Needham Town

Town Officers

Town Clerk and Treasurer. - Solomon Flagg (27th year of service). Selectmen, Overseers of the Poor, and Auditors. - Joseph E. Fiske, James Mack*

Source changes here: from History of Norfolk County, Massachusetts, with Biographical Sketches of Many of Its Pioneers and Prominent Men, by Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) Ed, published 1884; 14,175 words in this source stream.

Needham Town

business, which has been carried on under the name of " Otis Morse" for nearly forty years. He manufactured and built iron fence for twenty-five years, and for thirty years has conducted the undertaking business. As an evidence of his industry, during the year of his illness he ran a fish-cart for several months. Mr. Morse married, first, Frances L. Boyden, by whom he had one child who attained maturity, Edward B. ; he is a resident of Boston, and an active business man.

Mrs. Frances Morse died Oct. 10, 1838, aged twentythree years, and Nov. 20, 1839, Mr. Morse married, second, Hannah (Day) Polleys (daughter of John and Hannah (Day) Polleys; she was born July 25, 1809. Otis Morse is a man of modest character, of William Nehoiden, of whom it was purchased by the inhabitants of Dedham on the 13th of April, 1680. The consideration being ten pounds in money, fifty acres of land, and a quantity of Indian corn to the value of forty shillings.

The first settlements were made in the northeastern part of the town, but the precise period cannot be It is probable, however, that it was not The ancient ascertained. long after the purchase from Nehoiden. records of Dedham show that a settlement existed here in March, 1694,and July 2, 1705, the selectmen of the mother town granted a license to Benjamin Mills to keep a public-house near the Lower Falls.

plication to his work, honest and prudent. From nothing he has won success and a competency for his old age in the community where his goings out and comings in have been known to all men.

the inhabitants petitioned the town of Dedham for a grant of eight pounds to defray the expense of three months' preaching among themselves, which was granted.

Mr. Morse has done much to build up his native town, has assisted many people in starting business, built several houses and shops, was interested in the foundry that was built, and to him, with a few others, the prosperity of Norwood is largely due to-day. Politically he is a Republican. His religious belief' is that of the Orthodox Congregationalists. In the home circle his labors have been ably and warmly seconded by his cheerful wife, the companion of more than forty years. Truly it may besaid of Mr. Morse, "having put his hand to the plow, he looketh not

Chapter Needham

Support of Ministry - Incorporation of Town - Named after Needham in England - The First Town-Meeting - Selectmen Elected - Burying-Ground - The First Minister- - -First Meeting-House - Westerly Precinct Set Off - The First Chureh Bell - Early Educational Interests - Social Library.

Edward Cook, Stephen Hunting, John Parker. This petition, however, was opposed by the town of Dedham, and a committee was chosen by that town petitioners, but advised the inhabitants of Dedham to exempt the petitioners from paying taxes for the support of the minister then settled in their town, pro- -

Although the situation of the inhabitants was now | virtually that of a separate precinct, yet they perse- - vered in their efforts for incorporation as a town, and | on the 5th of November, 1711, the General Court granted an order incorporating that portion of Dedham north of the Charles River under the name of Needham.

What gave the new town the name of Needham is not definitely known, but Rev. Stephen Palmer, who was an authority on the local history of this town, in | a note to an historical address delivered by him in | 1811, says, '' The author has been informed by one of the descendants of the venerable Timothy Dwight, of Dedham, who was a member of the Legislature when this town was incorporated, that it was named | Needham at the request of Governor Dudley after | Needham in England, and because that town is near | to Dedham, although in a different county."

The first town-meeting was held Dec. 4, 1711, when the following selectmen were chosen: John Fisher, John Smith, Benjamin Mills, and Robert Cook. Robert Cook was also the first representative to the General Court, May 19, 1712.

This house was | raised in 1712, and in 1713-15 money was granted | for finishing various parts of it; " but," says Mr. Pal- | mer, "it does not appear that the house was entirely | finished, nor is there any account that it was ever | dedicated." The first candidate to preach to them | was a Mr. Dewing, March 16, 1713, but the first regular pastor was Rey. Jonathan Townsend, or- | dained March 23, 1720. Mr. | Townsend, Thomas Metcalf, and Josiah Newell as _

Chapter Xee

War of the Revolution - The Battle of Lexington - Needham's Prompt Response - Her Citizens perform Efficient Service - They harass the British Retreat from Lexington and Concord - Ephraim Bullard alarms the Minute-men - List of Names Composing Needham Companies - Capt. Aaron Smith's Company of Militia - Capt. Caleb Kingsbury's Company of Minute-Men - Capt. Robert Smith's Company - Sketches of the Killed - Incidents - Votes of the Town during the Reyolutionary Period.

War of the Revolution. - In the first battle of the war of the Revolution five citizens of Needham sacrificed their lives, and '' cemented with their blood the foundation of American liberty." In proportion to its population Needham suffered more severely than any other town except Lexington. Three companies with full ranks hastened to the combat. men, Capt. Aaron Smith's seventy men, Capt. Robert Smith's seventy-five men, one hundred and eightyfive in all. It is probable that few, if any, able-bodied men remained at home. 'The news of the battle reached Needham about nine o'clock in the morning, the messenger passing through the town to Dover and Dedham. The East Company, commanded by Capt. Robert Smith, immediately assembled at the meeting-house, and marched to Watertown, where refreshments were furnished. They then hastened on to the scene of action, where they did efficient service in harassing the British troops in their hurried retreat

There is a tradition that the alarm was given at the west part of the town by a man who rode through the place bare-headed. At that time Ephraim Bullard kept a tavern on the Sherborn road. This house stood near where the stone lodge at the entrance to the college grounds now stands.

_in the house and bullets moulded, the women assisting in the work. The men were supplied and sent It is said that the West Needham men reached the scene of conflict a little in advance of the East Company, having received the alarm earlier.

The following is a list of the names of the men composing the Needham companies, copied from the original muster-rolls on file in the State archives:

Needham

"A Roll of Capt. Aaron Smith's Company of militia, who marched in consequence of the alarrum made on the 19th of April last, in the Regement whereof William Heath, Esq., was then Col., as follows, viz:1

Moses Bullard, lieut., 13. John Bacon, sergt., 5. Samuel Kilton, sergt., 5. Enoch Kingsbery, corp., 5. Joseph Drury, corp., 8. Joseph Mudg, drummer, 10.

Aaron Smith, capt., 15. Josiah Upham, ensign, 9. William Fuller, sergt., 8. Joseph Daniell, sergt., 11. Jonathan Smith, corp., 13. Jeremiah Daniell, corp., 11.

** Colony of the Massa. Bay, Mar. 15th, 1776, Capt. Aaron Smith above named, made oath to the truth of the above roll by him subscribed, according to the best of his knowledge. Before Sam'l. Holten, Jus. Peace thro. the Colony." bery, in Col. Davis',Regiment that March'd in consequence of the Alarm made on the 19th of April, 1775, which is as followeth, viz.: Caleb Kingsbery, capt., 2. Eleazer 2d

Caleb Kingsbery

"Suffolk ss., Jan. 2, 1776. The above named Capt. Smith appeared and made oath that this Muster Roll was carefully made and according to his belief.

Elisha, Debby, Elizabeth, Nathaniel, Paul, and George. He was by occupation a blacksmith. He owned the farm on the south road which some few years ago belonged to Mr. Horace Felton. The Mills house manner: He with others were in a barn as the main body of the red-coats were passing, the flank guard being close by. Mills stepped out, raised his gun to his shoulder and fired. He instantly fell pierced by a half-dozen balls. His body was brought home the next day ina cart, driven by Aaron Smith, Jr., who afterwards married the widow.

He left a widow He was a cousin of Elisha Mills. He lived at the west part of the town, on what is now called Blossom Street. His home has since been known as the Abijah Stevens place.

