Groton Town (part 7 of 9)

The Rev. Lucius Edwin Smith was the sixth minister, and served the society from December, 1857 to September, 1865. Mr. Smith is a native of Williamstown, where he was born on January 29. 1822, and a graduate of Williams College in the class of 1843. He first studied law in his native town and was admitted to the bar in the year 1845 ; afterward studied divinity and graduated at the Ne'wton Theological Seminary in 1857. His editorial services have been extensive, and he is now associate editor of the Watchman (Boston). The degree of, D.D. w^as conferred upon him by his Alma Mater in 1869.

The Rev. Oliver Ayer was the seventh minister, and had charge of the society from April, 1866, till March 29, 1874. He is a son of Daniel and Xancy (Day) Ayers, and was born at Plaistow, New Hampshire, on August 2, 1810. He graduated at Brown University in the class of 1834, in the same class with the Rev. Crawford Nightingale, of Groton, and immediately after graduation became the principal of Rockingham Academy at Hampton Falls, New Hampshire. In the year 1837 he was ordained at Littleton, Massachusetts, where he was the pastor of the Baptist Church until 1843, and then, after a settlement at Dover,

After leaving his town he was settled for six years over a society at North Oxford, since which time he has been living in Providence, with no pastoral charge. Mr. Ayer was married, first, on November 5, 1835, to Caroline Persis, daughter of William and Elizabeth (How) Garland, of Portsmouth, who died on September 23, 1857 ; and, secondly, on September 16, 1862, to Susan French Sargent, of Lebanon, New Hampshire.

The Keverend Benjamin Franklin Lawrence was the eighth minister, and settled over the society from July, 1874, to August, 1880. He graduated at Colby University in the class of 1858, and studied at the Newton Theological Institution during the years 1859 and 1860. He has had charge of various parishes in New England, and is now at East Jefferson, Maine.

The Reverend Herman Franklin Titus served the church from December, 1880, to February, 1881, without settlement. He is a son of Moses and Sophronia (Patch) Titus, former residents of the town..

The Reverend Thomas Herbert Goodwin was the ninth minister, and settled over the society from October, 1881, to January, 1884. He is a son of Benjamin and Lucy Adams (Mixer) Goodwin, and born in Manchester, New Hampshire, on July 4,1847. He was married, on March 23, 1871, at New Londoq^ New Hampshire, to Arvilla Olive Pattee, and is now living at North Hanover.

The Reverend Samuel Bastin Nobbs, the present pastor, is the eleventh minister, and took charge of the congregation on December 1, 1889. He is a son of James and Eliza (Haynes) Nobbs, and born at Charlton Kings, Gloucestershire, England, on July 1, 1862. After a short residence in Australia he joined his parents in their removal from England to New York in September, 1881. Receiving his preparatory education at Gloucester, England, he entered the Theological Seminary at Hamilton, New York, in the year 1885, where he graduated in 1888. His first pastorate was at Newport, Vermont. Mr. Nobbs was married, on July 1, 1886, to Loue Maud Richardson, of Hamilton, New York.

During the year 1885 a house of worship was built at West Groton, which was dedicated on October 7, according to the ritual of the Methodist Church. The Congregational, Baptist, and Episcopal Societies of the town were well represented on the occasion, and everybody seemed to feel that the new building was a benediction to the village. In the " Life of John Todd " (page 181), written by his son, there is an early allusion to a chapel built during the winter of 1827, as follows : " My friends are preparing me a pretty chapel over at this spot [West Groton] , and as soon as y; is finished I am to open a battery there." All recollection of this building among the inhabitants of the village has now passed away.

was built, services therein were conducted under the auspices of the Methodist denomination, but since that period the society has made arrangements with the Congregational minister at Groton to supply the pulpit, and he preaches on each Sunday afternoon.

Services of the Episcopal Church were begun in connection with the Groton School at its opening in October, 1884. The parish is called St. John's Chapel of Groton School, and the sittings in the church are free. The services are conducted by the head master. Reverend Endicott Peabody. The present chapel was built in the year 1887, and consecrated on January 8, 1888, by the Bishop of the Diocese.

Lawrence Academy. - During rhe early part of the year 1792 a voluntary association was formed at Groton, by certain people of the town and neighborhood, in order to establish an academy where a higher education could be obtained than was given at the district schools of that period. A subscription paper was circulated for the purpose of procuring funds to erect a suitable building. A subscription of five pounds currency was the smallest sum received from any person, and was denominated a share; ten pounds was called two shares; and so on. On April 27, 1792, the association organized by choosing trustees and the other customary officers; and from this as a beginning sprang the institution known formerly as Groton Academy, but now as Lawrence Academy. When it was first opened, in the spring of 1793, the exercises were held in the district school-house, on Farmers' Row. By a resolve of the Legislature, on Feb. 27, 1797, a grant of land was given to the academy.

which consisted of half a township situated in Washington County, District of Maine. It comes now in Hodgdon, Aroostook County, and lies on the eastern frontier of the State, just south of Houlton.

Among the early friends and benefactors of the institution may be mentioned, - Benjamin Bancroft, Timothy Bigelow, James Brazer, Aaron Brown, Francis Champney, Daniel Chaplin, Samuel Dana, Nathan Davis, Zechariah Fitch, Samuel Hemenway, Samuel Lawrence, Joshua Longley, Joseph Moors, William and Oliver Prescott, Samuel Kockwood, William Swan and Samson Woods.

During the summer of 1841 the Academy building was remodeled for the first time and somewhat enlarged by an addition to the rear, at a cost of $2000, generously given for the purpose by Amos Lawrence, Esq., of Boston. The grounds also were improved, and a fence, consisting of stone posts and chains, placed in front of the yard, as well as on the south side, separating it from the Brazer estate.

In the spring of 1844 William Lawrence, Esq., of Boston, an elder brother of Amos, gave the sum of S10,000 to be added to the permanent funds of the institution. In consequence of this liberal gift and other manifestations of their interest in the school, on the part of the two brothers, the trustees voted the annual meeting, on August 20, 1845, to petition the General Court to change the corporate name of the school to " The Lawrence Academy of Groton." At the next session of the I>egislature the petition was duly presented and granted on February 28, 1846.

The benefactions of the Lawrence brothers did not cease with the change of name in the school. During the month of July, 1846, Amos Lawrence, Esq., bought the Brazer estate (so called), adjoining the Academy lot on the south, and formerly belonging to James Brazer, Esq., for the sum of $4400, and soon afterward conveyed it by deed to the trustees of Lawrence Academy. He also requested that all the buildings and fences on the place should be put in complete repair at his expense, which was accordingly done at a cost of more than $1200. During the next month William Lawrence, Esq., wrote to the trustees, offering to give $5000 to be used for the enlargement of the Academy building, for the erection of a substantial stone and iron fence in front of the grounds, including the Dana and Brazer estates, and for the purchase of another bell for the school. The Dana estate, adjoining the Academy lot on the north, had. formerly belonged to the Hon. Samuel Dana, and was bought by the trustees in the summer of 1836. With this sum, thus generously placed in their hands, the trustees, during the ensuing autumn, enlarged the Academy by an extension on its north side, and very soon afterward carried out his wishes in the other matters. At Mr. Lawrence's death, which occurred on October 14, 1848, he bequeathed the sum of $20,000 to the institution.

Unfortunately, the main building of the Academy was burned to the ground on July 4, 1868, and a structure of brick and stone erected on the same site, which was dedicated June 29, 1871.

Lawrence Academy took place on July 12, 1854, when an address was delivered by the Rev. James Means, a former principal of the institution. It was a distinguished gathering, and known at that time as the " Jubilee." A full account of the proceedings was afterward published, with a general catalogue of the school from its beginning. Another re-union w^as held on June 21, 1883, when a dinner was given in the Town Hall to the old pupils. The assemblage was not so large as the previous one, but quite as enthusiastic. The wish was generally expressed that the centennial anniversary of the school, which comes in the year 1893, should be duly celebrated. The proceedings on this occasion also were printed in a pamphlet form.

During the early days of Xew England there was no distinct class of men following the profession of medicine, but the practice was taken up in connection with some other calling. In every community either the minister or the schoolmaster or some skilled nurse was expected to act in cases of need, and, for the most part, such persons performed the duties now undertaken by the faculty. In the early part of 1672 the Rev. Samuel Willard wrote a long account of a case of witchcraft which befell Elizabeth Knapp, of Groton, and he relates how the "Physitian'" came to see her on Novembers, 1671, when he gave his judgment on the case, or, in other words, made the diagnosis. It would be an interesting fact to know who was the doctor then practicing in the neighborhood, but this is now beyond the reach of historical inquiry.

The earliest physician in Groton, mentioned by name, of whom I have found any trace, is Dr. Henry Blasdell, who was impressed into the public service by Colonel Edmund Goffe. On May 28, 1725, he petitioned the General Court that an allowance be made him for his professional services and for medicines furnished during the campaign of the previous autumn, while he was surgeon to the western forces. The amount of his bill was £26 14s. and the General Court allowed him £17 9s.

Dr. Ezekiel Chase, of Groton, was- married at Newbury, on May 20, 1729, to Priscilia Merrill, of that town. She was a daughter of Nathan and Hannah (Kent) Merrill, and born at Newbury, on October 16, 1703.

Dr. Benjamin Morse was a son of Dr. Benjamin and Abigail (Dudley) Morse, and born at Sutton on March 20, 1740. He was married, on November 27, 1760, to Mary, daughter of Isaac and Sarah Barnard, also born at Sutton, on September 13, 1741 ; and while living in that towQ they had a family of six children.

