, December 16, and died in an ambulance, Dec. 19, 1862. His remains were buried at New Berne, N.C., December 22, and later disinterred and brought to Bedford, where they were finally laid.

Clark C. Cutler entered the service as a member of Company G, Forty-seventh Massachusetts Volunteers, and died before being ordered to the field, Oct. 25, 1862.

Charles W. Goodwin enlisted at East Cambridge, at the first call for men, in Company A, ]\[assacliusetts Sixteenth Regiment; re-enlisted July, 1861; was wounded at the second battle of Bull Run, August 27, 1862, and died Septemat the age of nineteen

"Sleep on, dear Charlie, take thy rest; No more shall war's tumnltuous sound Disturh thy calm and pulseless breast, Nor glittering sword with thee he found."

been three weeks in his bed here. Was brought on the boat to Washington, and said to me, ' I never had a boat ride in my life before, and didn't know a thing about this one. Wasn't it too bad ? '

" Every thing is very systematic, and all the arrangements are first-class throughout tliis hospital. Each morning the doctor writes against each patient's name the food for each meal, the hospital steward copies the list and sends his order to the cookhouse, from which narrow gauge tracks are laid to each ward. The closed cars are fitted with shelves, and the waiters bring the specified food, hot and appetizing, to each man's cot. Better baked beans and Indian pudding I never tasted."

" Wed., Aug. 24. Mr. and Mrs. Gleason invited me to their home Sunday and Monday nights. Through their influence I am now in a fine looking confiscated residence, provide.d by loyal women of the city for women who have come to care for sick soldiers. There are to-day fifteen of these, of different beliefs and walks in life, supposed to be alike in their loyalty.

" The matron is Mrs. Calvert. She says she is a lineal descendant of Lord Baltimore ; that her home, near Manassas, has been occupied seven times, first Idv one army and then the other.

" She is one of a type I have often read about but never before seen, - a Southern housekeeper. She carries her low willow Imsket of keys with her continually, and deals out to old ' Mammy,' the cook and maid of all work, the tea, coffee, sugar, etc., for each day, keeping drawers and closets locked. When we enter, she looks us over as though we were store packages, and arranges us where she judges we will ' fit ' best. I have the honor to be placed in the best room for ' transients,' with four others, - a mother and daughter from Ohio, an Irish woman from N.Y. City, and a Mrs. Chadwick from Pliiladelphia, who keeps two servants when at home. We are in the third story, and above us they are still more crowded. The price for board is 37^ cents a meal, to sit at the matron's table in the dining-room, or 25 cents to eat in the basement, taking one's turn in doing the cooking for all there and the kitchen work for the day. Mrs. Chadwick and I decided we would try the latter ; but when we went below and found that the wood, four feet long, was to be cut and split by each one, that the old axe was very dull, that we must go up stairs and across the street for water, we concluded that the matron's table would be the cheapest for us. The women below look upon us with disfavor, and no wonder, for the greater the number, the less often comes each one's turn for a hard day's work. At the matron's table the breakfast never varies. The coffee is good, and we have boiled salted herring, not freshened any, and biscuit. ' Mammy ' kneads them, and tosses them, and pinches them, until it seems as if some of the black from her fingers must get into them, but they are so white and ju.st delicious ! " " Fri., Aug. 26. Same thing every day for dinner ! I can't endure it any longer, the look is enough ! The cooking at the camp of the 6th was better than this. Our meat is from the side of pork - such as we salt at home, - salted until it will take no more, and smoked till it will take no more, boiled and served in the water in which it is cooked, with long, large, strong, soggy potatoes, with a core in nearly every one, in the water also."

" Sat., Aiig. 27. Have had my first experience in this city at a restaurant to-day. Tea and coffee can only be had by the pot-full, price 20 cents. Asked for boiled eggs ; the waiter said, ' We have no hens' eggs, ma'am, only keets'.' I asked what kind of things ' keets ' were, and if their eggs tasted like those of hens. He gave me a commiserating look and replied, ' In what part of the country were you raised, that you don't know guinea keets ? ' I ate the eggs, and I don't know whether they are like those of hens or not, it is so long since I tasted one. For dinner at the same place I had a small saucer of succotash ; but as I had to pay 60 cents for it, I think it will be all I need."'

"Wed., Aug. 31. Mrs. Chadwick and 1, wishing more variety, buy from the bake-shops, and get our own breakfasts, keeping tea, coffee, sugar, and coffee-pots in our trunks in the third story, and prepare and eat our food in the basement. Some of the women here have no love for us, particularly two, fair looking sisters from North Carolina. They are poor whites, often called - sand crackers.'