Jonathan Parker was born April 19, 1747, and was, therefore, just twenty-eight years of age at the time of his death. He was the son of Jonathan and Anna (Wight) Parker. 1, 1769. have been other children, but their births are not on dred and sixty-five pounds. The house he occupied was taken down some years ago by the late Spencer It stood within a few rods of the residence of Mr. William Pierce. His widow married Deacon Isaac Shepard. According to tradition, Parker and

Parker was shot making for the woods. Fisher escaped. Lieut. John Bacon lived in that part of Needham set off to Natick in 1797. Born in 1721; married Abigail Sawin, 1744. They had nine children. Austin Bacon, Esq., a great-grandson of Lieut. Bacon, gives the following interesting account of the cireumstances attending the death of his ancestor: " In the night or near morning the alarm was given, and he set eastern part of the town, and sent his horse back Soon after he had gone a trumpet sounded, and some Framingham men came along with one Nero Benson, a negro, for a trumpeter, and every house they passed had a blast. they heard from him, when one Hawes, they used to call 'Old Hawes,' came home (he was a soldier in the French and Indian war), and gave the following account: That Bacon and himself were on a ledge of rocks in Menotomy behind a stone wall, trying to get a good shot at the red-coats. the flank guard should surprise them, and kept a lookout. Bacon, with his powder in his hat, was lying behind the wall with another, when Hawes said, 'Run or you are dead, here's the side guard.' They tried to get over the wall, but Bacon was shot through near the third button on his vest. receiving the news my grandfather (son of Lieut. Bacon) went off to see how it was, and near night, April 20, came home with his clothes, the body having been buried at West Cambridge. The clothes erandfather entered the room he knew the old striped hat which was put on top of the roll of clothes." Bacon was described as a great worker, and would

Nathaniel Chamberlain was a soldier in the French war. His name appears on a "Return of men Inlisted for his Majesty's Service for the Total Reduction of Canada." He is there stated to be a resident

John Tolman was severely wounded. nearly shot through the body that the ball was extracted from the opposite side.'"' He recovered, and afterwards served a term in the war.

In 1851 a granite obelisk was erected in a sightly Upon the side of the monument facing the public street appears the followposition in the old cemetery.

ing inscription : " In memory of John Bacon, Amos Mills, Elisha Mills, Jona' Parker, and N. Chamberlain, who fell at Lexington April 19, 1775. For Liberty they died."

The following narrative of Revolutionary events is taken from an unpublished autobiography kept by Rev. Samuel West, who was the minister of the town in 1775 :*

'Clouds and thick darkness at this period threatened an impending storm to these American colonies. Every week and almost every day produced something new, either to manifest or to increase the irritation of the people. Mobs were continually rising, and some of our best men were dragged from their houses, arraigned before the basest and meanest memdignity.

valuable as naturally sunk to the bottom. The measwere precisely such as to keep up the former, without any tendency to accomplish their purpose.

Nov. 19,1738. Graduated at Harvard University, 1761. Accepted an invitation to settle in Needham, and was ordained April 14, 1764. Removed to Boston, 1788, to become the minister of the Hollis Street Society, and died in that town April 10, 1808.

In a boiling cauldron, the scum and filth | naturally rose to the top, while that which was most | ; | victorious army, especially in civil wars like this. ures pursued by the government in Great Britain | Whatever I had read on the subject now came fresh to my mind, and produced the most painful appre- any further than as they are immediately connected with the object of the memoirs, which is not to give a history of the times any further than as events relate to or immediately affect myself and family. In the night after the 18th of April, a detachment of the British troops marched out of Boston for the purpose of securing to themselves or destroying the provisions, etc., which had been deposited at Concord by order They in part effected their purpose, but were soon attacked by our people, of the military stores were deposited with me; they then supplied themselves, and by ten o'clock all marched for the place of action, with as much spirit and resolution as the most zealous friend to the cause We could easily trace the march of the troops from the smoke which arose over them, and could hear from my house the report of the cannon and the platoons fired by the British. The Needham company were soon on the ground, but, unhappily, being ignorant of what are called flank guards, they inserted themselves between them and the main body of the British troops. In consequence of which they suffered more severely than their neighbors, who kept at a greater distance.

'* Never did I know a more anxious day than this, not so much on account of what was taking place, although that was solemn and deeply affecting, but I considered it as no more than the beginning of sorrows, and a prelude to infinitely more distressing scenes which we expected would follow. We even hensions. All this actually took place, though not as I expected with respect to my family and neighbors, yet in other and many parts of America. But it was a happy circumstance that the people in general, and even our principal leaders, had none of these gloomy apprehensions, and flattered themselves that the contest would soon be over. That if we could but dispose of the British force already here, that government would never think of pursuing the affair any further, but come to some compromise with the colonies to mutual advantages. In the evening we had intelligence that several of the Needham inhabitants were among the slain, and the next morning it was confirmed that five had fallen in the action and that several others had been wounded. remarkable that the five who fell had families and in consequence of their death. lies immediately, and with a sympathetic sense of their affliction I gave to some the first intelligence which they had of the dreadful event, - the death of a husband and a parent. in which the tidings were received discovered the While some were almost frantic in their grief, others received the news in profound silence, as if in a consternation of grief they were incapable of shedding tears or utter- I shall only add further, with respect to this memorable day, that it appeared to have a surprising effect on the spirit of the people in general, and, from being, as I had supposed them, and as they were actually, mild and gentle, they bedifferent dispositions of the sufferers.

army' and that on Hudson's River, and prominent citizens of Needham, of whom Col. William McIntosh was the most conspicuous, served as officers in distant places.

There were doubtless other soldiers from this town whose names are either not found upon the rolls, or could only be found by an exhaustive search. When it is considered that in 1775 the population of the town was less than a thousand, and that the people were farmers with but little personal property or ready inoney, it will be possible to form some idea of the Few towns were more prompt in furnishing the required supplies, or in raising their quota of men. The public action taken by the town during the great struggle for a national existence cannot be better illustrated than by the following extracts from the town records, which furnish ample evidence how nobly Needham did her part in the war, and what privations her sturdy yeomen must have borne to meet the constant drain of money and supplies which they cheerfully voted.

Aug. 31, 1774, the town chose Capt. EHleazer Kingsbery, Capt. Lemuel Pratt, Mr. Jonathan Deming, Mr. Samuel Daggett, and Capt. Caleb Kingsbery

House of Mr. Woodward, Inn-holder in Dedham, on Tuesday the Sixth Day of September Next at Ten o'clock, before Noon, To Deliberate and Determine upon all matters as the Distressed Circumstances of this Province may Require." meet at Concord "the Second Tuesday of October next," and January 26th following he was again chosen agreeably to a recommendation by the Congress, Dec. 10, 1774, to the towns to choose members.

upwards of three hundred Needham men who served in the war of the Revolution. marched to Lexington, and others assisted in the fortification of Dorchester Heights, or did guard duty on men," more, and doubtless participated in the principal battles and witnessed the great historical events of the war. Men were raised to recruit the '" Northern

May 29,1775, Col. William McIntosh was chosen a delegate to the Provincial Congress to be held at Watertown, 31st instant, and Capt. Robert Smith, a "Committee of Correspondence."

March 11, 1776, Mr. John Slack, Mr. Michael Metcalf, and Mr. William Smith were chosen a '"' Committee of Correspondence, Inspection, and Safety," and June 24, 1776, the town voted to instruct and advise their present Representative, 'That if the Honourable Congress for the Safety of the United Colonies Declare them Independent of the Kingdom of Great Britain, that they, the Said Inhabitants, will Solemnly

July 15, 1776, the town voted to choose a com-_ mittee "to Consult what Method to Raise the money | to Incouriage the Men that are to be Raised to Go to Canady :'"' Col. William McIntosh, Capt. Aaron Smith, Mr. Michael Metcalf, Capt. Robert Smith, and Mr. John Slack were chosen, and reported as follows: | "That the Town Should Raise Seven Pounds in addition to the Bounty already Granted by the General | Court, to Every Non-Commissioned Officer and Soldier, that should Enlist for Canady. We further Report, as our opinion that the men that were Out Last Summer in the Eight Months Service should be allowed half a turn, and if any of the Kight Months Men Should turn out and Inlist and take the Fourteen pounds shall be allowed half a turn more which will make a whole turn. We further Report as our opinion that if any Should Inlist that were Not in the Last Years' Service and take up the seven pounds Granted by the General Court Shall be allowed a whole turn ; and if they take the Fourteen Pounds shall be allowed half a turn." pounds to each non-commissioned officer and soldier who should enlist for Canada.