Dr. Morse came to Groton probably during the Revolutionary period, and was a Representative to the General Court in the session of 1784, and several succeeding ones ; and he was also a delegate to the Convention for adopting the Constitution of the United States, in the year 1788, where he opposed the adoption. He lived in the south part of the town, near the present village of Aver ; and the site of his house is laid dow^n on the map of Groton, published in 1832. He died on May 31, 1833, aged ninety-three

Dr. Ephraim Ware, a physician of Groton, was married at Cambridge, on October 13, 1785, to Mrs. Abigail Gamage. He was a native of Needham, and born on January 14, 1725. His first wife was Martha, daughter of Josiah and Elizabeth Parker, of Groton, where they were married on July 26, 1764. She was born on January 7, 1737, and died at Groton on April 4, 1776. After their marriage they went to Dedham to live, as the records of that town say : " The Selectmen on the 2d Day of Augt., 1765, gave Orders to Israel Everett, Constable, to warn Ephraim Ware, Martha Ware [and three others] to depart this Town in 14 Days, or give Security to indemnify the Town." Such orders were in accordance with an old practice, then common throughout the Province, which aimed to prevent the permanent settlement of families in towns where they might become a public burden. Their two eldest children, both boys, were born at Dedham ; and three other children - a daughter, Sarah, and two sons, who both died in infancy - were born at Groton. Sarah, born on September 18, 1769, was married to Richard Sawtell, of Groton, on March 10, 1796, and died on March 23, 1851, having been the mother of nine children.

Dr. Ephraim Woolson was practicing medicine at Groton in the year 1766. He was a son of Isaac and Sibyl Woolson, and born at Weston on April 11, 1740. He graduated at Harvard College in the class of 1760, and was married to Mary Richardson on July 29, 1765. Dr. Woolson appears to have been living

Dr. Jonathan Gove was a son of John and Tabitha (Livermore) Gove, and born in that part of Weston which is now Lincoln, on August 22, 1746. He graduated at Harvard College in the class of 1768, and studied medicine under the instruction of Dr. Oliver Prescott, of Groton. About the year 1770 he was married to Mary, daughter of Nathan and Mary (Pattersou) Hubbard, of this town, and here John and Lucinda, their two eldest children, were born and baptized. This son graduated at Dartmouth College in the class of 1793, studied law and died at Chillicothe, Ohio, in the year 1802. From Groton Dr. Gove removed to New Boston, New Hampshire, where three more children were born. His wife was born at Groton on January 9, 1748, and died at New Boston. He was married, secondly, on January 6, 1791, to Polly Dow, who became the mother of three children. Dr. Gove subsequently removed to Goflfstown, New Hampshire, and died there on March 24, 1818.

Dr. Samuel Farnsworth was the youngest child of Isaac and Anna (Green) Farnsworth, and born at Groton on September 29, 1767. He was married, on November 25, 1788, to Betsey, daughter of Captain Zachariah and Lydia (Tuck) Fitch, and they had a family of eight children, of whom two sons, Samuel and Benjamin Franklin, were graduates of Dartmouth College in the class of 1813. Dr. Farnsworth subsequently removed to Bridgeton, Maine, where he had a successful career as a physician. His eldest child, Betsey, was boru at Groton on July 2, 1789, and the next one, Samuel, at Bridgton on October 9, 1791 ; and the removal from this town took place in the year 1790. He died on Xovember 4, 1817.

These several physicians practiced their profession in the neighborhood of Groton, though they had never taken medical degrees. Before the present century this was a common custom throughout the country ; and the instances were very exceptional where practitioners could rightfully append M.D. to their names. As a class they were men of shrewd sense and acute observers, and their practice was attended with success. Perhaps they made a better use of their opportunities than we make to-day with our richly endowed medical schools and numerous hospitals.

During the last century Dr. Oliver Prescott was an eminent physician of Groton, and he took high professional rank throughout the Province. He was the youngest of three distinguished brothers, of whom the eldest was Judge James Prescott, who filled many important positions in civil life as well as in military circles; and the second was Colonel William Prescott, who commanded the American forces at the Battle of Bunker Hill. Both Dr. Oliver Prescott and his son, Dr. Oliver Prescott, Jr., occupied exceptional place among the physicians of Middlesex County.

Dr. Oliver Prescott was a son of the Honorable Benjamin and Abigail (Oliver) Prescott, and born at Groton on April 27, 1731. He graduated at Harvard College with the highest honors in 1750, and then studied medicine under the tuition of Dr. Ebenezer

Kobie, of Sudbury. On October 19, 1756, he was married to Lydia, daughter of David and Abigail (Jennison) Baldwin, of Sudbury, and they had eight children. His high standing in the profession gave him a place as a charter member of the Massachusetts Medical Society in 1781, and at the commencement of 1791 Harvard College conferred upon him the honorary degree of M.D. He was also the president of the Middlesex Medical Society during the whole period of its existence. Apart from his professional laurels he likewise enjoyed many civil and military honors.

Dr. Prescott was town clerk during thirteen years, and selectman during thirty-two years. Before the Revolution he held the offices of major, lieutenantcolonel, colonel and general, respectively, in the militia. Subsequently, in the year 1778, he was appointed third major-general of the militia, and in 1781 second major-general, but soon afterward, on account of ill health, he resigned the position. He was a justice throughout the Commonwealth, a member of the Board of War, a member of the Council of Massachusetts, until he declined the office, and, in the year 1779, was appointed Judge of Probate, and continued as such until his death. He took an active part in suppressing Shays's Rebellion, which had many supporters in this neighborhood. Dr. Prescott was one of the original trustees of Groton Academy, and the first president of the board ; and he was also a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He died on November 17, 1804, aged seventy-three years, and his wife on September 27, 1798, aged sixty-two years.

Dr. Oliver Prescott, Jr., was the eldest son of Dr. Oliver Prescott, and born at Groton on April 4, 1762. He pursued his preparatory studies under Master Moody at Dummer Academy, and graduated at Harvard College in the class of 1783. He studied medicine under the direction of his father and Dr. James Lloyd, of Boston, and established himself in practice in his native town. With every social advantage in his favor he at once took high rank as a physician, and soon enjoyed a wide reputation. On Feb. 22, 1791, he was married to Nancy, daughter of Captain Leonard and Ann (Hall) Whiting, of Hollis, N. H., and they had nine children. His wife died on Sept. 13, 1821, aged fifty-eight years; and he was married, secondly, on Nov. 6, 1823, to Mrs. Elizabeth (Atkins) Oliver, w4io was born on Dec. 30, 1762, and died on May 21, 1835. Dr. Prescott was the town clerk and chairman of the selectmen from the year 1804 to 1811, and represented the town in the General Court during the sessions of 1809 and 1810. He was a trustee of Groton Academy from the time of its incorporation until 1811, when he removed to Newburyport, where he died on September 26, 1827.

Dr. Joseph Mansfield was a son of Richard and Elizabeth (Whittemore) Mansfield, and born in Lynn on December 17, 1770. He graduated at Harvard College in the class of 1801, and among his classmates were Tyler Bigelow, Thomas Bond, James Abbot Cummings, Timothy Fuller, Luther Lawrence, Stephen Miuot and William BantSnllivan, either natives or at some time residents of Groton. Both while an undergraduate, and while studying his profession, he kept the district school on Farmer's Row, and even after he had acquired his profession he taught the same school with the understanding that his hours of instruction should conform somewhat to the needs of his practice. While in college he took high rank as a scholar, and, at an exhibition near the end of his junior year, he delivered a poem which attracted some attention in literary circles, and subsequently was printed. He studied medicine with Dr. Oliver Prescott, Jr., and, on June 11, 1805, was married to Abi, daughter of Benjamin and Meriel (Nichols) Hartwell. About the year 1810 he built the large dwelling, with brick ends, near the Baptist meeting-house, where he resided until his death, which took place on April 23, 1830.

His son. Dr. George Mansfield, born at Groton on October 8, 1807, studied medicine and graduated at the Harvard Medical School in the class of 1832, He was married, on November 15, 1832, to Hannah Maria Curtis, of Boston, and died at Janesville, Wisconsin on July 25, 1869.

Dr. Amos Bancroft was a son of Edward and Rachel (Howard - Barron) Bancroft, of Pepperell, where he was born on May 23, 1767. He graduated at Harvard College in the class of 1791, and from the same institution took the degree of Bachelor of Medicine in the year 1794. He began the practice of his profession at Westford, but soon afterwards removed to Weslon, where he remained until the year 1811. He was married - first, on August 29, 1796, to Abigail, daughter of Captain Leonard and Ann (Hall) Whiting, of Hollis, New Hampshire, who was born on

March 25, 1772, and died at Weston, on December 4, 1799; secondly, on October 7, 1800, to Sarah, daughter of Henry and Faith (Savage) Bass, of Boston, who was born on April 21, 1768, and died on April 30, 1837 ; thirdly, on October 17, 1839, to Eliza Doane, of Boston, who died on November 11, 1840 ; and fourthly, on October 31, 1841, to Mary, daughter of Eichard and Martha (Hall) Kneeland, of Westford> who was born on February 25, 1789, and died on April 22, 1862.

Dr. Bancroft had a large practice and, at various times, a considerable number of medical students under his tuition, including among them the brothers James Freeman Dana and Samuel Luther Dana, who were grandsons of the Eeverend Samuel Dana, a former minister of the town, and graduates of Harvard College in the class of 1813. He was frequently called in consultation by other physicians, and often at a long distance from home. In those days there were no railroads, and traveling was attended with many diflSculties. During the winter, when the roads were blocked up wnth snow, he was obliged, sometimes, to travel on snow-shoes; and, as his patients lived many miles apart, he was often absent from home for several successive days. To add to his discomfort on such occasions it was difficult to obtain proper food, though there were at that period but few dwellings where he could not obtain some New England rum or other spirit to help restore exhausted nature. In the year 1811 bis Abna Mater conferred upon him the honorary degree of M.D.

in Boston, he stepped from the sidewalk, in order to cross the way, when a wagon, coming along rapidly, knocked him down, and injured him so severely that he died in the course of a few hours.

Dr. Mansfield and Dr. Bancroft were the last physicians of the town, who, while visiting patients, used to ride on horseback with saddle-bags, although they also drove much in sulkies. In early days, owing to bad roads, physicians on their professional rounds were in the habit of riding, and it was near the beginning of the present century, in this neighborhood, that the sulky, or covered gig, came into fashion among them. At the present time the four-wheeled buggy solely is used by physicians.