-- This morning one of them refused me water from the tea-kettle, and turning to her sister said, she ' lowed Mass'ehusetts was the meanest State in the Union.' After every meal they take out their snuff-boxes, tin salve-boxes, and with a wet match rub snuft' on their teeth, - the first 'snuff dippers ' 1 have seen."

" Sept. 4. The ftiatron amiises me, while I am a mystery to her. She invited me to spend last evening with her in her parlor. She was in Massachusetts once, at the laying of the cornerstone of Bunker Hill ^Monument, and saw no signs of poverty. She says I seem to be an intelligent woman, and she can't understand how I'm willing to do my own housework.

Should think I wouUl -have no social position whatever.' I really think she works much harder than I do ; for when she is not carrying keys, locking and unlocking, she works continually with a sewing-machine, but then the door to her room is shut. The ostrich hides its head. She says that the valuable old Calvert library at her home has been robbed by both armies ; and that Mazeppa, in one of Byron's poems, was a real person, not fictitious, as many sujjpose. If she was a northern woman, I should wish to ask her authority for the statement ; I do not think it best. She carries the keys."

-- Sept. 5. Old Mammy is very kind to Mrs. C. and myself, and gives us water for our tea every morning from the tea-kettle she uses. Her sick grandchild has long needed a pair of shoes, which she has been unable to provide, as she only gets her board and clothing for her work here. Mrs. Chadwick and I gave her the money for the shoes ; and as I handed it to her I saw an instance of the poetic nature of her race. She stooped, and raising the front of my dress to her lips, kissed it, saying, ' De good Lor' bress you an' Mis' Ginr'l Banks, an' may yo' walk in de sunshine ob' glory all yo' life.' I asked her why she' placed 'Mis' Ginr'l Banks' and myself together. She said she once washed for Mrs. B., who had been kind to her and given her many things, and she ' reckoned all dem yer Mars'chusetts women are 'like.' "

" Sept. 6. To-day looked on what I never saw before, and hope I never may again, - a slave-pen, where in times past slaves were sold at auction. It is a small yard enclosed with a wooden fence ; the gate was looked, but through the palings I could see the high block on which many a trembling slave has stood. Even the sign over the gate was suggestive, ' Price & Birch.' It made me think of Cassey, Emeline, and Uncle Tom."

" Sept. 7. Mrs. Hawley, the lady nurse, left some time ago for her vacation. I am the only woman in this ward, here most of the time till 6 P.M. I find many who are glad to have me read, write, or talk with them ; occasionally I try to play games with some of the younger ones, but the prevailing opinion is that I am ' remarkably stupid ' in regard to games.

" A young dentist from Eoxbury is in the ward above ; he has asked me to come up and see him every day, and read to him from Rev. J. W. Dadmun's collection of hymns. I told him to-day that I liked some of them very well, and he said that if he lives to reach home, he intends to marry Rev. J. W. D.'s daughter. There is a man in this ward from New Hampshire who has compound fracture of the knee, is in some pain most of the time, but looks well, a contrast to all others here. He does not care to have me read or speak to him ; Samuel and I call him ' South Carolina ' because he wishes to be 'let alone.' This morning, as I took my usual walk down the aisle, this man looked very solemn, his head resting on his hands. I felt that he was homesick. I suppose I was daring, but my desire was to call him out of himself, if I could. Acting from the impulse of the moment, I said, ' A penny for your thoughts, sir.' To my surprise, he did not frown as before when I had spoken to him, but quietly said, ' My thought is too foolish to tell ! ' I replied, ' Perhaps not.' ' Well,' he said, ' I was just wishing that I could have some buttermilk biscuit for brealifast, like those the woman used to make with whom I boarded in New Hampshire.'

" He told me her name and the town in which she lived. I said that I had never tasted her biscuit, but knew her to be a lovely woman, that she was my husband's cousin, and came occasionally to my town, Bedford, to visit her sister, Mrs. Nathan 0. Reed. This fact seemed to make him social, and he signified his intention of walking down to Samuel's cot to see him as soon as he is able. I feel as though I had won a victory ! "

" Sept. 8. Am having good suppers now ; have bought a peck of sweet potatoes. One of the cooks bakes some for me every night, and puts a piece of government butter on the plate with them ; they are brought up with Samuel's supper and I eat them by his cot. I insist upon the cook baking some for himself."