Continental army for three years, or for the war. This bounty was raised by a tax, and the town also chose a committee of seven to learn what had been paid to reinforce the army, "and who has Done a turn or part of a turn Personally," and voted to raise money by a tax to pay these claims.

for service in Canada were paid their bounty of seven pounds each: Nathaniel Fisher, Aaron Fisher, Isaac Goodenow, John Kittley, Josiah Upham (for his ne- | gro's enlisting), Benjamin Mills, Jr., Benjamin Mills (3d), Ebenezer Huntting, Jonathan Huntting, Israel | Huntting, Moses Eaton, Lemuel Eaton, Jonathan Whittemore, Jr., Jeremiah Woodcock (paid to his father), John Beaverstock, and John Smith, Sr. 7 The Declaration of Independence is spread in full upon the records in the clear and bold handwriting of Lieut. Robert Fuller, the town clerk, and is followed by an order of Council that the same be " Printed, and a Copy Sent to the Ministers of each Parish, of every Denomination within this State, and that they

Severally be Required to read the Same to their Respective Congregations, as Scon as divine Service is Ended, in the afternoon, On the first Lord's Day after they shall have Received it. And after Such Publication thereof to Deliver the Said Declaration to the Clerks of their Several Towns, or Districts; who are hereby Required to Record the Same in their Respective Town, or District's Books, there to remain as a Perpetual Memorial thereof."

March 10, 1777, Mr. William Smith, Lieut. Ebenezer Fuller, and Mr. Joseph Daniell, Jr., were chosen a '*Committee of Correspondence, Inspection, and Safety."

May 26, 1777, the town expressed their opinion that the Council and House of Representatives should "postpone Coming into a New form of Government at present'' because of the " War Still Raging."

Dec. 15, 1777, Thomas Fuller, John Bird, and Josiah Ware were chosen a committee to provide for the families of those men who had enlisted for three years, or for the war. The town also accepted the reports of committees relating to soldiers who had served near Boston in 1775 and 1776, at Ticonderoga in 1776, at York, and at Castle Island, and voted eight shillings per month to those men who went to the islands near Boston in 1776, and four pounds each to those who went to Providence in May, 1777. Lieut. Moses Bullard was allowed £6 13s. 4d. " for his Going

Feb. 6 and 9, 1778, the selectmen granted orders on the town treasurer to two hundred and twenty-nine persons for services or money paid during the war. The amounts averaged about £6. March 9th, Josiah Eaton, Henry Dewing, and Ebenezer Newell were chosen a " Committee of Correspondence, Inspection, and Safety."

In 1778 the town paid for clothes, shoes, etc., furnished the army, and May 6th of that year a committee was chosen to hire men "at the best method they can," to reinforce Gen. Washington and the army at Hudson's River. Col. William McIntosh, Capt. Aaron Smith, Capt. Eleazer Kingsbery, Sergt. Jonathan Gay, and Mr. Aaron Smith, Jr., were chosen, and the necessary money voted.

May 22, 1778, Benjamin Mills, Jeremiah Daniel, and Jonathan Smith were added to the committee to care for soldiers' families, and May 28th the town voted

Continental soldiers that went from Needham. March 11, 1779, the committee of ' Correspondence,'' ete., chosen the last year was re-elected.

In the winter of 1779 numerous payments were made for clothing ete., for the army, and March 19, 1779, the town accepted the reports of several committees relating to soldiers who had served in various localities. Elmun Tolman and Nathan Dewing, " that were in the Year's Service," were voted each £6 13s. 4d., | and 20s. per day, with their wages, was voted to those who went, or sent others, to Rhode Island " in August Last." Also £11 per month to those who " went to | Boston in September, 1778, or hired men in their | Room for three months." A committee of five, con- | sisting of Mr. John Slack, Capt. Caleb Kingsbery, Capt. Aaron Smith, Capt. Robert Smith, and Mr. Jeremiah Daniel, were chosen 'to Set what Sum of money the town Shall Allow to a man that may be Drafted or Goes Volentary into the Publick Service of the War Needham."

Smith, Jr., Jonathan Gay, and Isaac Goodenow were | added the next July. | The town voted £3000 " to pay the charge of the | War the Last Year," and Josiah Newell, Jr., Josiah | Upham, Ensign Timothy Kingsbery, Josiah Newell, Esq., Deacon John Fisher, Moses Kingsbery, and Col. William McIntosh were chosen a committee to take care of the families of the Continental soldiers. May 24th, Jonathan Gay was added to the committee. | ' July 26, 1779, voted to pay £17 to those men | "that went to Gard at Boston in Sep'", 1778."

Oct. 15, 1779, the selectmen granted orders to ninety-five persons for services and money paid on | account of the war, and during the first three months

March 13, 1780, Moses Man, Aaron Smith, Jr., and Eleazer Fuller were chosen a committee of ' Correspondence, Inspection, and Safety," and March 17, 1780, Capt. Eleazer Kingsbery, Mr. Nathaniel Fisher, Mr. Ephraim Pain, Capt. Caleb Kingsbery, Mr. | Ebenezer Day, Mr. Timothy Newell, and Lieut. Tim- | othy Kingsbery were chosen a committee to '" Supply the Continental Soldiers' Families."

May 29, 1780, the town voted to choose a committee of five "to hire men in the Publick Service of the War if any Shall be Wanting," and Aaron Smith, Jr., Eleazer Fuller, Josiah Newell, Jr., Enoch | to report on the acceptance of the " Form of Government' proposed for the State, reported favorably on all the articles but the third, which in their opinion was inconsistent with religious liberty. They also expressed the opinion that the writ of habeas corpus

June 16, 1780, it was voted to raise by a tax the necessary money to hire men for the war, and Samuel Alden, John Slack, Jr., and Robert Fuller, Jr., were added to the committee chosen May 29th.

July 17, 1780, the town voted a " Tax of Thirty Thousand pounds in addition to the Thirty thousand pounds already granted to be raised this Year to hire men."

December, 1780, a tax of £23,000 was voted " to Purchase the Beef that is now Called for from the town of Needham by order of the General Court." Lieut. Oliver Mills, Samuel Daggett, and Timothy Hunting were chosen to hire men for the war. Aaron Smith, Jr., Capt. Moses Bullard, John Ayers, and Capt. John Bacon were added to this committee Jan. to, 78st.

January 29th another committee, consisting of Capt. Moses Bullard, Moses Man, Capt. John Bacon, Samuel Fisher, Isaac Goodenow, Jr., Lieut. Enoch Kingsbery, and Capt. Robert Smith, were chosen for the same purpose.

April 5, 1781, " Crown""' Nathaniel Fisher, Capt. Robert Smith, and Capt. William Smith were chosen a committee of '" Correspondence, Inspection, and Safety."

The committee to hire soldiers was re- Aaron Smith, Jr., was added thereto, and £180 hard money or the equivalent in paper money was voted for the use of the committee.

State of Connecticut with the view of learning the trade of a carpenter. But, pursuing this occupation about a year, he became dissatisfied with it, and rex | linquishing the idea of being a mechanic he returned _ In that

His public career was commenced in what is called the French war. When forces were raised to repel the incursions of the enemy at Crown Point and Lake Champlain he received an ensign's commission Sept.

rable defeat of Gen. Braddock, when public affairs But the dangers of the enterprise did not prevent him from engaging in the defense of his country. In conflicts with the enemy he displayed much personal bravery, and though his life at times was brought into jeopassumed a gloomy and threatening aspect.

duty or desert his post. his situation was such that either capture or death seemed inevitable, but by the God of armies he was preserved from both.' services he was promoted to the office of first heutenant. This commission, dated March 13, 1758, he received at Lake George, where he was then stationed. This higher trust he executed with his accustomed of the town. Soon after this appointment he was raised to the office of lieutenant-colonel. This office he held at the commencement of the Revolution and discharged the duties of it in the first action of the war, that well-known action which took place in this vicinity.

this State he was appointed colonel of the first regi- _ ment of militia in the county of Suffolk. Under this "it is necessary for a great or useful man to be - appointment he went into the army at different stages of the war, and was engaged in some of the important battles which were fought. In time of engagement he was noted for his coolness, fortitude, and bravery. While he was guarded and prudent in his measures, His

By his companions in arms he was much approved; commanders of a higher grade paid him a tribute; and even by the great Washington, according to correct information, he was called a good officer and a brave man. It is, therefore, no more

But the public services of our friend were not confined to the field; he was also much employed in the cabinet. The public concerns of this town and of this parish have been often committed to his trust. For twelve years he served the town in the capacity of a selectman, and five years he was a representative of it in General Court, during which periods he was occasionally appointed on many important committees, and was esteemed a valuable member of the Legislature.