Dr. Joshua Green was a son of Joshua and Mary (Mosley) Green, and born at Wendell, on October 8, 1797. He attended school at the academies in New Salem, Westfield and Milton, and graduated at Harvard College in the class of 1818. He studied medicine in the office of Dr. John Collins Warren, of Boston, and took the degree of M.D. at the Harvard Medical School in the year 1821. Soon after taking this degree he was appointed apothecary at the Massachusetts General Hospital, then just opened for the reception of patients, where he remained for one year. At that time the apothecary, in addition to his own duties, performed those of the housephysician and the house-surgeon. In March, 1823, Dr. Green began to practice his profession at Sunderland, and on January 5, 1824, was married to Eliza, daughter of Major Samuel and Susanna (Parker) Lawrence, of Groton. His wife was born on March

13, 1796, and died on August 20, 1874. During a winter of his college course he taught a district school at Groton, now known as the Moors School, and boarded in the family of Major Lawrence, who lived on Farmers' Eow.

In the spring of 1825 Dr. Green removed to Groton, where he continued the practice of medicine, but after about ten years, owing to ill health, he gradually gave up his profession. In the year 1832 a pulmonary hemorrhage compelled him to pass a winter in the island of Cuba, where to a fair degree he regained his health. He joined the Massachusetts Medical Society in 1826, and for many years was one of its councillors. He represented the town in the Legislature during the years 1836 and 1837, and was one of the trustees of Lawrence Academy from 1831 to 1867, and during most of this time either the secretary or the president of the board. On the seventyfourth anniversary of his birth (October 8, 1871) he had a paralytic stroke, from the effects of which he never fully recovered. After the death of his wife he went to live with his only daughter, Mrs. Elizabeth Lawrence (Green - Kendall) Swan, at Morristown, New Jersey, where he died on June 5, 1875.

Dr. Micah Eldredge was a son of Hezekiah and Abigail (Whiton) Eldredge, and born at Ashford, Connecticut, on May 24, 1776. He studied medicine with an elder brother, Dr. Hezekiah Eldredge, and in 1798 began the practice of his profession at Dunstable, where he resided for many years, living first on one side of the State line and then on the other. On October 1, 1797, Dr. Eldredge was married to Sally, daughter of Tilly and Abigail (Hale) Buttrick, of Princeton. In 1826 lie removed to Groton, where he remained for two years, when he established himself at Dunstable, New Hampshire, (now Nashua). The honorary degree of M.D. was conferred upon him by Dartmouth College in 1841. He died at Milford, New Hampshire, on July 2, 1849, and was buried in the Hollis Street Cemetery at Nashua.

Dr. Jacob Williams was a son of Jacob and Hannah (Sheple) Williams, and bora at Groton on July 16, 1789. About the year 1816 he was practicing medicine at the Gilmanton Iron Works, New Hampshire, and in June, 1822, he was married to Irene Locke, of Epsom. In the year 1828 he returned to his native town and established himself as a physician ; and while here his wife died on March 11, 1831. During the next year he was married, secondly, to Betsey Wakefield, of Kennebunk, Maine. He remained at Groton until the year 1835, when he removed to Kensington, New Hampshire, where he died on July 7, 1857.

Dr. James Wilson was a son of the Honorable Abiel and Abigail (Putnam) Wilson, and born at Wilton, N. H., Decejjiber 4, 1796, on the farm where his greatgrandfather, Jacob Putnam, began a settlement in the year 1739. He studied medicine under the tuition of Dr. John Wallace, of Milford, New Hampshire, and graduated at the Dartmouth Medical School in the class of 1821. He was practicing his profession at Boston in the early part of 1825, as his name appears in the directory of that year, and he removed to Groton near the beginning of 1828. He was married, in

February of that year, to Elizabeth P. Wilson, of Boston, a daughter of the city crier; and he came here under the patronage of Dr. Amos Bancroft, who desired some respite from a large practice, and acted as his sponsor in the community. After living at Groton during two years he returned to Boston and passed a brief period, and then removed to New York, where he remained for a short time. Soon afterward he went to Cuba, where he spent the remainder of his days, and died in Matanzas on November 23, 1868.

Dr. George Stearns was the youngest child of Ephraim and Molly (Gilman) Stearns, and born at Walpole, New Hampshire, on May 10, 1802. He graduated at the Harvard Medical School in the class of 1827, and began the practice of his profession in Boston, where he remained about three years, when he settled at Groton. He was married, on July 2, 1868, to Mrs. Ann (Moulton) Gilson, widow of Joshua Gilson, of Groton. Dr. Stearns was the last survivor of thirteen children, and died on March 7, 1882, at which time he was the oldest physician in the town.

Dr. Amos Farnsworth was a son of Major Amos and Elizabeth (Rockwood) Farnsworth, and born at Groton on August 30, 1788. He studied his profession with Dr. Calvin Thomas, of Tyngsborough, and with Dr. John Collins Warren, of Boston, but before his graduation he was commissioned as surgeon's mate in the Fourth Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, on April 14, 1812, just before war was declared by the United States with Great Britain ; and two months later, on June 15th, his regiment left South Boston for

Burlington, Vermont, for service on the frontier. He remained with the Fourth Infantry during thirteen months, when he resigned his commission on May 14, 1813. During the following summer he graduated at the Harvard Medical School, and began the practice of his profession in Boston, where he remained until the year 1832, when he removed to his native town. On March 21, 1823, Dr. Farnsworth was married to Mrs. Mary (Bourne) Webber, widow of Captain Seth Webber, of Bos^.on. He died in Roxbury on July 31, 1861, and his wife in Boston, on October 27, 1828, aged thirty-seven years.

Dr. Amos Bigelow Bancroft was a son of Dr. Amos and Sarah (Bass) Bancroft, and born at Groton on April 3, 1811. He graduated at Harvard College in the class of 1831, and at the Harvard Medical School in 1834. He began the practice of his profession at Groton in connection with his father ; and on June 11, 1840, was married to Marietta, daughter of Nathan and India (Emerson) Shepley, of Pepperell. Dr. Bancroft remained in town until the spring of 1853, when he removed to Charlestown, where for more than ten years he was physician to the State Prison. Under the administration of Gen. Grant he was appointed superintendent and surgeon in charge of the Marine Hospital at Chelsea, which position he held from August 1, 1869, to June 30, 1877, when he took up his residence in Boston. While traveling abroad with his family he died in Florence, Italy, on November 8, 1879, much lamented by a wide circle of friends and patients at home, - leaving a widow and two daughters to mourn his loss.

Dr. Abel Hervey Wilder was a native of Winchendon. where he was born on June 16, 1801. He was a son of Levi and Grace (Wilder) Divoll ; but by an Act of the Legislature on February 7, 1812, his name was changed from Hervey Divoll to Abel Hervey Wilder, keeping the surname of his mother. He graduated at the Dartmouth Medical School in the class of 1828, and began to practice his profession at Temple, New Hampshire. On February 29, 1828, he was married at New Ipswich, New Hampshire, to Mary, daughter of Ephraim and Elizabeth (Bent) Brown, a native of Lincoln.

Dr. Wilder subsequently removed to Pepperell, and in the year 1836 came to Groton, where he had the management of an institution for the treatment of nervous diseases. He continued to live here until the death of his wife, which took place on February 12, 1843, when he removed to Pittsfield. After leaving Groton he was married for the second time ; and after a residence in different parts of the country, he died at Bloomtield, New Jersey, on January 2, 1864.

Dr. James Merrill Cummings was a son of Jacob Abbot and Elizabeth (Merrill) Cummings, and born in Boston on July 27, 1810. He graduated at Bowdoin College in the class of 1830, and at the Bowdoin Medical School in 1834. On November 4, 1835, he was married to Sarah Thurston Phillips, daughter of Joel and Sarah Phillips (Thurston) Hall, of Portland, Maine. In the spring of 1842 Dr. Cummings came to Groton and bought out the establishment of Dr. Wilder, which he conducted for four years; and in the spring of 1846 he removed to Salem, where he re- mained for four years, when he settled in Portland, where he died on July 20, 1883. His widow died on January 29, 1890, at the advanced age of eighty-five years.

Dr. Rufus Shackford, a son of Captain Samuel and Hannah (Currier) Shackford, was born at Chester, New Hampshire, on December 17, 1816 ; studied medicine under the tuition of Dr. Cummings, and graduated at the Harvard Medical School in the class of 1845. He pracjticed for a brief period at Groton in the office of his preceptor, after which he lived in Lowell for a short time, when he removed to Portland, Maine, where he is now in practice.

Dr. Norman Smith was a son of Jesse and Nabby (Kittredge) Smith, and born at Mount Vernon, New Hampshire, on October 13, 1811. He graduated at the Vermont Medical College, Woodstock, in the class of 1843, and began to practice medicine at Groton, where he passed his whole professional life, with the exception of four years spent in Nashua, New Hampshire. In April, 1861, at the outbreak of the Rebellion, he went out as surgeon of the Sixth Massachusetts Militia Regiment, and was with that famous organization^on its march through Baltimore and during its first campaign of three months. He was a member of the Union Congregational Church, and prominent in all matters connected with the welfare of the town. His death took place at his farm on Common Street, on May 24, 1888, and the funeral, on May 28th, was conducted under Masonic rites.

Francestown, New Hampshire, who died on September 2, 1839 ; secondly, on November 6, 1843, to Mariett Sleeper, a sister of his first wife, who died on July 6, 1846; thirdly, on September 22, 1847, to Abigail Maria, daughter of Ephraim and Sarah (King) Brown, of Wilton, New Hampshire, who died on July 17, 1852; fourthly, on September 12, 1853, to Sarah Young, daughter of Solomon and Dorcas (Hopkins) Frost, who died on December 4, 1856, and, fifthly and lastly, on September 11, 1866, to Mrs. Mary Jane (King) Lee, daughter of Daniel and Eebecca (Parmenter) King, of Eutland, Massachusetts.