" Sept. 12. Went to church yesterday at the Epiphany ; special services in all the churches, because of the fall of Atlanta. This afternoon went with a lady nurse, just from the front, to see the movement of the artillery horses when a hundred guns were fired because of this victory. The precision of the horses seemed wonderful to me. For this victory there was also a parade after I reached home. A letter from ]Mr. Gleason at that time is before me ; referring to this, he says, ' The torchlight procession was the grandest affair of the kind ever seen in these parts. Had you been here you might have heard the President make a speech and crack a joke.' "

" Sept. 14. Went this evening with Mr. and Mrs. Gleason to the Old Soldiers ' Home, some distance from the city, to see President Lincoln. The Home is his summer residence. He passed us riding to it in an open landau, with a body guard of men on horseback, six in front and

"Sept. 15. For exercise to-day I have been to tlie Capitol, as I often have of late. The room that impresses me the most is the President's Reception Eoom. It is not so elegant as the Senate Reception Room, but it is suggestive of the history of the United States. Upon the ^yalls are portraits of the first Ca-binet, while the rest of it is a perpetual study, covered with paintings suggesting scenes in our country's life. To the beautiful paintings on the ceiling, Law, Religion, etc., Constantino Brimudi, the Italian artist, has given the face of his wife.

" To me the most amusing sight in the Patent Office is the collection of men's dress, or fur hats, - wide and narrow rimmed, tall, short or bell-crowned, of various colors.

" Among the earliest stoves, I hunted for the one on which my uncle, the minister, Josiah Hill, obtained a patent ; my father and the other brothers all had one ; the words, ' J. Hill's Patent,' being on the hearth, which was a source of great delight to me when a very small child."

" Sept. 16. With my help, Samuel has walked from his bed to the window to-day, the first steps he has taken for weeks. Some rebel prisoners from the front passed by, and he wished to see them. Their clothing seemed to be odds and ends of everything, not all butternut color by any means. Several had pieces of patchwork quilts for blankets."

" Sept. 17. Samuel not as well to-day, in pain, and not out of his bed until 3 p.m., when the ward-master said he must go down stairs, because it is inspection day, and Dr. Bliss is the officer of the day : he decides who are able to go to the front. I have expostulated with the master in vain. He set his teeth firmly together, and said, ' Madam, he's got to go.' The man is cross, and he is sick, too. His left arm has been amputated, and gangrene is in the stump. He overbearing yesterday to Dea. Paul Haywood of Boxboro' ; I think I shall tell the doctor to-morrow how things are. The master is in the regular army, and members of it, I notice, do not always like volunteers. One of the nurses had to help Samuel up and down the stairs. Everything Dr. Bliss said was, ' Show your tongue, sir,' and, ' Go back to your bed ! ' "

" Sept. 19. Went this morning to the domestic quarters of the hospital to hear the colored washerwomen sing ; a dozen in a row, all wearing turbans, their black arms moving up and down, and the white foam flying, how they did sing ! A revival hj^mu they wailed in fine style ; one verse "was, -

"Then they changed to a pean of triumph, extolling those that had benefited their race. There were thirty-nine verses, all alike, excepting the name, beginning with Robert Small, the colored pilot, who was the means of bringing relief to Fort Anderson, and ending with Abraham Lincoln. The last verse was, -

" A chapel with a bell is on the grounds here, and every afternoon at 2 p.m. the bugle sounds for funerals, - the bugle is used for everything here. I went to the service to-day, - all soldiers but myself ; one played on the melodeon, and most of the others sang the hymns. Everything was orderly and solemn. A woman from Berks. Co., Penn., who stays in the basement, unlettered, ignorant, and unused to travelling, with a clay pipe in her hand, sat on the back stairs of the boarding-house to-night, and drew around her a larger audience than any other woman in the house could have done, for she has to-day had an interview with Abraham Lincoln, and we all drew around her to hear her tell it in her peculiar way. She told the President that her husband, a cripple, had died since the enlistment of their three only sons, two of whom had been killed in battle, and the last one was sick in a hospital here, and she wanted him to come home as she thought she could cure him ; and she finished her account of the interview by saying, ' I told the President I hadn't got no person else, and he laid his hand on my shoulder and said, " Mother, you shall have your boy." ' "

" Sept. 20. We have a new ward-master today. I go home this week, but I have a pleasant surprise for all in this room and the ward above. I have received a letter from one who has ever been the Lady Bountiful of Bedford, Miss C. M. Fitch, enclosing ^5 each from herself, Mrs. Jenks, and Miss Rand for comforts for the sick here. Have been to every bed and got the list of their wants. One wishes a pair of new socks, the others something to eat, peaches mostly, a few desire apples, pears, grapes, or melons, while one wants currant jelly. I shall show my list to Dr. Ruffin, and, if he approves, these poor sich men shall be gratified."

site, and distributed the luxuries provided by Miss Fitcli. The nurses carried the basket up the stairs for me. Handed some lemons to the ex-ward-master ; he has a cot now. ' South Carolina' would not take any fruit, but as he wished to write some letters, did take three postage stamps; if he gets paid before I leave, insists upon returning them. Mrs. Gleason has kindly consented to use the money left .for the same purpose."