_ among the more important acts of his public life, that in the year 1779 he was chosen and acted as a memfidelity in further defending the rights of his country. | removed to Needham. Here he has statedly resided to the end of his days, a period of nearly forty-nine years, and has been much esteemed and respected among us. About the year 1774, when the militia in this town was divided into two companies, he was

2 At this time he was deserted by his men, and within pistolshot of the enemy was fired upon singly by five hundred Indians. But being on descending ground, they shot over him, and through divine protection he was enabled to escape.

ber of the convention which formed the Constitution of this commonwealth. And in the year 1788 he was also a member of the convention in this State appointed for the purpose of taking into consideration the national Constitution, and voted for its adoption.

Chapter Xlil

Congregational Church.' - The town of Needham, originally a part of Dedham, was incorporated Noy. 5,1711. The first Congregational Church was organized March 20, 1720, on the Sabbath, and Mr. Jonathan Townsend, the first minister, was ordained March 23, 1720. was graduated from Harvard College in 1716. continued with this church forty-two years and a half. The Rev. Samuel West, D.D., succeeded him, his settlement occurring April 25,1764. He resigned Nov. 15, 1788, and was installed over the Hollis Street Church, in Boston, the next year, where he remained until his death, April 10,1808. Mr. West was born in Martha's Vineyard, 1738, and was graduated 1761. Four years after Mr.

For more than a century was this church firm in its belief in the cardinal doctrines of the evangelical churches of New England. There came a time of spiritual apathy which resulted in an almost entire departure from the early faith, and the church passed out of the hands of Congregationalism.

The year 1855 marks the beginning of the later history of Congregationalism in the eastern part of the town of Needham. 'There were at that time a number of persons who had no opportunity to worship with the church of their choice. There were meetings during this time, furnished the Bible which was used, often bringing singers with him to the services, and not being pleased with the condition of the walls of the hall, he had them papered at his own expense. This church, as well as at least two others in the neighborhood, owes very much to Dr.

having received aid from any missionary society. Many of the people living at a distance from Nehoiden | Hall, it was thought best to hold the meetings in a more central place. Village Hall, near the depot, was hired for this purpose, and was fitted up in an appropriate manner. This hall was burned in the spring of 1882. The first service was held in this new place of worship on the first Sunday of July, 1856. Dr. Burgess preached the first sermon. The

The Dedham, Dover, Medfield, West Needham, Grantville, and Newton Congregational Churches were represented in the council. The church was at this time regularly organized, under gess, then pastor of the Congregational Church in Dedham, he offered to preach for them. His offer was gladly accepted, and the first service was held on the first Sunday in April, 1855, in Nehoiden Hall, at the Centre. Dr. Burgess gave his services to this people

_and prayer by the Rev. U. Haskell, of Dover; sermon, from Eph. ii. 20, by the venerable Dr. Burgess, of Dedham; reading of the church creed and covenant by the Rev. Lucius R. Eastman, acting pastor ; charge and baptism of children by the Rev. A. R. Baker, of West Needham ; fellowship of the churches, by the Rey. E. S. Atwood, of Grantville; address to the people, by the Rev. J. H. Fairchild, of South Boston; concluding prayer, by the Rev. Andrew Bigelow, of Medfield. The church formed consisted of twenty-eight persons, ten of them males and eighteen females. The following is the list of names of the original members:

The Rev. William B. Greene became acting pastor Sept. 1, 1859. He was ordained in Waterville, Me., _in 1855, and came from that place to Needham. relation to the church extended over fourteen years, a society reach its largest number, and afterwards suffer from removals. Nearly thirty families in a short period removed from the town, among the number some of the most helpful members and officers of the church. A revival during the latter part of Mr.

On the 6th of July, 1859, a Sunday-school was formed in connection with the church. For nearly three years the people assembled in Village Hall, when it was felt that the desire for a house of wor- On the 23d of May, 1859, the society voted to build a chapel. The site for the new building was given to the society by Mr. Charles E. Keith.

before the close of the year the chapel was completed. It was originally intended that this chapel should in a few years give way to a church building, but although able to build, not many years later, financial troubles coming in the midst of preparations to that end, the plan has never been carried out. The chapel was dedicated, free from debt, Dec. 28, 1859. cation sermon was preached by the Rev. Dr. EH. N. Kirk, of Mount Vernon Church, Boston. Jan. 1, 1860, the first Sunday services were held, Mr. Greene preaching the first sermon. The congregation at this time did not fill the house, but it increased steadily for many years. Mr. Greene's connection with the church ceased April 1, 1873.

The first settled pastor was the Rev. Augustus C. Swain, who was ordained and installed June 25, 1873. He remained with the church less than a year, being dismissed by council April 22, 1874.

The Rev. J. L. Wheeler commenced preaching here in April, 1874, as stated supply, till April 1, 1875. He was ordained in 1869, and came here from Gardiner, Mass.

For nearly two years the pulpit was supplied by different ministers. In the spring of 1882 it was In the mean time the chapel was frescoed, the expense being borne by the Ladies' Friendly Society, which from the first has been abundant in labors for the good of the church.

The First Parish of Needham' has an existence coeval with that of the town. Early in the eighteenth century a few houses with outlying farms dotted the section now embraced in the towns of Needham and Wellesley. These settlers, prompted by that inborn instinct for local civil organization teristic of the New England Puritans, soon began to take measures for the organization of a separate town In 1710, they petitioned the General Court for an act to set apart their precinct and make and worship. ita town. In consequence of an energetic opposition on the part of Dedham the petition was refused, but the General Court advised the inhabitants of Dedham to exempt the petitioners from paying taxes for the support of the Dedham minister, provided they would have preaching in their own precinct. The next year, at the March meeting, Dedham voted a grant to these settlers of two lots of land containing one hundred and thirty-three acres, for the support of

I. The Meeting-House. - The town of Needham, on Dee. 25, 1711, voted to build a house for public worship and granted eighty pounds for this purpose, one-half to be paid in money, the other half in labor.

When we consider all the circumstances, this enterprise evidenced both courage and faith. It was a costly undertaking. The inhabitants were scattered and lived by dint of the utmost frugality and economy. 'The real difficulties were increased by a sharp division in respect to the site of the edifice. The contest became so hot that an appeal was made to the General Court, and this august body appointed a committee to fix the location. The various parties acquiesced in the decision, even if they were not fully satisfied.

the town for glazing. in the unfinished meeting-house. cord of its being either finished or dedicated. earnest worshipers were not dependent on cushioned seats, frescoed walls, and heated furnaces. They went in and out of this meeting-house until Sunday, Oct. 17, 1773. On this day a child was christened, and the pastor, the Rev. Mr. West, preached a sermon from Psalm iv. 5: '' Offer the sacrifice of righteousness, and put your trust in the Lord." During the night following the neighbors were startled as they saw the meeting-house in flames. a reward for the discovery of the person who set it on fire, we infer it was the act of an incendiary, but the culprit was never found. These frugal and hardy pioneers met their loss with stout hearts and voted in town meeting two hundred pounds towards rebuilding, and chose a committee of five to proceed at once with the work. The old feud about location again broke out, and the disagreement led to a division of the town raised either on the 3d or 4th of August, 1774, and | /ment were so marked that his advice was often sought both by his own parishioners and for the set- | tlement of controversies and difficulties in the neighin three weeks the services in the unfinished building were resumed. Gradually, though slowly, the house was finished and remained until 1811, when it was repaired with the addition of a '" handsome tower," and on Nov. 15, 1811, a bell was hung and for the first time rung in the town. the edifice of the First Parish now on " the plains.' story is told that the meeting-house at Newton Upper Falls having had the bells, both proving unsatisfaetory, the bell-makers maintained that the defect in or the construction of the tower. 'To test this the First Parish bell was loaned, and, as it rang out its clear, rich tones in Newton Upper Falls, the judgment was that the two bells were at fault.

the building was finished. Gradually there came a change over the town. 'Two villages grew up around the railroad stations, - one at Needham Plains and the other at Grantville. The worshipers of the latter place organized another parish and dedicated Thus the old meeting-house was away from the larger part of the congregation. It was, therefore, necessary to move it to the centre of population. So it was taken bodily on wheels in 1879 and rolled along the outskirts of the village and placed on its present location near the railroad station. It was entirely refitted, and is now an ornament and a thing of use and beauty in the centre of the village on " the plain."'