Dr. Lemuel Fuller was a son of Dr. Lemuel and Mary (Shepherd) Fuller, and born at Marlborough, on April 2, 1811. He graduated at the Vermont Medical College, Woodstock, in the class of 1844, and came to GrotOn from Harvard in the year 1847. On June 6, 1844, he was married to Catherine Palliseur, daughter of Francis and Maria Foster (Palliseur) Barrett, of Concord. Dr. Fuller left Groton in 1850, and died at Harvard during a temporary visit from home February 11, 1864. During the last ten years of his life he lived at North Weymouth.

Dr. Miles SiDaulding was a son of Qtoptain Isaac and Lucy (Emery) Spaulding, and born at Townsend, on April 4, 1819. He graduated at the Berkshire Medical Institution, Pittsfield, in the class of 1842, and he soon afterward established himself at Dunstable, where he remained until the year 1851, when he removed to Groton. Dr. Spaulding was married, first, on January 12, 1848, to Sophia Louisa, daughter of Aaron and Lucinda (Munson) Miller, of New

Haven, Connecticut, who died on September 4, 1852 ; and, secondly, on August 27, 1863, to Mary Mehetable, only child of Stephen and Mary (Kilborn - French) Stickney. He still lives at Groton, the senior physician of the town.

Dr. Peter Pineo is a son of Peter and Sarah (Steadman) Pineo, and was born at Cornwallis, Nova Scotia, on March 6, 1825. He graduated at the Bowdoin Medical School in the class of 1847, and was married in Boston, on May 8, 1850, to Elizabeth, daughter of Kendall and Betsey (Hill) Crosby. In the spring of 1853 he came to Groton, where he remained for two years, after which time he removed to Quechee, a village in the town of Hartford, Vermont. On June 11, 1861, he was commissioned as surgeon of the Ninth Regiment Massachusetts Volunteers, and soon afterward was promoted to a brigade surgeoncy, which office was abolished on July 2, 1862, by an Act of Congress, when officers of that rank became surgeons of United States Volunteers. On February 9, 1863, he was made medical inspector United States Army, with the rank of lieutenant-colonel, and he served with distinction until the end of the war. At the present time he is a resident of Boston.

Dr. Kendall Davis was a son of Joseph and Hannah Davis, and born at New Ipswich, New Hampshire, on December 4, 1802. According to the State Register of the years 1847-50, he was then living at Groton, where he practiced for a short time. From this town he went to Athol, and died at Templeton on September 20, 1875.

Mary (Folsom) Piper, and was boru at Stratham, Xew Hampshire. He graduated at the Dartmouth Medical School in the class of 1840, and began the practice of his profession at Portland, Maine, \Nhere he was married, on November 8, 1841, to Elizabeth Frances Folsom, a native of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. In the year 1864 he came to Groton and remained five years, though without engaging in the active practice of medicine. He afterward lived in Chicago, but is now a resident of Washington. He is an author of some note, having written a work entitled " Operative Surgery Illustrated," and another on " The Trees of America."

Dr. Joseph Franklin Coolidge was a son of Charles and Nancy (Spauldiug) Coolidge, and born at Westminster on Sept. 11, 1837. He graduated at the Harvard Medical School in the class of 1862, and in the year 1864 came to Groton, where he remained until his death, which took place on June 1, 1865. Dr. Coolidge was one of a family of ten children, and was never married.

Dr. William Ambrose Webster was the only son of William Gordon and Susan (Ambrose) Webster, and born at Rochester, New Hampshire, June 13, 1830. He graduated at the Medical School of the Long Island College Hospital, Brooklyn, N. Y., in the spring of 1862. Soon after graduation, on July 1, 1862, he was commissioned as surgeon of the Ninth New Hampshire Volunteers, which left for the seat of war on August 25, 1862, and he continued in that capacity until January 5, 1865, when he was honorably discharged. In September of that year he came to Gro- too, where lie remained during three years, when he removed to Westford. He died in Manchester, N. H., on February 8, 1887. Dr. Webster was twice married, - first, in August, 1851, to Mary Anne Kaime, of Pittsfield, N. H., and secondly, on August 9, 1858, to Marion M. Ladd, of Middlesex, Vt. By the first marriage two daughters were born, who both are now living, and by the second marriage one daughter, Susan Marion Webster, was born at Groton on June 25, 1866, but she died before her father.

Dr. David Roscoe Steere is a son of Scott and Mary (Mathewson) Steere, and was born at Lisbon, Connec-. ticut, April 27, 1847. He graduated at the Dartmouth Medical School in the class of 1871, and, after graduation, practiced for a few months at Savoy. In July, 1872, he came to Groton, where he has since remained ; and in the year 1878 he built the house, at the corner of Main and Church Streets, which he now occupies. On June 18, 1873, Dr. Steere was married to Adelia, daughter of Jephtha and Betsey (Boynton) Hartwell.

Dr. Edw^ard Hubbard Winslow was a son of the Eeverend Hubbard and Susan Ward (Cutler) Winslow, and born in Boston on Dec. 26, 1835. He was married, on Sept. 1, 1859, to Helen H.Ayer, of Montvale, Me., and in the early spring of 1875 came to Groton, where he remained about two years. Dr. Winslow died in New York on Oct. 16, 1873.

took his medical degree first in March, 1857, at Penn Medical University, Philadelphia, and secondly, in 1858, at the Hahnemann Medical College, in the same city. In the spring of 1878 Dr. Stearns came to Groton from Marblehead, and in November, 1882, removed to Holliston, where he remained a few years, when he went to Holyoke, of which city he is now a resident. He was married, first, on May 8, 1838, at South Yarmouth, to Sylvia Crowell, and secondly, on July 19, 1877, at New Bedford, to Julia Amanda, daughter of Cyrus and Eliza Eastman (Cottrell) Ware.

Dr. William Barnard Warren is a son of Noailles Lafayette and Mary (Barnard) Warren, and was born at Leominster on Nov. 16, 1853. He graduated at the Medical Department of the University of the City of New York in the class of 1881, having previously attended a course of lectures in 1879 at the Dartmouth Medical School. In December, 1882, he came to Groton and established himself in practice, where he now remains. Dr. Warren was married at Groton on Oct. 31, 1883, to Ardelia Temple, daughter of Thomas Haines and Eelief (Cummings) Smith, of Boston.

Dr. Marion Zachariah Putnam is a son of John and Sophia (Weaver) Putnam, and was born at Mount Sterling, Illinois, on August 14, 1844. In the year 1870 he graduated at the Medical Department of the Northwestern University, Chicago, and began to practice in his native town. On September 9, 1880, Dr. Putnam was married to Harriet Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Spencer and Harriet Heyward (Law- ton) Farnsworth, of Groton. About the year 1883 he came to this town from Lowell, where he had resided for a short period. He lives on Pleasant Street, but has retired from the active practice of his profession.

The Fitchburg Railroad was first opened to public travel, through the southerly part of Groton, on December 30, 1844; and the Peterborough and Shirley Railroad, under the management of the Fitchburg company, was opened during the year 1847. The Worcester and Nashua Railroad was operated for regular business, through its entire length, on December 18, 1848, though the section from Groton Junction to Clinton had been previously opened on July 3, 1848, and from Clinton to Worcester on November 22d; and the Stony Brook began its operations on July 1, 1848. Soon after these interconnections were made, a village sprang up in the neighborhood, which became popularly known as the " Junction," though by the Post- Office Department at Washington it was officially called " South Groton." On March 1, 1861, the name of the post-office was changed by the Department from South Groton to Groton Junction. This settlement, growing in numbers, after a while was setoff from the parent town, and, by an act of the Legislature on February 14, 1871, incorporated as a distinct township, under the name of Ayer. After this date, therefore, the list of physicians, so far as they relate to the Junction, and their biographicaL sketches, will cease.

Dr. Ebenezer Willis was a son of John and Nancy (Spriggens) Willis, and born at Newmarket, New Hampshire, on January 26, 1815. He was married at Exeter, on July 23, 1836, to Mary Frances, daughter of Benjamin and Mary Seavey (Neal) Batchelder. Dr. Willis came to Groton Junction in March, 1849, and was the pioneer physician of the place. He died at Ayer on May 10, 1890.

Dr. John Quincy Adams McCollester is a son of Silas and Achsah (Holman) McCollester, and was born at Marlborough, New Hampshire, on May 3, 1831. He took his degree of M.D. from the Jefferson Medical School in March, 1856. Dr. McCollester was married, first, on May 6, 1856, to Sarah Elizabeth, daughter of Joseph and Anna (Longley) Hazen, of Shirley, who died on May 5, 1858 ; and, secondly, on August 9, 1859, to Georgianna Lydia, daughter of Daniel and Lydia (Fisk) Hunt, of Groton. During the War of the Rebellion he was the surgeon of the Fifty-third Regiment Massachusetts Militia, having been commissioned on December 1, 1862, and mustered out of the service on September 2, 1863. He is now a resident of Waltham.

. Dr. Edson Champion Chamberlin, a native of Thetford, Vermont, came to Groton Junction in the summer of 1859 and remained one year. He graduated at the Worcester Medical Institution on June 20, 1854. He was married to Mary A. Pierce, of Southbury, Connecticut, where he died on January 26, 1877, aged fifty-six years.

Dr. Gibson Smith came to Groton Junction from the State of Maine about the year 1866. He was an " eclectic " physician and a spiritualist, and died at Ayer on September 26, 1885, aged seventy years.

Harrison, Maine, on November 20, 1835. He graduated at the Harvard Medical School in the class of 1863, and on March 18th of the same year was commissioned as assistant surgeon of the Twenty-eighth Regiment Massachusetts Volunteers, but for disability was discharged on July 30, 1863. Dr. Parsons next served as acting assistant surgeon. United States Navy from October 10, 1863, to December 10, 1866, when he resigned. During the last week of December, 1866, he came to the village of Groton Junction (Ayer), where he is still living.

Dr. Benjamin Hall Hartwell is a son of Benjamin Franklin and Emma (Whitman) Hartwell, and was born at Acton February 27, 1815. He received his early education at Lawrence Academy, Groton, of which institution he is now one of the trustees, and graduated at the Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, on March 7, 1868. In the early spring of 1869 Dr. Hartwell came to Groton Junction (Ayer), where he still resides, having filled many prominent positions of trust and usefulness. He was married, on September 10, 1879, to Helen Emily, daughter of Major Eusebius Silsby and Mary Jane (Shattuck) Clark.