After I went home, Mr. Sage remained in this hospital until his time was nearly out, when he was so earnest to return with his regiment that his doctor reluctantly consented to send him to them at Fort Delaware. For this purpose he was sent to Camp Distribution, near Alexandria, - not a place for the sick, only tised for troops passing to and from the fromt, a terrible place, full of vermin, and often called " Camp Hell " by the soldiers. The train had just left for Fort Delaware, and here he had to remain over a week, for an officer was not furnished for one soldier. Here he grew worse, the food was unfit for a well person, - one thing was raw pork, which he thought seemed to be pickled in vinegar. When he could eat, he lived on crackers and milk bought from a sutler, until his pocketbook was stolen.

He begged or borrowed a stamp and envelope from a sutler, and wrote to me on the white edge of a strip of newspaper, asking me to send him twenty-five cents - and no more - every morning till "countermanded." This I did for a week, when hoping to return with the others he wished no more to be sent. Isot hearing for some days from him, I felt sure he would come with the others. If I remember aright, they canie Saturday, October 22. I went up street to see them come to the Post Office, two stage loads, with their guns out of the windows and on top of the coaches, glistening in the afternoon sun.

I remember how happy and exultant I felt ! I was doomed to disappointment. My soldier was not with them! No one had seen him, or could tell me anything of him ; as one wrote afterward, it was " all the good times, and I not in them."

It had been arranged for the returned soldiers to attend chiu'ch the next day in a body, special thanksgiving services having been prepared for the occasion by Eev. William J. Batt.

I had my bonnet and church clothing laid out in readiness. I sadly went to my lonely home and put them out of sight, feeling like the childless mother in Elizabeth Barrett Brovming's poem, "After news from Gaeta, 1861."

Like the widow of the pine cottage in the National Reader I used to read from at school, I sat late that night by the glowing coals, but unlike her, for I had not her strong faith. Sfie was in a story, / was in real life, a worn-out, troubled woman ; and my thought was, " I cannot have it so." I heard steps, and my name faintly spoken ! I knew the voice, and rushed to the door. There, on the doorstep, exhausted with the long ride from Lexington, sat a nondescript individual, with a red silk handkerchief drawn closely over his army cap, a white one around his neck, and a long, large dressing-gown of strikingly wide purjjle and j^ellow stripes over his blouse. No one, who knew the man, will doubt the sincerity of his words as I opened the door, " Thank God, I've got home at last ! "

I never knew him to willingly allude to his army experience, in the years of suffering in which he remained to guide and comfort and bless his family. And the dearest place to Mm was ever his home.

Bunyan'S Cottage, Elstow Chapter Xxxii

[The author is happy to give place to a chapter descriptive of Bedford, England, prepared at his request by Rev. Edward G. Porter of Lexington.]

Bedford, the county seat of Bedfordshire, is situated in the heart of England, about fifty miles north of London, on the main line of the Midland railway. Camden, who wrote three hundred years ago, says Bedford is "more eminent for the pleasantness of its situation and antiquity thau anything of beauty or stateliness." Agriculture lias always been the chief occupation of the people of this district. The country is slightly undulating, well cultivated, and watered by the river Ouse, which winds "more maeandrous than Maeander." Speaking of these serpentine windings, an old author observes that the Ouse runs a distance of eighty miles to reach a distance of eighteen, and then humorously exclaims, " Blame it not, if sensible of its sad condition, and presaging its fall into the foggy fens of the next county, it be loath to leave this pleasant place; as who would not prolong their own hajjpiness ? "

The Ouse is navigable from Bedford to the sea, flowing by St. Neots, Huntington, St. Ives, Ely, and Lynn, and emptying into the German Ocean at the Wash. Although rather narrow, like the Cam and the Isis, it affords excellent facilities for boating.

The ancient history of Bedford naturally falls into four distinct periods, - the British, the Eoman, the Saxon, and the Norman. Of the first we know but little. The site was occupied by a sturdy people called Cassii, whose chief, Cassivellanus, commanded the united forces of all the tribes to oj^pose the invasion of Julius Caesar (B. C. 54). Whether the Eoman town of Lactodorum stood here has been questioned, but from all accounts it could not have been far away. Two of the great Koman roads, Watling Street and Icknield Way, ran through this countj, crossing each other at Dunstable. A pitched battle was fought near Bedford, in .572, between Cuthwolf, the Saxon, and the Britons, in which the latter were defeated. The territory was attached to the kingdom of Mercia till 827, when it became subject to the West Saxons, under Egbert.