Il. The Ministers - The First Parish has had a succession of faithful and devout ministers. As soon as the parish was organized, the people began to look out for a pastor, A large number of candidates were heard and five received calls to settle, but declined. But, nothing daunted, the people continued their quest. They held special days of fasting and prayer for guidance, and sought advice from the leading ministers of Boston and their neighborhood. After more than eight years of effort, on Dec. 29, 1719, they gave a unanimous call to Mr. Jonathan Townsend, whose acceptance, dated Jan. 25, 1720, was read in town-meeting, 'to the great satisfaction of the people." Mr. Townsend was ordained March 23, 1720, and continued his ministry till Sept. 30, 1762, covering a period of forty-two years. The Rey. Stephen Palmer, in his "Century Sermon," thus draws his portrait: '' Possessing strong powers of mind, cultivated and improved by education and study, he was enabled to think deeply and correctly." His accurate knowledge of dates, candor, and judg-

His ministry as a whole was peaceful till, about 1746, the church was plunged into controversy about the employment of " illiterate teachers" and the right to have separate meetings among themselves. Mr. Townsend, like most of his ministerial brethren, regarded the ministry as an 'appointed order of men who are separated unto the gospel of God." He also placed special stress on the importance and value of an educated ministry,

This led to a split, and some of the disaffected withdrew from the parish. "In the main,' says Mr. Palmer, " he was happy with his people, sharing much

After an interval of two years and seven months, during which period the people in a day of fasting © and prayer sought for divine direction, Mr. Samuel West received a call on Nov. 7, 1763, from the church, and on December 5th, following, " the con- | gregation concurred." He was ordained April 25, | 1764, and continued his ministrations until Nov. 2, | 1788, at which time he preached his last sermon. The separation really took place Jan. 12, 1789, when | he was dismissed by a vote of the parish. Mr. West gave as a reason for his leaving "a difference of opinion with respect to ministerial support." The differences between the minister and parish so far as indebtedness was concerned was settled by a mutual agreement between the parties. The Rev. Thomas Thacher, as quoted by Dr. Palmer, describes him as '"'a man of talents, of extensive erudition, and of very amiable and polished manners. by all who were acquainted with him. While he continued in the ministry here, he was esteemed a faithful and affectionate pastor ; and was highly acceptable to the people of his charge."

The Rev. Stephen Palmer, after a lapse of four years, received a call June 11,1792. The interval between this call and the resignation of Mr. West was a period of discouragement. But the few and faithful stood firm in their support of the parish. Dow was invited to settle Aug. 2, 1790, but declined, and on June 11, Mr. Stephen Palmer received a call, and was ordained the 7th of November, 1792. Mr. Palmer was the son of a minister, and inherited from | his father a love of knowledge. He graduated from | Cambridge with academic honors, and entered upon the ministry with interest and devotion. It was during his life that what the historian, Hildreth, calls | Mr. | Palmer, though orthodox in his theological opinions, upon others, nor have others any right to impose theirs upon me. I have never viewed my opinions to be such mountains, as a different faith cannot remove, nor have I ever yet believed myself to be infallible. He who thinks he has no more light to receive, has seen but little, and he who is not open to convictions is in bondage to himself." controversy arose, which led to the separation of the New England Congregational Churches into two distinct bodies known as the Orthodox and Unitarian. Mr. Ritchie sympathized with the Unitarians, and as the ministers of most of the old parishes in the neighborhood were of this drift, he was in fellowship with them. This was a source of disagreement on the part of some of his hearers who were inclined to the more orthodox belief. Still, his ministry was, as a whole, a very useful and harmonious one. Towards its close his health failed, and on Dec. 17, 1841, he resigned his active charge with the request that he might retain his relation as pastor. The correspondence between him and the parish abounds in the expressions of mutual kindness and esteem. He alludes tenderness, and the parish voted to pay his funeral expenses, and his people with loving care placed his remains in the grave, and carried with them the

The Rev. Lyman Maynard, a minister in fellowship with the Universalist Church, was installed as the successor of Mr. Ritchie, Sept. 8, 1842. Accord-

_ing to the arrangement with the parish the settlement was for an indefinite term, the parties being at liberty to dissolve the connection on giving each other six months' notice. When the call was given it was also voted that the parish committee call upon Mr. Maynard, and request that he should exchange with clergymen in the vicinity of different denominations within convenient distance. The committee, it would seem, did not inform Mr. Maynard of this arrangement, for in a communication next year he said he would consent to exchange with the Rey. Mr. Partridge, of Newton, and the Rev. Mr. Spear, of Weymouth, both of whom were of the Universalist persuasion ; that had he been informed of the vote of the parish on this subject, he should have hesi- He had known much disunion to grow out of such a course, and had fears of the result. He hoped, however, for the best, and should use his utmost efforts to promote a spirit of harmony in the society. Mr. Maynard's | connection closed in 1846, and then followed a series | of short settlements. The Rev. C. H. A. Dall's ministry was from Feb. 7, 1847, to Dec. 1, 1849; the Rev. James F. Hicks, from July 14, 1852, to December, 1853. The Rev. George Channing supplied | the pulpit for the next two years. He was succeeded by Mr. Andrew N. Adams, who was ordained at Needham Noy. 21, 1855. After a brief ministry the Rey. William Barry was next settled, and his min- | istry was both devoted and fruitful in good works. He was followed by the Rev. George H. Emerson, | D.D., who supplied the pulpit with acceptance. In | 1870, after his engagement ended, the society called the Rev. A. B. Voise, who also supplied, in addition, the pulpit of the Unitarian Church at Grantville. | The service in the First Parish Church was held in the forenoon - that at Grantville in the afternoon. The next year the society at the latter place gave Mr. Voise a call to be their minister, and the Rev. 8. W. Bush succeeded him, and still is minister of the First Parish.

Ill. The Parish and Church. - ULike all the old | Puritan Congregational Churches, the First Parish had | a twofold organization known as the Parish and the Church. The parish organization was devoted chiefly to the care of the financial affairs, and the records abound in illustrations of the difficulties of the voluntary system for the support of religious institutions.

For a long time the First Parish was the only reli- | gious society in Hast Needham, and as diversities of | religious opinions prevailed, added to the extreme in- | dividualism which is inbred in New England Puri- | tanism, it was not always easy to raise the minister's with these inherent successive generations the ministrations of the pulpit. | The parish records, which have been kept with un- | usual accuracy and care, contain full evidence of the earnest fidelity with which the cause of religion was maintained.

The church organization concerned itself with the spiritual affairs of the parish. It March 23, 1720, and on July 3d following the ordiwas embodied chosen, and a covenant was signed March 18, 1720. This covenant was very mildly orthodox in its statement of belief, and in no way bound its subscribers

Trinity would be accepted by those who are Sabellians. In 1764, October 19th, this covenant was renewed by the members of the church with an addition practical in its character. No mention is made of a belief in any specific doctrines which have since been emphasized by a large body of the New England Orthodox Congregational Churches. This covenant continued until about 1850, when a new one was adopted. In this, after an acknowledgment and confession of sin, the candidate is thus addressed by the minister: '" You sincerely and solemnly give up yourselves to God the Father, whom you receive as your God. . . . to the Lord Jesus Christ, and receive him as made of God unto you, wisdom and righteousness, and sanctification and redemption." This covenant with verbal alterations, but the same in substance of doctrine, is still used.