Dr. James Moody Moore was a son of Dr. Ebenezer Giles and Eliza Sarah (Hidden) Moore, and born at Wells, Maine, on June 20, 1832. He graduated at the Dartmouth Medical School in the class of 1860, and in May of that year came to Groton Junction, where he remained until April, 1861. Dr. Moore then removed to Concord, New Hampshire, his father's home, where he died on February 3, 1870.

A List of Representatives to the General Court, from the colonial period to the present time, with the dates of their election and terms of service ; including also the names of certain other officers - 1672-1887.

The Assistants of Massachusetts, sometimes called Magistrates, were the forerunners of the Provincial Council and the State Senate. They were few in number, and, in point of dignity and honor, next to the Governor and the Deputy-Governor. Major Simon Willard, the only citizen of the town who ever held the office, became a resident in the year 1672, removing here from Lancaster at that time. He was first chosen to the position in 1654, when living at Concord.

Court Of Assistants Senate

There is no reference in the Groton records to the election of any representatives to the General Court before the year 1693 ; and even then the names are not given, and only by the receipts for their pay, and bv some allusions to the subject, is it known that any were chosen previously to that date. According to the Colonial records, Captain James Parker served as a deputy, or representative, during the session beginning November 7, 1683, and it is probable that he was the only one from the town under the first charter.

The following entries comprise every allusion to the subject found in the earliest volume of town records, which is known as the " Indian Roll" :

" Fabruary the 6 1 693 the inhabitanc being met togather for to Consider of sum waye for to preueiit futar unnessesary charges did by uott declare that they would petishone unto the geuaraill Court that ther representetiue might be relesed from atending the Seshone any more

" the same daye the town did by uott declare that they would haue dacon Lawranc for to manidge the portistione for them which the Comithy hath draw up" (Page 107.)

"Groton Aprill 12 1693 Know all peple by thes presenc that Nathanaeill Lawranc senor hath Keseiued full satisfactione by the select men and Constables for sarueing the town as a Kepresentiue at the two first sestione

-' Groton April 12 1693 Know all peple by thes presenc that John Page senor doth fully and [sic] Clearely acquite the town select men and constables for sarfing the town as a representetiue at the first [session] held at boston in ye year 1692

"maye 15 1693 the Town being met together ther unto orderlie warned then the town did by uote declare that they would not send nor Choose any parson nor parsons for to Kepresent them at the great and genaraill Corte or asembley

"October 30 1693 at town meeting Legally warned Capt Jeams Parker was chousen to Kepresent the town at ye great and genaraeell assembly held at boston the eaight day of nouember Insuing the date here of" (Page 110.)

" Jenuary 1 169% the town this daj-e did ingage to sequer the seleck men from any harm or dameidg that they shall meett with all in Respect of Decou nathanaell Lawranc in that he doth demand thirty 6 shillins in money for to be his dew for sailing the said town as a representiue and the town doo Eefuse to paye the said money the seleck men being estemed as the rest of the inhabitanc in the mater also the town did by the maier note chouse Liftenant Jonah Prescot & Jeams parker Ju for to answer in the case if the said Lawranc should tnible ye seleck men or town and they did exsept of the choiss and they are to haue their paye for their pains when the said town is able to paye them

" May 17 1703 at a town melting legelly warned the town did by uot declare that thay would pay deacon larrance the mony that the deacon demande for saruing the : town as ane represintiue In the year 1693

The paging, as given after these several extracts, refers to the printed edition of " The Early Kecords of Groton, Massachusetts, 1662-1707," from which they are taken. Since the year 1707, and even before that date, in the town records, there are occasional omissions of the names of representatives, and these gaps I have filled from the Colonial and Provincial records at the State-House. In such cases the names are printed within brackets, and the dates given with them refer to the beginning of each session ; and in all other instances in the list, where dates of the sessions have been obtained or inferences drawn from these records, brackets are used.

In early times the representative to the General Court was paid by the town that sent him ; and this fact furnishes the reason why the town of Groton, on May 15, 1693, voted not to send one. It was then poor, and staggering under a heavy load in the shape of debts and current expenses. Notwithstanding the receipt of Deacon Lawrence given on April 12, 1693, the town was threatened by him with a suit for thirty-six shillings, for his services as a representative, perhaps during a short period after the petition of February 6, 1693, when it was voted that he should be released from attendance. It is not now known whether a suit was ever begun, but, ten years later, as appears by the vote of May 17, 1703, the town agreed to settle the matter by paying the demand, though it was obliged to borrow the money for that purpose, - an indication of its extreme poverty. During some of these ten years Deacon Lawrence was a resident of that quarter of Cambridge which is now

Lexington ; and his absence from Groton may have been, in part, the cause of the long delay in settling the dispute. Neither Deacon Lawrence nor Mr. Page was chosen to the Assembly that convened on May 81, 1693.

John Paris was a member of the Council for Safety of the People, which met on May 9, 1689, just after Governor Andros was deposed. It is probable that the town was unrepresented during the following years : 1693 (first session), 1694-1698, 1700-1704, and 1707, as the Provincial records of those dates do not mention any member from Groton.

In the following list of representatives I have given the church, civil and military titles found in the records, inasmuch as they indicate, approximately, the period when they were acquired. For nearly a century and a half the term of service of each member was during the year of his election. The name of John Sheple, as spelled in the town records, is written John Shepley in the Provincial records, but the two names refer to the same man, and the Nathaniel Sawtell of the town records is identical with the Nathaniel Sartle of the Provincial records.

House Of Representatives

[May 31, 1693 (first session), probably none chosen.] October 30, 1693 (second session), Captain James Parker. [May 30, 1694, probably none chosen.]

May 17, 1737, Colonel Benjamin Prescott. May 15, 1738, Benjamin Prescott, Esq. (died in ofiQce on August 3, 1738). December 25, 1738, Justice Nathaniel Sawtell,in the place of Benjamin Prescott, Esq., deceased.

The district of Shirley was set off from Groton on January 5, 1753, and the district of Pepperell, three months later, on April 12th, and after these dates, until the period of the Revolution, the two districts were represented in the General Court by the parent town.

After this date Pepperell and Shirley were each represented in the General Court separately, and not by the parent town. Owing to the political disturbances, a new Assembly was chosen by the Province in the summer of 1775. The precept issued to the town' of Groton, with the answer, is found among the Archives (CXXXVIII. 214) at the State House, as

" These are to will, and require you forthwith to cause the Freeholders, & other Inhabitants of your town that have an Estate of Freehold in land within this Colony or Territory of forty Shillings ^A annum at the least, or other Estate to the value of forty Pounds sterling, to assemble at such time, & Place as you shall appoint ; then & there to elect, and depute one or more Persons (being freeholders, and resident in the same town) according to a number set, & limited* by an Act of the General Court or Assembly, which was conven'd at Watertown on the nineteenth day of July current for the Service of this Colony, and is still in being ; and to cause the Person or Persons so elect, and deputed by the major part of the electors present at such election to be timely notified, & summoned by one of the constables of your town forthwith to attend the Service of this Province in the said general Court, or Assembly, & during the Session or Sessions of the same. Hereof fail not, and make a Return of this Precept with the name or names of the Person, or Persons so elected, & deputed, with their being summoned into the General Assembly, as soon as may be after such election, & summons shall be made.

" Pursuant to" the Precept within written the Freeholders and other Inhabitants of the town of Groton qualify'd as is therein directed, upon due Warning given, assembled and met together on the Twenty first day of August and then did elect, & depute Capt. Josiah Sartell - to servo for, and represent them in the Session, or Sessions of the great, and general Court or Assembly which was conven'd at Watertown on the nineteenth day of July current for the Service of this Colony the said Person being chosen by a major part of the electors present.

" OliA'ER Prescott \ Selectmen Isaac Faknsworth V of Amos Lawrance ) Groton " The Person chosen as abovesaid notified thereof & summon' d to attend accordingly by me Constable of Groton Oliver Fletcher [Indorsed] " Return from Groton Cap« Josiah Sartell " Mr Fowle Please to make out a Precept for the town of Hancock in the County of Berkshire - according to this Form - declined, and Colonel Josiah Sartell chosen in his place. May 18, 1778, Honorable James Prescott. May 17, 1779, Honorable James Prescott. May 15, 1780, Honorable James Prescott.

The first General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts met on Wednesday, October 25, 1780, and the Honorable James Prescott was the representative from this town. He was chosen to the House on September 4th, and a short time later, in order to fill a vacancy in the Senate, he was elected to that body by a convention of both branches on Thursday, October 26, 1780 ; and subsequently by another similar convention on Friday, October 27th, to the Executive Council. At that time the Councilors and Senators were chosen on the same general ticket, without any special designation of either office, and then the Legislature selected from the upper body the members of the Council.

The Continental Journal, etc., (Boston), November 2, 1780, gives a list of the members of the General Court, where Mr. Prescott appears not only as a representative, but also as a Senator and a Councilor ; and in another column of the same newspaper it is announced, as a resolution of the Legislature, that owing to Mr. Prescott's acceptance of the Senatorship, his office as sheriff of Middlesex County was rendered vacant, and owing, furthermore, to the lack of time in filling it, agreeably to the new Constitution, the session cf the Superior Court of Judicature, Court of Assize and General Gaol Delivery would stand adjourned for one fortnight. He was also chosen, during the years 1781, '82, '83, '84 and 'm, first to the Senate, and shortly afterwards to the Council, where he appears to have served through the respective terms. He had previously represented the town in the three Provincial Congresses of 1774 and 1775, and his experience in legislative bodies was large.