The name of Bedford can be traced back to this period, when there was a military station on the river here called Bedicanford, shortened into Bed-an-ford, meaning the Fortress-ou-theford. Offa, king of Mercia, chose this for his burial place, and his remains were deposited in a small chapel on the river's brink, which was afterward undermined and swept away by a flood. This incident has suggested to some antiquaries the possibility of another derivation. Bede is the Saxon word for prayer, or praying-place. Hence Bedford may mean the prayer-ford, or the chapel-at-the-ford. " Bedehouses " were not uncommon then, and when built near a ford, or bridge, they would suggest prayer for a safe passage. The earliest record extant of the present orthography is found in a Latin manuscript of the time of Edward III.

The town was plundered by the Danes in the reign of Edward the Elder, who rebuilt it, and joined it to the little village of Mikesgate, on the opposite bank of the river. Since then both places have borne the name of Bedford.

After the Norman conquest a strong castle was built here by Payn Beauchamp, third Baron of Bedford. It was a frowning, massive structure, with enormous walls and earthworks, and its important situation involved it for a long time in many of the internal struggles of England. The haughty lords of the keep exercised their feudal powers with little regard to the inhabitants, whom they regarded only as their retainers. Encased in armor, they sallied forth from their stronghold in search of booty, roaming at will, and compelling tribute at the edge of the sword. During the civil war between King Stephen and Matilda, Bedford Castle was the scene of many fierce conflicts.

The first municipal charter was granted to Bedford in 116G, subject to a payment of forty pounds a year as a fee-farm rent to the crown. It became a representative borough in the reign of Edward I., the suffrage being limited to freemen and householders not receiving alms.

William de Beauchamii, Lord of Bedford, was one of the insurgent barons against King John in support of the struggle for Magna Charta. In consequence his castle was besieged by the royalists, and compelled to capitulate. But the greatest event in its history was the memorable siege conducted by Henry III. in person. The chroniclers describe the siege-engines used on this occasion, some for hurling stones, some for making breaches in the wall ; others were swung high in the air, for scouts and cross-bowmen. Miners sapped the walls, protected by the "cat." Slingers also did effective service. After a siege of sixty days, the castle was taken by assault, and comiiletely dismantled. The stones were afterward used in the construction of Newnham Abbey, Caldwell Priory, St. Paul's, and other Bedford churches. The picturesque old bridge and gate-houses, which stood until 1765, were built of the same materials. No remains of the old fortress are visible, but the circuit can be traced in the rear of the Swan Inn. The keep is now a bowling-green.

The arms of the corporation of Bedford represent a castle overshadowed by the imperial Roman eagle, with spread wings, suggesting two important periods in the history of the town.

pursue the peaceful occupations of life, to develop the rich agricultural lands in the vicinity, and to encourage commercial relations, especially with the other towns on the river.

A mercantile guild and other privileges and immunities were granted by different monarchs. In the charter of Richard II. the corporation is styled "The mayor, bailiff, and burgesses."

The barony of Bedford was given to the famous warrior, John Plantagenet (third son of Henry IV.), called by Shakespere "Prince John of Lancaster," who won his spurs at Shrewsbury (1403). He was created Duke of Bedford, and became Regent of France for the English. With the aid of the Dukes of Burgiuidy and Brittany, he waged war against France, and was baffled only by the interposition of Joan of Arc. He succeeded, however, in caj)turing the maiden, and was one of the principal agents in securing her tragic death.

In those days Bedfordshire was famous for the number and wealth of its religious houses. After the Dissolution, the chief part of the monastic property was bestowed upon the Russell family, with the Earldom of Bedford. In 1G94 the dukedom was restored by William III., in consideration of the services of the family in the struggle for civil and religious liberty. The title continues to the present time.

Bedford has long been distinguished for its numerous charitable endowments. One of its most eminent sons was Sir William Harper, who became master of the Merchant Tailors' Company, and Lord Mayor of London in 1561, and was knighted by Queeu Elizabeth. He made a remarkable gift to his native town by a deed, dated 1566, conveying thirteen and onequarter acres of land lying iu Holborn, to provide a free education for the youth of Bedford of both sexes and every grade. He had bought the land for £180, and it was then yielding £40 a year. Eighteen years later it brought a rental, on a long lease, of £150 a year. Many streets were laid out, and new houses built upon the land, so that it rapidly advanced in value, producing in the year 1800 £4,000, and at the present time the handsome revenue of £15,000 a year! Some of the streets on Sir William's land are among the best known in London, as Bedford Street, Bedford Row, Bedford Court, Prince's Street, Queen Street, Boswell Court, Harper Street, Theobald's Road, and Gray's Inn Passage. The objects to which this large income is given have been very properly extended by Parliament. It is administered by a board of eighteen trustees, in a rotation of six each year. Sir William's first wife was "Dame Alice," for whom a street in Bedford was named. In the chancel of St. Paul's, the mother church of Bedford, is an altar tomb, with brass figures of Sir William and his second wife, both standing with folded hands. He has on a suit of armor, partly covered by an aldermanic gown. The inscription is as follows: -