In the idea of church-fellowship we can trace a gradual growth. At first the church refused to give members a dismission, and to recommend them to the Baptist, Methodist, and other communions, but in the course of time their ideas broadened, and July 19, 1840, it was voted 'as there is but one Christian Church in the world, they consider it improper to dismiss from the church." But as there are branches of the Christian Church, the record adds, which require a certificate of dismission as well as recommendation, this church will comply with request of those members who wish to join another branch of the one Christian Church.

The early records of the church also abound in details of proceedings growing out of some unchristian conduct. Ifa member had a grievance against a brother or sister, it was brought before the church. One incident which illustrates the early period is worthy of mention. In 1736 several of the brethren fell into hot disputes about certain personal matters so that they became angry. The affair was submitted to the church, and after a full hearing the disaffected brethren were exhorted to bury their differences in one common grave of forgetfulness, and for the time to come to live and act towards each other as Christians. They agreed to do this. So, after singing a psalm, the Rev. Mr. Townsend called for a tankard of drink and drank to 'the heretofore contending, but now reconciled brethren, praying that all might

Capt. Cook said, Amen. Then the minister gave the tankard into Capt. Cook's hand ; he drank himself and drank to Capt. Fisher. We all drank ut sie finitur. So the matter ended." towards what is called liberal Christianity. So the First Parish, like many other old ones in the country, became either Universalist or Unitarian. At present the First Parish holds ecclesiastical relations with the Unitarians, and its members have a reasonable hope in a more prosperous future.

out any stated salary. On account of ill health he During his term of office twenty-eight were received from other churches and eighteen baptized.

In 1854, Deacon George Howland, of the Second Baptist Church at Newton, employed at his own expense Rev. Amos Webster to canvass the town and preach a few Sundays.

Webster Street, and was attended by fifty-six persons in the morning and seventy-four in the afternoon. In connection a Sunday-school was established, with Deacon George Howland as superintendent.

society was formed and a house of worship soon commenced, large enough to seat about four hundred in | the audience-room and two hundred in the vestry, at |

Rey. Amos Webster continued to preach till the following October, when he resigned, and the desk was supplied by different preachers for some time.

George Howland, the church was in a very weak state. They engaged the services of Rev. S. F. The first five years he was with the church hardly money enough could be raised to meet the running expenses, and in the autumn of 1869, when Deacon John Burnham and the clerk, Brother G. F. de Leesdenier, died, it seemed as though the enterprise must be given up. It was at this time that the male members were so few that one man, Deacon William Moseley, held every office in the church, and was also superintendent of the Sunday-school. But the faithful efforts and self-denial of the few left were not in vain, and soon the church was strengthened by the addition of new members. In the year 1871 sixteen were baptized and five added by letter, the church debt was paid, principal and interest, amounting to seven hundred and thirty-four dollars, and early in the next year preparations for finishing the audience-room were commenced, and by June all was completed and handsomely furnished, at an expense of four thousand one hundred and fifty-four dollars, about one thousand of which was raised by the exertions of the pastor in other places.

December 7th, Rev. A. F. Willard accepted a call to become its pastor. He remained with the church nine years, although, on account of ill health, he was absent about a year. All this time the church was in debt and the people poor. fully for the love of the cause, part of the time with-

Aug. 1, 1873, the pastor resigned, having labored with marked success for seven years, twenty-six haying been received by baptism and fourteen by letter.

Dec. 23, 1873, Rev. S. G. Abbott became pastor. During his stay quite a number of improvements were made in the church property, fifteen persons added by baptism, and fourteen by letter. Owing to the removal of several men of means from our town and the general depression of business, the church was unable to continue its relation with the pastor, and he resigned July 1, 1876.

Rev. A. T. Spaulding was settled March, 1877, and labored with good success for eight months, when he died instantly with heart-disease. He was much loved and respected by the church and community.

Rey. S. F. Smith, D.D., again supplied the pulpit until Aug. 29, 1880, when he left for a two-years' trip among the mission-fields in Europe and Asia.

1881, and continued two years, during which time various plans to aid the benevolent organizations of the denomination were formed, which have been quite successful. Since then the old friend of the church, Rev. S. F. Smith, D.D., has supplied the pulpit.

some money is now in the treasury. The future prosperity seems assured, and the church has extended a call to the Rev. W. H. Clark, of South Norridgewock, Me., to become its pastor. He will commence his labors in February, 1884.

The number baptized since its organization is seventy; admitted by letter, one hundred and one. Total, one hundred and seventy-one. The present membership is seventy-one, and the officers are, Deacons William Moseley and R. W. Ames, trustees ; John Moseley, treasurer; Thomas Sutton, clerk ; Thomas J. Crossman, superintendent of Sundayschool.

The Methodist Episcopal Church of Highlandville. a village of Needham, was organized in April, 1867, and the Rey. John W. Coolidge, of the New England Conference, was appointed its pastor. Previous to this time many influential families of the vicinity had been connected with the Methodist Church in religious services among them, resulting, especially in 1865-66, in a large addition from Highlandville to the Upper Falls Church, so that on the organization of the former thirty-four members were united with it by letter from the latter. The society, from the spring of 1867 to the summer of 1876, worshiped in a hall in the centre of the village. Its business, a fine woolen and silk hosiery, was prosperous, and its population, mostly English immigrants, increased rapidly, and the question of building a house of worship became one of deeply interesting discussion. In pastor, Rev. G. R. Bent. The cost of the site, edifice, and furnishing was ten thousand dollars. Soon after its dedication the business of the village became greatly depressed, in common with that of the country at the time, and greatly embarrassed the financiers of the society. An effort has just been made for the canceling of its debt, and large success has been attained. The pastors of this society, in conformity with the itinerant usage of Methodism, have been as

Chapter Xie

The Needham Chronicle - Changes in Boundary-Line - Valuation - Population - Documentary - Representatives - Selectmen - Town Clerks - Treasurers - Military Record.

The Needham Chronicle. - The publication of the Needham Chronicle and Wellesley Advertiser, the first paper printed in this town, was founded in 1874 by George W. Southworth, a native of Stoughton, this county, who had had previous journalistic experience at Stoughton and Marlborough, in response to the express desire for a local paper by the most The Chronicle enjoys a circulation in neighboring towns. At the incorporation of Wellesley the words '' and Wellesley Advertiser" were dropped from the heading, and an edition called the Wellesley Advertiser issued since that time for Wellesley. The Chronicle is still under the able management of Mr. Southworth.

Changes in Boundary-Line. - By an act of the General Court, passed in the year 1797, an alteration was made in the line between Needham and Natick. By virtue of this act sixteen hundred and fifty-six acres of land were set off from Needham to Natick, and in exchange four hundred and four and one-half acres, exclusive of pond, were set off from Natick and annexed to Needham, leaving a balance in favor of Natick of twelve hundred and fifty-one and onehalf acres.

The westerly part of the town, comprising about six thousand acres of land, with a population of about two thousand seven hundred, set off and incorporated as the town of Wellesley April 6, 1881.

Documentary

Walle ofsreslestate..ccccss.cccesslccaasees- $1,625,198 Value of personal estate....... cusisececuare 185,792 Motal valuation cccccecccicctecse=cieessss ons $1,810,990 INCTER Ol IAN TASSOSSCU .cccccicccesccrocotecleccsecs=s 7715 POPULATION. LGD s.. QAM Who alSb0 vc wecsscossceseccess 1944 MiviOezenessespesiesccesese 912 US60 ssc ssecdetes conse 2658 NO Ditcesssecces\ccescacse 1130 W865: ceescesscossnsssess 2793 SOO a ccscersstecsawcase 1072 TSO sccscesssstsseeessss 3607 USO aesccccsssecescscse 1097 VST Ditaccescatavsssteeesss 4548 HS 2 ONceccsscaccsssvesers 1227 US80 sss. vessscveecccsce 52521 MSS Oscsvetescsioeacssees 1418 1883 about............ 2600 USS. Oevcccscescctescevaces 1488 DOCUMENTARY.

first judges), who had fled thither from the men that sought their life. Dedham, one of the magistrates of this Colony under the old charter.