Two of the representatives in the following list, namely, the Hon. Timothy Bigelow and the Hon. Luther Lawrence, have been Speakers of the House. Mr. Bigelow was first chosen to that position on May 29, 1805, and for eleven years, at intervals, he con- tinned to fill the office - the longest term of service in that capacity ever held by one person - though during a part of this period he was representing the town of Medford. He was Speaker at the time of the separation of Maine from Massachusetts. Mr. Lawrence, a brother-in-law of Mr. Bigelow, was elected to the same office on May 29, 1822, and held it during one year. It is not a little singular that they both were occupants, at . difterent times, of the same dwelling, formerly situated on Main Street, but now moved away; and both had their law-offices in a building near by, where, also, Mr. Dana, the president of the Senate, had had his law-office. This coincidence is by no means weakened by the fact that Governor Boutwell, the present owner of the place, was once the Democratic candidate for the Speakership, when the Legislature met on January 6, 1847, and he also was a resident of the town at that time. It may be worthy of note that another Speaker, the Hon. Timothy Fuller, the father of Margaret, who is known as the Countess d'Ossoli, was a citizen of Groton for some years before his death, which took place on October 1, 1835.

Under the Constitution originally the political year began on the last Wednesday of May, but the Senators and Representatives were chosen at different times. The members of the House were elected, annually, in the month of May, ten days at least before the last Wednesday of that month, and their term of service was during the year of their election.

Under The State Constitution

Date of Election. September 4, 1780, Hon. James Prescott.. May 14, 1781, Deacon Isaac Farnsworth. May 13, 1782, Deacon Isaac Farnsworth, declined, and Israel Hobart chosen in his place. May 12, 1783, Israel Hobart. May 10, 1784, Dr. Benjamin Morse. May 9, 1785, Ebenezer Champney. May 8, 1786, Cthe town voted by one majority not to send).

On March 7, 1787, the General Court passed an order fining the town of Groton twenty-four pounds and ten shillings for its neglect to send a representative during the preceding year. Forty other towns were fined various sums at the same time for a similar neglect ; and among them were Pepperell, Dunstable, Westford, Littleton, Harvard and Lunenburg.

By the tenth Article of Amendment to the Constitution of Massachusetts, adopted by the General Court during two successive sessions, and ratified by the people on May 11, 1831, the beginning of the political year was changed from the last "Wednesday in May to the first Wednesda}^ in January, and the day of election changed to the second Monday in November. In this list hereafter the term of service is during the year following the date of election.

(The town voted not to choof3e a second representative.) November 12, 1838, John Gray Park, Captain Daniel Shattuck. November 11, 1839, (the town voted not to send.) November 9, 1840, John Boynton. November 8, 1841, George Sewall Boutwell. November 14, 1842, George Sewall Boutwell. November 13, 1843, George Sewall Boutwell. November 11, 1844, William Livermore, Jr. November 10, 1845, William Livermore, Jr. November 10, 1846, George Sewall Boutwell.

Mr. Boutwell was chosen on the third trial by five majority. On the preceding day there had been a tie vote twice between him and Edward Coburn, the Whig candidate.

By the fifteenth Article of Amendment to the State Constitution, adopted by the General Court during two successive sessions, and ratified by the people on May 23, 1855, the day of election was changed to the Tuesday next after the first Monday in November.

out the State, and the town of Groton became, thereby, in connection with the towns of Pepperell, Shirley, Westford and Dunstable, the Twenty-sixth Middlesex District, with two Eepresentatives.

Mr. Shumway's election was contested before the General Court by Alien Cummings, of Dunstable, and a hearing was given by the Committee on Elections; but the matter was decided in favor of Mr. Shumway. For a full statement of the case, see "Reports of Controverted Elections in the Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts from 1853 to 1885 inclusive " (page 41), by Edward P. Loring and Charles Theodore Russell, Jr. (Boston, 1886).

By another apportionment, made under Chapter cm.. Acts of 1866, Groton and Pepperell became the Thirty-first Middlesex District, and were entitled to one Representative. The town of Ayer, on its incorporation, February 14, 1871, except that part \vhich had previously belonged to Shirley, was added to the district.

Colonel William Lawrence was a member of the General Court during seventeen years, - the longest term of service of any Representative from the town ; and- after him came the Hon. James Prescott, who served fifteen years.

Mr. Boutwell is now the senior surviving member, and, with the exception of Phineas Gilman Prescott, William Shattuck, Warren Fay Stone, George Henry Brown and George Sumner Graves, all his successors are still alive.

Member Of The Council

80, 1776, "Brigf. Prescot " was elected a member. This referred to Dr. Oliver Prescott, at that time a brigadier-general, but it does not appear that he ever took his seat with the board. On November 13th the records state that tw^o of the members, whose names are given, had declined, and their places were at once filled ; and on November 16th five more resignations were announced, - though no names are mentioned, - and the vacancies then filled. Dr. Prescott was undoubtedly one of the five who declined at this time. Among those chosen at the second election was " Colonel Prescot," who was James, a brother of Oliver. It is a little singular that their Christian names are not given in the records, as both were wellknown men. The " Journal of the House," October 30, 1776, prints the name of " James Prescott, Esq ; " as one of the nine original members chosen at that time, but this is an error. Colonet Prescott attended his first meeting with the Board of War on December 18, - according to the manuscript minutes of the Board.

Delegates To Constitutional Conventions

DELEGATES TO CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTIONS. Convention for forming the Constitution of Massachusetts, September 1, 1779. Date of Election. Term of Service.

Sheriff

" The Massachusetts Register and United States Calendar for the year of our Lord 1806" (page 75) gives Ephraim AVood, of Groton, as one of the justices of the Court of Common Pleas in Middlesex County, but the place of residence is without doubt a mistake. I cannot find that Judge Wood ever lived at Groton.

A List Of The Residents

Coroners. - The first three names mentioned below are taken from the Couneil records ; but the others are found in the "Record of Civil Commissions," in the office of the Secretary of State. Under the Constitution coroners were appointed for life, unless sooner removed ; but by an act passed on April 29, 1862, their tenure of office was limited to seven years, subject to reappointment. By another act passed on May 9, 1877, the office was abolished, and, so far as related to inquests, the medical examiner was substituted in place of the coroner.

(Mr. Bancroft was a resident of Townsend at the time of his appointment.) January 16, 1822, David Childs. June 29, 1852, Jacob Pollard. May 15, 1856, John Mason Porter. April 2, 1858, Eusebius Silsby Clarke. April 10, 1860, Asa Stillman Lawrence. January 24, 1866, John Quincy Adams McCoUester. April 16, 1867, Asa Stillman Lawrence. April 30, 1869, Benjamin Lincoln Howe. April 30, 1874, Asa Stillman Lawrence.

Honorable John Prescott Bigelow, born at Groton on August 25, 1797, Harvard College, 1815 ; Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 1886-43 ; Member of the Executive Council, 1845-49 ; Mayor of Boston, 1849-51. Died in Boston on July 4, 1874.

Honorable Henry Adams Bullard, born at Groton on September 9, 1788, Harvard College, 1807 ; Justice of the Sixth District Court of Louisiana, 1822-31 ; Representative in Congress from Alexandria and New Orleans, Louisiana (Twenty-first, Twenty-second and Thirty-first Congresses), 1831-34, '50, '51; Justice of the Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1834 - 46, with the exception of a few^ months in 1839, when he acted as Secretary of State. Died in New Orleans on April 17, 1851.

Honorable Willard Hall, born at Westford on December 24, 1780, Harvard College, 1799 ; studied law with the Honorable Samuel Dana at Groton ; Secretary of the State of Delaware, 1811-14, '21 ; Representative in Congress from Wilmington, Delaware (Fifteenth and Sixteenth Congresses), 1817-21 ; Judge of the United States District Court in Delaware, 1823-71. Died in Wilmington on May 10, 1875.

Honorable John Harris, born at Harvard on October 13, 1769, Harvard College, 1791 ; studied law with the Honorable Timothy Bigelow at Groton ; Justice of the Superior Court of Judicature of New Hampshire, 1823-33. Died at Hopkinton, New Hampshire, on April 23, 1845.

Honorable Amos Kendall, born at Dunstable on August 16, 1789, Dartmouth College, 1811 ; studied law with the Honorable William Merchant Richardson at Groton ; Postmaster-General under Presidents Jackson and Van Buren, 1835-40. Died in Washington, D. C, on June 12, 1869.

Honorable Abbott Lawrence, born at Groton on December 16, 1792 ; Representative in Congress from Boston (Twenty-fourth and Twenty-sixth Congresses), 1835-37, '39, '40 ; Presidential Elector, 1844 ; Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Great Britain, 1849-52. Died in Boston on August 18, 1855.

Honorable John Locke, born at Hopkinton, Massachusetts, on February 14, 1764, Harvard College, 1792 ; studied law with the Honorable Timothy

Bigelow at Groton ; Representative in Congress from Asliby, Massachusetts (Eighteenth, Nineteenth and Twentieth Congresses), 1823-29; Member of the Executive Council, 1831. Died in Boston on March 29, 1855.

Honorable Thomas Rice, born at Pownalborough (now Wiscasset), Maine, on March 30, 1768, Harvard College, 1791 ; studied law with the Honorable Timothy Bigelow at Groton ; Representative in Congress from Augusta, District of Maine, Massachusetts (Fourteenth and Fifteenth Congresses), 1815-19. Died at Winslow, Maine, on August 24, 1854.

Honorable William Merchant Richardson, born at Pelham, Xew Hampshire, on January 4, 1774, Harvard College, 1797 ; Preceptor of Groton Academy, 1799-1802; studied law with the Honorable Samuel Dana at Groton; Postmaster, 1804-12; Representative in Congress from Groton (Twelfth and Thirteenth Congresses), 1811-14; removed to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and afterward became Chief Justice of the Superior Court of Judicature of that State, 1816- 38. Died at Chester, New Hampshire, on March 23, 1838.

Honorable Ether Shepley, born at Groton on November 2, 1789, Dartmouth College, 1811 ; Senator in Congress from Maine, 1833-36 ; Justice of the Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 1836-48 ; Chief Justice of the same Court, 1848-55. Died in Portland on January 15, 1877.