The most illustrious name connected with Bedford is that of John Bunyan, who was born in 1628 in the neighboring village of Elstow, over the river, on the road to Luton. The old " moot-house " still stands on the spacious village green, - a quaint structure of brick and oak, once the court hoitse of the manor, and used in Bunyan's time for romps and dances, and now for puldic meetings, fairs, and Sundayschools. On the green may also be seen the stone stump of the ancient market-cross, near which the sheep are wont to graze and children to play.

The Elstow church is a well-preserved monument of the jS'orman and early English periods. It has two memorial windows to Bunyan, illustrating scenes from his "Pilgrim's Progress " and "Holy War." The massive tower, like some others in England, is a detached campanile, twentytwo feet from the church, in the perpendicular style, heavily buttressed at the four corners, and contains a chime of bells and a large village clock. Here Bunyan practiced the art of bellringing. The English had become at that time enthusiastic lovers of the melody prqj|^iced by a ring of bells. It was in consequence of their invention of " changes " that England became known as "the ringing island." Bedford was foremost in this national taste.

Bunyan was brought up as a white-smith, or brazier, a mender of pots and kettles. He had a forge and workshop at Elstow, and went out as a journeyman "tinker." He was largely possessed of the Puritan spirit, and at the age of sixteen we find him enlisted in the army, during the decisive campaign of 1645. After his return he married the daughter of a worthy family, and began to relinquish his favorite amusements. His conscience, he tells us, was suddenly aroused one Sunday afternoon as he was playing "tip cat" on the village green. His profound experience and fervent devotional spirit gave liim great influence witli the people. He moved into Bedford, and became a deacon of the non-conformist body there. He was soon set apart as a preacher, and his fame spread rapidly. caiTsing his enemies to complain, "because he strove to mend souls as well as kettles." After the Restoration he gave such offence to the authorities that he was imprisoned in the county jail, an old structure that stood in High Street, on the now vacant lot, used as a market place, at the corner of Silver Street. This jail was taken down in 1801. Here he was confined for twelve years, and again, three years later, for a period of six months, dixring which time, it is thought, he wrote his immortal allegory.* His indictment charges him with the crime of "devilishly and perniciously abstaining from coming to church to hear divine service, and for being a common upholder of several unlawful meetings and conventicles, to the great disturbance and distraction of the good subjects of the kingdom, contrary to the laws of our sovereign lord the King."

The only books Bunyan had in jail were the Bible and Foxe's " Book of Martyrs." After his release he often went to London to preach, and was' urged to remain there, but he never consented to remove his residence from Bedford, to which he was sincerely attached. He lived in a small, one-story cottage, . on the east side of the town, in the parish of St. Cuthbert. His earlier home, after his marriage, is still standing on the Elstow road. The place of worship which bears his name is in Mill Lane, on the site of the one in which he preached. It is a plain brick edifice, rebuilt in 1771, with a small porch in front and a vestry behind. An inscription states that Bunyan was minister here thirtytwo years, including the period of his imprisonment. In 1876 a fiue bronze door, in two sections, with ten scenes from "Pilgrim's Progress," in relief, was given by the Duke of Bedford. Dr. Brown, Bunyan's best biographer, and the present Congregational minister here, has several interesting relics of the great author, for example, his will, and chair; his cabinet, staff, and jug ; the heavy doors of the

*' The popular tradition tliat Bunyan was incarcerated in the to^m jail on the old bridge (removed in 17G5) does not seem to be well established. That was a mere " lock-up," fourteen feet square, and could not have contained as many prisoners as Bunyan had for companions. Moreover the warrant for his release speaks of him as " a prisoner in the common gaol for our counfy of Bedford. Dr. Brown concedes this, but argues that, when imprisoned for the second time, the "dreamer" may have been put into the corporation jail on the bridge, and there he may have wu'itten his wonderful dream. History furnishes many examples of an apparent fact, sustained by documents, contradicting a widely accepted and tenacious tradition.

county jail, and versions of "Pilgrim's Progress " in nearly eighty different languages ! With the exception of the Bible, no book in the English tongue has passed through so many editions as this. The Bedford Literary and Scientific Institute, in Harper Street, has Bunyan's copy of Foxe's "Book of Martyrs" (ed. 1641), with his autograph and annotations. Bunyan died in London, in 1688, and was buried in Bunhill Fields. Many Puritans afterward begged the privilege of being buried as near his grave as jjossible.