Representatives To The General Court

Col. William McIntosh, delegate to the Third Provincial Congress, convened at Watertown, May 31, 1775, and also to the Convention which met at Cambridge, Sept. 1, 1779, to frame a new " Constitution

1 Resigned May 5, 1882, and Henry Blackman elected to fill | the vacancy. * Died Oct. 8, 1760, and Lieut. Robert Fuller chosen to serve | the rest of the year. !

Edgar Kimball Whitaker

The ancestors of this gentleman were of Saxon origin. The ancient family-seat was in Warwickshire, upon a tract called Whiteacre or Whitacre in Domesday Book (a.p. 1086). Part of this tract is still so designated. It was '"'enfeoffed" to the ancestors of Simon de Whitacre, knight, of the reign of Henry I.

and barons, were many times called to be of the "'king's council," under the first three Hdwards and Richard II., a period of near one hundred years.

and Yorkshire, and afterwards in Wiltshire, Dorsetshire, and other counties. Later on, representatives emigrated to Ireland, Germany, and America. In 1611, Rev. Alexander Whitaker, known as the "apostle of Virginia,' and son of Rev. William Whitaker, LL.D., Master of St. John's College, Cambridge, came to Virginia with Sir John Dale, and was established at Henrico.

Of the immediate ancestors of Edgar Kimball Whitaker, Jonathan, born about 1690, is said to have "left England on account of religious persecution, settled first in Connecticut, then on Long Island, and afterwards in New Jersey." He resided at Huntington, Island of Nassau (now Long Island), in 1724. | He removed to Mine Brook Farm (purchased in

1734), near Basking Ridge, Somerset Co., N. J., where he died in 1763. A lineal descendant occupies the old homestead. He left a portion of his estate in trust for the Christian education of the Indians.

enth, and the third son. Nathaniel was born in 1730 ; was educated at Princeton, N. J., where he was graduated in 1752. He became a Presbyterian clergyman, and was first settled at Woodbridge, N. J., in | at Norwich, Conn., and, having accepted, " arrived with his family and goods, by water, April 12, 1760. A room for preaching had been prepared in the tavern kept by Samuel Trapp, and a bell, to take the place of the Sabbath drum, was suspended in the rear of the house, from a scaffolding erected upon a rock." Early in 1766 he was selected by the Board of Commissioners of the London and Kdinburgh Societies for Propagating the Gospel in New England to visit England and Scotland in behalf of Rev. Eleazer Wheelock's Indian school at Lebanon, Conn., and during an absence of eighteen months, procured donations to the amount of eleven thousand pounds for the stitution at Hanover, N. H., which takes its name from Lord Dartmouth, one of the principal donors, ' and a warm friend of Mr. Whitaker. In one of his letters to Mr. Wheelock (March 19, 1766), he says, '" Yesterday the good King went to the house, in the midst of the shouts and acclamations of a joyful people, in order to sign the Bill for Repealing the accursed Stamp Act; of this I was a spectator. A joyful day it was." St. Andrew's University gave Mr. Whitaker the degree of D.D. while he was in Scotland. In 1768 he resumed his pastorate at Norwich. In 1769 he was installed as pastor of the Old Tabernacle Church, in Salem, Mass., where he remained until 1784, when he organized a Presbyterian Church at Norridgewock, Me., retaining his charge there for six years. In 1790 he removed to _ Hampton, Va., where he died in 1795. His portrait - presented to him in London, by Lord Dartmouth, _ according to family tradition - is in the library at Dartmouth College, where it was deposited by its owner, Judge J. 8S. Whitaker, of New Orleans, his _erandson. He was learned, a powerful writer and preacher, prone to controversy and skilled in it, an ardent patriot, and a man of indomitable will. His appearance was prepossessing, and his manners

Jonathan was the seventh of Nathaniel's eight children, and was the fourth son. He was born in Salem, Mass., in 1771; was graduated at Harvard College in 1797, and became a Unitarian minister. His first pastorate was at Sharon, Mass., where he was ordained and installed in 1799, Rev. Abiel Holmes, the father of Oliver Wendell Holmes, preaching the ordination sermon. In 1817 he removed to New Bedford, Mass., where, in addition to kis pastoral duties, he assumed the charge of an academy, with decided advantage to the then growing town. In 1825 he went to Summerville, S. C., where he remained some years. His next residence was in Ogdensburg, N. Y., whence he removed to Henrietta, in that State, where he preached and conducted the Monroe Academy, and where he died in 1835. He married Mary Kimball, of Bradford, Mass., sister of Rev. Daniel Kimball, long an honored resident of Needham, and of Rev. David Tenny Kimball, for fifty years Unitarian clergyman at Ipswich, Mass. Jonathan Whitaker was a thorough scholar, gifted as a public speaker, devoted to his sacred calling, and eminently successful as a teacher. During the second war with Great Britain, although an ardent Federalist, he went at the head of a company of one hundred of his parishioners to assist in throwing up the earthworks upon Dorchester Heights, near Boston, when invasion was expected.

Edgar Kimball was his fourth son, and the sixth of his ten children. He was born in Sharon, Norfolk Co., Aug. 27, 1806, and died in Boston, Nov.

school of Rev. Dr. Richmond, pastor of the Unitarian Society at Stoughton, in whose family he lived until after his father's removal to New Bedford. At New Bedford he continued his studies at the academy established by his father, in preparation for matriculation at Harvard College, but, preferring a mercantile life, he year in that then delightful town, with health re- | stored, he returned to Boston, and to his old employers, - lLane & Lamson. In 1829 he went into business on his own account as a dry-goods merchant, succeeding David Lane, on Cornhill.

ington Streets. but its capital was mainly in the energy and business qualifications of its managers. It went down in the dark days that ended with the grand financial crash of 1837. went to New York, where he found occupation, first, as a clerk, and afterwards in the office of Gen. James Lorrimer Graham, in conveyancing. In the summer of 1839 he left New York for East Needham, where he purchased a farm, and soon became identified with the interests of the town. Here he had two honored relatives, - Rev. Daniel Kimball, a college friend of ments of the teacher's calling, and the defects of our old district schools made him an efficient coadjutor of his cherished friends, Horace Mann and Barnas Sears, in their great work.

In all matters affecting the prosperity and the moral progress of Needham Mr. Whitaker took a lively interest, and was indefatigable and judicious in his efforts. He devoted himself with unremitting zeal to the temperance reform. He connected himself with the Sunday-school of the Unitarian Church, and for many years was its faithful superintendent. The village Lyceum, an organization for lectures and debates (founded by Rev. Daniel Kimball, who was its presiding officer until advancing age compelled him to relinquish the charge), owed a great share of its prosperity to his constant support. long series of terms upon the town school committee, and gave much of his time to the supervision and improvement of the schools. The forlorn condition of the parish cemetery attracted his attention at an early day, and the task of its extension and embellishment was accomplished mainly in consequence of his efforts and appeals. He was foremost in the organization of the Norfolk County Agricultural Society, of which he was the first corresponding secretary, Marshall P. Wilder being its first president. At his own cost he laid out public streets. He

Ritchie, his mother's sister, and wife of Rev. William Ritchie, the Unitarian clergyman of the Kast Parish. He had married, Oct. 28, 1830, Catharine Cravath Holland, daughter of John Holland, of Boston. During the rebuilding of the house upon his farm, in the winter of 1839-40, Mr. Whitaker taught the Upper Falls district school, and many of the substantial, older residents of that part of Needham were among his pupils. His experience as a teacher was one of his pleasantest recollections, and it was of essential service to him in the making of friendships which made Needham always dear to him. Interested in the cause of popular education, and an earnest

Mr. Whitaker received the unsolicited appointments of justice of the peace and trial justice from Governor Briggs, a political opponent. In 1843, and several times afterwards, he was Democratic candidate for the State Senate. In 1846 he represented the town in the lower house. In 1848 he was nominated by the Democrats to succeed John Quincy Adams in years he was agent of the commonwealth for the inspection of charitable institutions. In 1855 he received a position in the Boston custom-house, and remained in that service until after the inauguration of President Lincoln. In 1862, Secretary Chase gave him an appointment in the Treasury Department, and during the remainder of his active life he was in government employment, at Washington generally, but with intervals at New York and New Orleans. At the latter place he was auditor of customs from 1866 Finally, his health failing, and after a prolonged leave of absence, in 1876 he resigned his official duties, and returned to Massachusetts, where he died, as stated.