Honorable Samuel Emerson Smith, born at Hollis, New Hampshire, on March 12, 1788, Harvard College, 1808 ; studied law with the Honorable Samuel

Dana at Groton ; Justice of the Court of Common Pleas of Maine, 1822-1830; Governor of Maine, 1831-1833; Justice of the Court of Common Pleas again, 1835-1837. Died at Wiscasset, Maine, on March 3, 1860.

Honorable Asahel Stearns, born at Lunenburg, June 17, 1774, Harvard College, 1797; Preceptor of Groton Academy during a short period iuimediately after his graduation ; studied law with the Honorable Timothy Bigelow at Groton ; representative in Congress from Chelmsford, Massachusetts (Fourteenth Congress), 1815-1817; University Professor of Law at the Harvard Law School, 1817-1829. Died in Cambridge on February 5, 1839.

Honorable James Sullivan, born at Berwick, Maine, OQ April 22, 1744; Member of the three Provincial Congresses, from Biddeford, 1774, 1775; resident of Groton, 1778-1782; delegate to the Continental Congress, 1782; Member of the Executive Council, 1787; Judge of Probate, Suffolk County, 1788-1790; Attorney-General, 1790-1807 ; First President of tne Massachusetts Historical Society, 1791-1806; Governor of the Commonwealth, 1807, 1808. Died in Boston on December 10, 1808, while in office.

Honorable John Varnum, born at Dracut on June 25, 1778, Harvard College, 1798 ; studied law with the Honorable Timothy Bigelow at Groton ; Representative in Congress from Haverhill, Massachusetts (Nineteenth, Twentieth and Twenty-first Congresses), 1825-1831. Died at Niles, Michigan, on July 23 ' 1836.

passed, which did much to hasten public opinion toward the American Revolution. This town sympathized warmly with the feeling, and prepared to do her part in the struggle. A large number of her inhabitants had received their schooling in the French War, as their fathers before them had received theirs during the Indian troubles. Such persons did not now enter upon camp life as raw troops, but as experienced and disciplined soldiers. The town had men willing to serve and able to command. The leaders of the Revolution displayed great foresight in the careful attention paid to the details of their work ; and the final success of the struggle was due as much to their sagacity as to the deep feeling of the people. On the side of the patriots the skirmishes of April 19, 1775, were fought by companies made up of minutemen, organized on a recommendation of the First Provincial Congress of Massachusetts, in a resolve passed at Cambridge on October 26, 1774. It was at that time recommended to the field officers of the various militia regiments that they should enlist at least one-quarter of their respective commands, and form them into companies to be held in readiness, at the shortest notice by the Committee of Safety, to march to the place of rendezvous. Such soldiers soon became known as minute-men, and proved to be of very great help and strength to the popular cause. Two companies were enlisted at Grotpn ; and at the desire of the officers, the Rev. Samuel Webster, of Temple, New Hampshire, on February 21, 1775, preached a sermon before them, which was afterward printed. It was there stated that a large majority of the town had engaged to hold themselves in readiness, agreeably to the plan of the Provincial Congress, to act in the service of their country. The sermon is singularly meagre in those particulars which would interest us at the present time, and is made up largely of theological opinions, perhaps as valuable now as then, but not so highly prized.

On the memorable 19th of April two companies of minute-men, under the respective commands of Captain Henry Farwell and Captain Asa Lawrence, marched from Groton to Concord and Cambridge ; and on the same day for the same destination two other companies of militia, under the respective commands of Captain Josiah Sartelland Captain John Sawtell . According to the company rolls at the State- House, there were in FarwelFs company, at the time of marching, three commissioned officers and fifty-two men, and in Lawrence's three officers and forty-three men; and in the two militia companies (Sartell's) three officers and forty-five men, and (Sawtell's) one officer and twenty-five men, respectively, though in Sawtell's company some of the men were from Pepperell.

In the battle of Bunker Hill, on June 17, 1775, one commissioned officer and eleven soldiers, residents of Groton, were either killed in the fight or mortally wounded. This roll of honor comprises the names of Lieutenant Amaziah Fassett, who fell wounded and died a prisoner on July 5th; Sergeant Benjamin Prescott, a son of the Hon. James Prescott, and a nephew of Colonel William Prescott, who commanded the American forces, and privates Abraham Blood,

Chambers Corey, James Dodge, Peter Fisk, Stephen Foster, Simon Hobart, Jonathan Jenkins, David Kemp, Robert Parker and Benjamin Woods. This was the largest loss experienced by any town in the battle, and it shows ihe patriotic character of the citizens at that period. Colonel Prescott, the commander on the American side, and three of the Pepperell soldiers who lost their lives in the fight, were natives of Groton.

During the War for the Union the record of the town is equally honorable. According to General William Schouler's " History of Massachusetts in the Civil War" (ii. 409), she furnished four hundred men for the public service, which was a surplus of fortynine over and above all demands; of whom twentyfour were commissioned officers. Forty of these soldiers were either killed in battle or died of their wounds, or of sickness contracted in the army. A marble tablet with their names cut inthe stone has been placed in the hall of the Town-House in grateful recognition of their services and dedicated to their memory. The whole amount of money raised and appropriated by the town for war purposes, exclusive of State aid, was thirty-one thousand seven hundred and twenty-four dollars and forty-seven cents ($31,- 724.47).

Camp Stevens at Grotox. - During the War of the Rebellion, in the autumn of 1862, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts established a military camp at Groton, on the triangular piece of land situated in the southwesterly part of the town, and bounded by the Peterborough and Shirley Railroad, the Nashua

River and the road to Shirley Village. . It contained eighteen or twenty acres, more or less, and at that time belonged to Joseph Cutts ; the entrance was near the angle made by the railroad and the highway. The Fifty-third Regiment of Infantry, Massachusetts Volunteer Militia, while its ranks were recruiting, was encamped on this ground. The regiment w^as raised from Groton and Clinton, Leominster, Fitchburg and other towns in the neighborhood belonging to Worcester County, and was mustered into the public service for nine months.

"A camp of rendezvous is established at Groton Junction, Middlesex Co., where barracks are being built, which is designated Camp Stevens. Capt. W. C. Sawyer, 23d Regt. Mass. Vols., is appointed Commandant. Due notice will be given when the barracks are ready for use."

The camp was so named in memory of General Isaac Ingalls Stevens, a native of Andover and a graduate of West Point, who was killed in the battle of Chantilly, Virginia, on September 6, 1862, only a fortnight before the camp was established.

The commandant was Wesley Caleb Sawyer, born in the adjoining town of Harvard, on August 26, 1839, who graduated at Harvard College in the class of 1861. Soon after leaving Cambridge he was commissioned, on October 8, 1861, as a captain in the

Twenty-thir(i Massachusetts Volunteers, and be left the State with that regiment. He was attached to Burnside expedition, that went to North Carolina; in the battle of Newbern, March 14, 1862, he was severely wounded, which resulted in the amputation of his left thigh, and necessarily prevented him from further participation in an active campaign.

The regiment left Camp Stevens on Saturday, November 29th, for New York, where it remained until January 17, 1863, at which time it embarked for New Orleans. Subsequently to the departure of the troops from Groton, the following order was issued :

"The troops which were enlisted and mustered into service at Camp Stevens, Groton Junction, having left the Commonwealth for the seat of war, Capt. Wesley C. Sawyer, Commandant of the Camp, is relieved from further service, and I am directed hy His Excellency, the Commander-in-Chief, to thank Capt. Sawyer for the acceptable manner in which he has performed the duties of his post.

Since the war Captain Sawyer has studied at Gottingen, Germany, where he received the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. He has held the professorship of Philosophy and Rhetoric at Lawrence University, Appleton, Wisconsin, but is now connected, as a professor, with the Normal School at Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

The barracks and other structures used by the soldiers at Camp Stevens have long since disappeared, and not a trace of the former occupation is to be seen.

Years ago some of the buildings were taken down, and the rest were removed, mostly to Ayer. George James Burns, Esq., a lawyer of that town, wrote an interesting article for The Groton Landmark, June 25, 1887, which traces the history of many of these buildings.

In the autumn of 1862, Dr. Edward Jarvis, of Dorchester, was appointed by Surgeon-General Dale to visit the various camps in the State, of which there were ten, and report on their sanitary condition. The result of his labors may be found in two communications printed in The Boston Medical and Surgical Journal for December 4 and 11, 1862 (LXVII. 364- 367 and 381-384, respectively), wherein he makes some criticism on Camp Stevens.

According to the " Record of Massachusetts Volunteers, 1861-65" (I. 390-392), the following soldiers died in camp at Groton : Henry A. Waters, of Shirley, Co. D, on October 25, 1862; Spencer Stockwell, of Athol, Co. E, November 20th ; and Daniel P. Hemenway, of Barre, Co. F, December 1st.

The veterans of the war have organized a post of Grand Army of the Republic, which is called the E. S. Clark Post, Xo. 115. It is named after Major Eusebius Silsby Clark, of Groton, a gallant officer of the Twenty-sixth Massachusetts Volunteers, who was mortally wounded at Winchester, Virginia, on September 19, 1864, and died on October 17, 1864.

The Population of Groton at Different Times. - The town of Groton was formerly a much more important place relatively, both in size and influence, than it is at the present time. According to

There were at that time in Middlesex County forty - one towns, which number has since been increased to forty-seven towns and seven cities ; and in the meanwhile Brighton and Charlestown have been merged in the municipality of Boston, and thus have lost their separate existence. Major Aaron Brown, of Groton, and General Henry Woods, of Pepperell, were the marshals who took the census of the county, with the exception of that small portion lying on the further side of the Merrimack River.

A comparison of the population of the town at different periods is somewhat interesting to those familiar with its history. John Tinker, in a petition to the General Court, dated October, 1659, four years after the incorporation of the town, says that the plantation "Continueth vnpeopled." The report of the committee, - of which Thomas Danforth was chairman, - dated May 23, 1661, and already quoted, states that there were four or five families " planted " at that time. In March, 1676, when the town was burned by the Indians, it was estimated by the Rev. William Hubbard, in his narrative, that there were then sixty families in the place. Another writer of that period puts the number of dwellings destroyed at sixty-six, and says that only six houses were left standing. From these estimates it would appear that the population of the town at the time of its destruction was between 300 and 350 inhabitants. From March, 1676, until the early spring of 1678 the settlement was abandoned and entirely deserted. In March, 1680, there were forty families in the town, as appears by some statistical returns printed in " The New England Historical and Genealogical Register " (V. 173) for April, 1851. In March, 1707-8, there were sixty-seven polls (" Collections of the American Statistical Association," p. 146), which would indicate a population of about 300 persons. At the beginning of the year 1755 there were fourteen negro slaves in town - seven men and seven women - who were sixteen years old or upwards.