One of the chief objects of interest in Bedford is the fine bronze statue of Bunyan, by Boehm, erected on St. Peter's Green, at the upper end of High Street. The face is modelled after the well-known portrait by Robert "White in the British Museum. It is a commanding figure, in the Puritan dress, with the open Bible in hand. On the pedestal is a relief representing the conflict of Christian with Apollj-on, under which is the inscription : -

George Hurst Esq

John Howard, the philanthropist, lived at Cardiugton, near Bedford. He was sheriff for the county, and for many years an active member of the Bunyan church. The Moravians, who settled here in 1745, have maintained their organization with characteristic zeal.

There are few towns in any country so well provided with educational and charitable institutions as Bedford. The grammar school in Harper Street has six hundred and fifty students, and is considered- one of the leading public schools of England. It has eight "exhibitions " of seventy pounds each per annum at Oxford, Cambridge, and Dublin. Over the entrance to the building is a statue of the founder, Sir William Harper, in civic robes. Near by is the modern school, so called, with five hundred and fifty pupils. There are also a high and a modern school for girls, with ample equipments, and a green-coat school.

Among the charities should be mentioned the dowry of twenty xsounds a year to each of forty poor maidens of good character between the ages of eighteen and fifty. Those who are disappointed are entitled to the preference at the

A widow's pension of ten shillings and sixpence is paid out regularly to a certain number of applicants. The Harper Street almshouses are famous. They number forty-six, and have four rooms each, two below and two above. Each house has a garden fortj^ feet long. Seven shillings a week are given to each inmate, besides two pounds a year for clothing. There are many other almshouses, both old and new. Perhaps there are too many for the best interests of the people. It is said that in proportion to its size Bedford has more public endowments than any other place in the kingdom.

The municipal government is vested in a mayor, elected annually, a recorder and deputy, six aldermen, two bailiffs, and eighteen common councilmen. The bailiffs for the time being are lords of the manor. Two members are returned to Parliament. IMost of the county business is carried on here, and there is a steady influx of visitors, who add not a little to its life and wealth.

Among the public buildings may be mentioned several fine old churches, schools, the courts, the jail, the corn exchange, the hospital, the infirmary, the banks, the assembly hall, the public library, reading room and museum (founded in 1830.) Bedford maintains an historical society, a home missionary society, branches of the Church missionarj' society, the Bible society (of which the Duke of Bedford is president), and the Religious Tract society ; a ladies' clothing society, and a horticultural society, to say nothing of various literary, musical, and athletic clubs. The town has two weekly markets, seven annual fairs, an agricultural association, and regular races which have always been popular. The water works and sanitary arrangements are particularly good, the sewage being conveyed to a farm a mile away, and utilized at once for raising crops of cereals, grass, and vegetables.

The old staple industry of the town is the manufacture of straw goods and thread lace; but in recent years the large agricultural implement factory of the Howard company seems to have attracted more attention.

The principal thoroughfare is High Street, which bisects the town, and leads to the bridge. The streets generally are narrow, like those of most old European towns, but they are well kept and provided with good sidewalks. The houses are mostly of brick, two or three stories high, very plain, but substantial and comfortable. ]\rany,new houses and villas are springing up of late on the West side.*

The George Inn is the old hostelry of coaching days. It has a quaint stone figure of St. George and the Dragon in a conspicuous niche. Travellers to-day find "The Swan," near the river, an agreeable resort. The "Embankment Promenade," on a pleasant afternoon in summer, is the chief rendezvous for the citizens. It is tastefully laid out as a public park along the river whose placid waters reflect the five graceful arches of the bridge. Pleasure boats are passing continually, and the meadow landscape, with its abundant foliage and hawthorne hedges and grazing cattle, is a fine type of the rural beauty of old England, so dear to our fathers.

The most important estate in Bedfordshire is Woburn Abbey, the lordly seat of the Duke of Bedford, in the midst of a beautiful park well stocked with deer.

The Embankment Promenade, Bedford Chapter Xxxiii

[Insci'iptions from head-stoues in the old Burial Groimd, in an abbreviated form, with notes of explanation. Alphabetical order has been partially observed, rather than chronological, for the convenience of the reader.]

The cbiu'ch yard, to the inhabitants of a rm"al parish, is the place to wliich, as they grow older, all their thoughts and feelings turn. John Wilson.

* Since the act of Parliameut for the iiiiprovemeut of the town of Bedford, thatched buildings are not allowed either to be constructed or repaired.

Thrice of this cup we drank our fill, Wormwood and gall we taste it still ; Oh! who can tell, that never felt, What iiarents feel for children's death '?

The Saviom' calls, and I must go. And leave you here, my friends, below; But soon my God will call for thee, Prepare for death and follow me.

[He was son of Michael, proprietor of the mill on the Shawshine, had a share in the common lands of Billerica, was third layman in the foimdation members of the church, assembled the first town meeting by order of the General Court, was one of the first selectmen, and a man of influence in town and church till death.]

Jesse Bacou, son of Mr. John and Mrs. Elizabeth Bacon, Aug. 26, 1749, aged 19 days. Elizabeth, their daughter, Feb. 15, 1754, in ye 4th year of her age ; also still-born son lies at her right hand.

[On that day he arose early, and went to his work, and not returning to his breakfast, search was made for him ; when foiuid, he was lying dead by a few short swaths of grass which he had mown in the meadow that borders on a branch of Shawshine Brook, near the line of the town of Lincoln. The spot is designated by a plain stone in the field. He was a founder of the church, and one of the first constables.]

[Deacon Stephen was son of Stephen, was deacon of the church from 17C0 till death, was a very skilful laud surveyor, and a very useful and highly respected citizen.]

Here lyes the body of Mrs. Mary Davis, wife of Mr. Eleazer Davis, who departed this life Jan. ye 28, a.d. 1763, aged 22 years 10 months 2 days. (Daughter of ]\Ir. Josiah and Mrs. Elizar beth Davis.)

[His name heads the list of petitioners, May 1, 1728, "for the erection of a new town to be called Bedford," and also stands at the head of the laymen who founded the church.]

Sacred to the memory of Dea. Moses Fitch and Mrs. Rachel, his wife. Dea. Moses Fitch died Oct. 12, 1825, in tlie 71st year of his age. ]y[rs. Eachel Fitch, died May 23, 1817, in the 69th year of her age.

Here lies ye body of Mr. Isaac Fitch, son of Mr. Benjamin and Mrs. Miriam Fitch, who departed this life July the 24th, 1773, in ye 22d year of his age.

In memory of Lydia Fitch, March 11, 1759, aged 14 years. Nathan Fitch, May 13, 1755, in ye 7th year of his age. (Children of ]\Ir. Benjar min and Mrs. Miriam Fitch.)

. Here, amid the scenes of her childhood's home, on the spot where her footsteps loved to linger, lie the mortal remains of Rebecca W. Gleason, wife of Benjamin Gleason, of Boston, and daughter of William Maxwell, of Bedford, Dec. 10, 1846, aged 63 years.

'Tis done, her soul to heaven has fled. And she is numbered with the dead. Her sorrows, pain, and grief are o'er. And she from friends will part no more.

Children and friends, all that pass by, Stop, think are yon prepared to die; If yon have tasted heavenly love, You need not fear the lonely grave.

My flesh shall be thy care; These withering limbs with thee I trust, To raise them strong and fair. [He was grandson of Job, who had the Winthrop farm.]

Death, steady to his purpose from ye womb, Pursues till we are driven to tlie tomb. O reader, wisely lay this thought to Iteart, And seek an interest in the better part: Then wlien you close in death your mortal eyes, Your soul may rise and reign above the skies.

An inch or two of time; Man is but vanity and dust, In all his flower and prime. My days are spent, my race is rim ; Kemember me, though dead and gone, Cease my beloved to complain, My sleeping dust sliall rise again.

Simple manners, a charitable temper. Industry and uprightness were adorned by a Christian profession and practice, and inspired an humble hope of a happy immortality.

Draw near, my friends, and take a thought, How soon the grave must be your lot ; Make siu'e of Chi-ist while life remain, And death shall be your eternal gain.

They've fought the fight, their race is run. Their joys in heaven are now begun ; Their tears are gone, their sorrows flee, No more afflicted now like me.

Farewell, ray friends, I sleep in dust. Till the last trump awakes the just ; Therefore retire, and cease your tears. Prepare to meet when Christ appears.

But Christ shall change my sinful dust, The grave shall rot off all my rust; This body of mine shall fashioned be Like to his own in its degree.

That face that none unmoved could view Has lost the enchanting rosy hue ; Dwelt faith and wit in sweetness there. O view the change and drop a tear.

To watch the Christian's sleeping clay, Till the last trumpet cause his urn To aid the triumph of the day. [He was captain of the militia of the town, was at Concord fight, and active diu-ing the Revolution.]