On June 2, 1763, Governor Francis Bernard sent a message to the General Court, expressing his wish that a census of the Province might be taken ; but that body paid no heed to the suggestion. On January 19, 1764, he renewed the proposition, and apparently with better success ; for the Legislature, on February 2d, adopted an order carrying out his wishes. The popular heart, however, was not in the work, and no interest was taken in the measure. The people were suspicious of the rulers in England, and jealous of all political interference ; and it is but natural that the census proceeded slowly. On March 5, 1765, an act was passed by the General Court to carry into effect an order which had previously been passed for numbering the people within the Province. This action shows that the Governor's pet scheme was not receiving a warm support.

With these drawbacks, and under such conditions, the first census of the houses, families and number of people in the Province of Massachusetts Bay ever taken w^as finished in the year 1765. Singularly enough, there are now no returns of this enumeration among the Provincial or State Archives, where they were undoubtedly placed. How or when they disappeared is a matter of conjecture; but probably they were lost amid the confusion that naturally prevailed during the Revolutionary period. Fortunately a copy of this census was found by the late Judge Samuel Dana, of Groton, among some papers of a deceased friend, which had then lately come into his possession ; and by him seat to the Columbian Centinel newspaper, where it was printed for the first time in the issue of August 17, 1822, more than half a century after the enumeration was made. From this source is derived all the information concerning the figures of the census of 1765 ; and the printed copy, in the absence of any other, is an authority second in importance only to the original manuscript returns. At that time the town of Groton had 1408 inhabitants.

Akin to this subject, there is in the Library of the Massachusetts Historical Society a memorandumbook, which contains some interesting facts connected directly or indirectly with the population of the Commonwealth during the Revolutionary period. According to this authority the population of Groton in the year 1776 was 1639; the number of ratable polls in 1778 was 362, and the number in 1781 was 395.

In compliance with a resolution of Congress, an act was passed by the General Court of Massachusetts on July 2, 1784, requiring the assessors of towns to make certain returns, from which it appears that there were at that time 418 polls in Groton. This was the largest number returned by any town in the county, with the single exception of Cambridge, which had 457 polls ; and after Groton came Reading with 399 polls, and Woburn with 395, followed closely by Framingham with 389.

At the several decennial dates of the United States census, the population of Groton has been as follows: In the year 1790, 1,840; 1800, 1,802; 1810, 1,886; 1820, 1,897; 1830, 1,925; 1840, 2,139; 1850, 2,515; 1860, 3,193; 1870, 3,584, and 1880, 1,862. The town of Ayer was incorporated on February 14, 1871, and made up almost entirely from the territory of Groton, which accounts for the great diminution in the population between the last two decennial periods, as given above. The new town started on its corporate existence with a population nearly equal to that of the parent town, and, with all the vigor of youth, soon surpassed it in size.

State, made during the present century, it will be seen that there has been a steady increase in the population of the town, with the exception of the period between the years 1860 and 1865, when there was a slight decrease of seventeen inhabitants, and of the period between 1875 and 1880, when there was a falling off of forty-six inhabitants. The loss in the first instance was due, of course, to the disturbing effects of the Civil War.

The population of Ayer in the year 1885 was 2190 ; and if that village had not been separately incorporated, the population of Groton would now be considerably more than 4000 inhabitants. According to the last State census there were thirty-two towns or cities in Middlesex County larger than Groton, and twenty-one towns smaller.

The original Groton Plantation, as granted by the General Court on May 25, 1655, has furnished the entire territory of Ayer; the whole of Pepperell, with the exception of a narrow strip lying along its northern boundary, which once belonged to the West Parish of Dunstable (Hollis); the whole of Shirley, with the exception of a small portion formerly known as "Stow Leg;" one- half of Dunstable; and has contributed more or less to form five other towns, namely. Harvard, Littleton and Westford (including a part of Forge Village), in Massachusetts, besides Nashua and Hollis, in New Hampshire. The total population of this territory is now more than 10,000 inhabitants.

The approximate population of the town, under the national census of 1890, is 2071, though these figures are subject to change in the official count.

Slavery ix Grotox. - During a long period before the Revolution, Groton had one element in her population which does not now exist, and which to-day has disappeared from almost the whole civilized world. At the beginning of the year 1755 there were fourteen negro slaves in town, seven men and seven women who were sixteen years old or upwards. At that time Townsend had three slaves, two men and one woman ; Shirley had one, a man ; and Pepperell made no return of having any. Westford had five, but the sex is not given. These facts are gathered from a census of negro slaves in Massachusetts, ordered by the Province, which is published in the third volume, second series, of the Collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society (pages 95-97).

Groton on December 21, 1719, by Francis Fullam, a justice of peace, to Hannali Wansamug. William appears to have been a slave belonging to Eleazer Robbins, of Groton, and Hannah was an Indian, who is called in the records "late of Lancaster;" but unfortunately the marriage was not a happy one. With all confidence in her husband, the wife bought his freedom, when he proved false to his plight and promise, and deserted her. The story, told in her own words, is found in the Journal of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, June 13, 1724 (page 39):

" A Petition of Hannah Banks Indian, shewing that she bought of Eleazer Bobbins of Groton his Servant Plan's Time, and gave a Bond of I. 15 for Payment of the same, that afterwards she married the said Servant Man, who is since absconded, and the said Robbms hath put the said Bond in Suit, and cast the Petitioner into Prison in Boston, that the Principal Debt with the Charges hath arisen to I. 25 which Mr. Edward Ruggles of RooAiu-y hath paid for her, praying this Court would please to enable the said Edward Buggies to Sell such a part of her Land in Xatick, as will satisfy him for his advance of said Twenty-Five Pounds.

RAX away from Ms Master, Mr. John Woods of Groton, on Thursday the 12th of this Instant July, a Negro 3Ian Servant named Caesar, about 22 Tears of Age, apretty short tvell sett Felloic. He carried with him a Bine Oxxt and Jacket, a pair of Tow Breeches, a Castor Hat, Stockings and Shoes of his own, and a Blue Cloth Coat with flower'd Metal Buttons, a white flower' d Jacket, a good Bever Hat, a Gray Wigg, and a pair of new Shoes of his Master's, with some other things. It is suspected there is some white Person that may be with him, or design to make Use of his Blaster's Apparel above described.

Whoever shall take up the said Servant, and bring him to his above-said Master in Groton, or be a 3Ieans of convicting any person or Confederate icith said Servant as above suspected, shall have Five Pounds Be ward for each of them, and all necessary Charges jyaid.

RAN AWAY from the Subscriber, Joseph 3Ioors, of Groton, in the County of Middlesex, and Province of Massachusetts-Bay, a Molatto Man Servant, named TITUS, about 20 Years of Age, of a midling Stature, wears short curl'd Hair, has one of his Fore-Teeth broke out, took with him a blue Surdan, a Snuff-coloured Coat, and a Pair of white wash'd Leather Breeches, a Pair of new Cow-Hide Pumps and a Furr'd Hat with large Brims, and sundry other Articles of Wearing

Joseph Moors

JOSEPH MOORS. ig®= All Masters of Vessels and others, are hereby Cautioned agaimt Harbouring, Concealing, or carrying off said Servant, as they would thereby avoid the Penalty of the Law.

The following marriage is entered in the church records under the date December 28, 1742 .- 'Triamus (Cap* Boydens Negro man servant [)] to Margr*. Molatto formerly servant to S. S. both of Groton." It is also recorded that Margaret, the servant of Samuel Scripture, Jr., was baptized on January 30, 1733-34, and that she owned the church covenant at the same time. The initials "S. S." stand for Samuel Scripture. This negro couple was afterward blessed with a family of children, and they lived on the west side ot the Nashua River, a short distance north of the county road to Townsend. His surname was Lew or Lue, and his given name became contracted into Primus ; and to this day the rise of ground, near the place where the Pepperell road leaves the main road, is known as Primus Hill, so called after him. Mr. Butler thinks that perhaps Margaret's name was

Lew. See his History (page 454). Their oldest child, - Zelah, a corruption of Barzillai, - born at Groton on !N^ovember 5, 1743, was a famous musician, who lived at Dracut and the father of numerous children who were also musicians. He was a fifer in Captain John Ford's company of the twenty-seventh Massachusetts Regiment, in service at the siege of Boston, and was present at the Battle of Bunker Hill.

About the year 1740 there was a negro slave in Groton by the name of Boad, who used to look after the cattle sent up to Groton Gore in the spring to be pastured during the summer. See " The Boundary Lines of Old Groton "' (page 37). The church records contains the entry of the baptism of Hagar, a servant ot William Green, on August 1, 1765.

"Noah Shattuck, esq., informs me that there were eleven slaves in Groton when slavery was abolished, and he mentioned the following names : Chloe Williams, Phillis Cutler, Phillls Sartell, Ichabod Davis, Fanny Borden and William Case. Phineas Wait also owned one slave."

The following entry is found in the town records, and refers to the last survivor of negro slavery within the limits of the town. The institution was abolished by the adoption of the State Constitution in the year

The following extract from the town records refers to Titus, who is advertised as a runaway in The Boston- Gazette, and Country Journal, June 13, 1774, as mentioned above. The advertiser was a sun of Abraham Moors, the owner of Zebina, the slavemother :

A List of the Town Clerks (from the year 1662 to the present time, with the dates of their election and terms of service. In this list the years are given according to the new style of reckoning, and in specifying dates, small fractions of years are overlooked. The town was attacked by the Indians in the spring of 1676, and abandoned by the inhabitants until March, 1678.