His first wife died at Needham, April 22, Noy. 28, 1850, he married Clementina Augusta Dimick, daughter of Jacob Dimick, of Quechee, Vt. She died in Washington in February, 1865. Sept. 19, 1866, he married, at New Orleans, Sarah Beaumont Millard, daughter of Alfred Millard. By his first wife he had eleven children, nine of whom have survived him.

Mr. Whitaker was a man of pure life, was fond of books, and his mind was well stored and cultured. He wrote with force and elegance, and his advantages of voice, person, and manner rendered him an extremely effective public speaker. Misfortunes never affected his amiability, or diminished his faith in

Galen Orr

Thomas Orr, the eldest son of Hugh Orr, Jr., was born in Bridgewater, Mass., July 18, 1785. When quite a young man he obtained employment in Needham, and there met Rachel Bullen, of that town, whom he afterwards married. About the year 1812 he removed with his family to Shirley, Mass., where he died March 14, 1819, leaving a widow and six children, the eldest twelve years and the youngest ten months old, without adequate means of support. Necessity compelled the mother to place the older children under the care of relatives and friends, and returning with her two younger children to Needham, she endeavored to provide for her own and their support.

Galen Orr, whose portrait is here given, was the He was born in Shirley, Mass., Dec. 9, 1815. His early life was spent on a farm, with only such advantages for education as the public schools of that day afforded. Being obliged to rely upon his own resources to gain

He came to America June 17, 1740, and, after a temporary stop at Haston, settled in East Bridgewater, where he lived until the time of his death, Dec. 6, 1798. He married Mary Bass, daughter of Capt. Jonathan Bass, of Bridgewater, Aug. 4, 1742. styled in certain resolutions passed by the General Court of Massachusetts, May 2, 1787, very soon after he came to East Bridgewater, established ironworks there and commenced the manufacture of scythes and axes. tion in the manufacture of fire-arms, and at the commencement of that war produced the first cannon made in this country by boring from the solid casting. Shortly after the Revolutionary war he was a member of the Massachusetts Senate. He was also instrumental in the introduction of cotton machinery into this country, and the first machines for carding, roving, and spinning cotton made in the United States were constructed at his works in Hast Bridgewater. He had ten children, two sons and eight daughters.

Hugh Orr, Jr., who was the tenth child and the grandfather of the subject of this sketch, was born in Bridgewater, Mass., July 26, 1766, and lived there until his death, June 2, 1851.

Mass., and also in Boston, at the large works then located on the "Mill Dam." At Newton Lower Falls he worked as a blacksmith and machinist; ing knowledge and experience which were of value to him established.

settled in that town. The children by this marriage were Galen, Jr., born July 3, 1838, and died Feb. 8, 1883; Mary E., born Feb. 11, 1840; Lydia A., born April 25, 1842; and Isabella A., born Nov. 8, 1844. Galen, Jr., married Henrietta Childs. The turer of Needham, and the husband of Lydia A. is Emery Grover, a lawyer in active practice at the Suffolk bar. In 1839, Mr. Orr commenced the manufacture of blind hinges and fastenings, which he continued until his death, taking into partnership, in 1872, his son-in-law, Edgar H. Bowers. About 1850 he purchased the mili privilege on Rosemary Street, in Needham, and engaged in the manufacture of cotton batting, which business he continued for some six years, when he sold the machinery to be removed from the mill. In 1857 he formed a copartnership with his cousin, Thaddeus Bullen, of Haverhill, Mass., and fitted up the mill for the manufacture of tacks and finishing nails ; but this business proving unrenumerative, at the end of a year and a half the partnership was dissolved and its affairs closed. In 1860 he quite largely in flour and grain. Mr. Orr's early political affiliations were with the Democratic party, but upon the organization of the Free-Soil party he with which he acted up to the time of his death. Albors and townsmen in matters touching both public and private interests, and his judgment was always trusted. His kindness of heart and sympathy with the unfortunate were remarkable, and no deserving family, as long as his health permitted. He was especially fond of church music, and gave liberally of his time and means to develop an interest in and to support that part of public worship. He was a member of the board of selectmen and overseers of the poor board, performing the arduous duties which at that trying time devolved upon such officers with untiring energy and ina manner which left no room to doubt his entire devotion to the cause of his country and the institutions. In 1872 he was again elected selectman and overseer of the poor, and served as chairman; he was re-elected in 1873, but declined to accept. In 1864 he was a member of the State Legislature, representing the Fourteenth Norfulk District, then composed of the towns of Needham, Medfield, and Dover. He was elected special commissioner for the county of Norfolk for the term of three years from Jan. 1, 1869, and served in that capacity.

Elisha Lyon

re-election until the close of the year 1879. In 1874 he was elected president of the Needham Savings- Bank, which position he occupied until the closing of the bank in 1879, when he and the treasurer, Emery Grover, Esq., were appointed receivers. Under the receivership the depositors have been paid in full. The beginning of the year 1880 found him in failing health, and he withdrew from active life and spent the re. mainder of his days quietly at his home in Needham, where he died March 4, 1881.

Mr. Orr was a man of much strength of character, active and energetic, of great firmness and keen foresight, and although lacking the advantages of early |

Sept. 29, 1778; son of Jacob and Jerusha (Tucker) Lyon. He remained in his native town until sixteen years of age, when he went to Roxbury and commenced working at the hatter's trade. In tection of our country at the present crisis, who shall discharge the duties required of him under the general orders of the State or general or for such part of that term as he shall continue in the service in health or otherwise; the payment to commence (after his acceptance by the State officers) as soon as he shall engage in preparing for the duties required of him, and to which his whole time is necessarily devoted, such payment to be in addition to any compensation that will be received from the government.

Voted, That a committee to be styled " the Military Committee," to consist of four, be chosen, whose duty it shall be to take the general supervision in all matters of detail in relation to the formation of a company in this town, to render such assistance to those having charge of procuring volunteers as may be desired, and in providing such comfortable undergarments and other suitable articles of clothing for the men in such cases as may be deemed necessary ; investigate, to some extent, the condition of those who have families, with a view to the present or future comfort and requirements of such families; render such assistance in getting the men ready in such cases as would facilitate the objects to be attained ; provide suitable rooms for the examination necessary by the State officers, for drill, for general headquarters during the raising and formation of the company, and place of deposit of arms and equipments, if necessary ; to interest themselves generally in all matters pertaining to the welfare and comfort of the men and their families before and during their absence, if desired, and when necessary. Said committee are hereby authorized to expend for such purposes a sum not to exceed two thousand dollars, to be paid from the treasury of this town by orders to be drawn by the selectmen on presentation of bills contracted on account of such expenditures, which shall be approved by a majority of said committee, said committee to render an account current of their expenditures and receipts and a report of their transactions at the next annual meeting of the town.

their families or other persons authorized by such soldiers to receive the same for them, for the sum of fifteen dollars per month, as provided in the foregoing vote, the same to be paid monthly upon receiving the evidence of the right of the several claimants to receive the same; also, for the expenditures authorized by the Military Committee under this town, and placed subject to the order of the selectmen, to meet the several payments authorized by the foregoing votes in aid of the defense of the country, this day passed; this to be deemed the war appropriation.

Voted, That the selectmen be authorized to offer a bounty of one hundred dollars to each individual who shall, within thirty days from date, enlist in this town, as a part of the town's quota, for the war; the same to be made payable when the volunteers are accepted and mustered into the service of the United States.

Voted, That the town treasurer be, and hereby is, authorized, under the direction of the selectmen, to borrow the sum of three thousand and three hundred dollars, for one or more years, for the purpose indicated in the foregoing vote.

Voted, To authorize the treasurer, under the direction of the selectmen, to effect such a loan as may be necessary to defray the expenses incurred in raising said volunteers.

Voted, That the selectmen be authorized to take such action as they may deem necessary to procure the requisite number of volunteers to fill up the quota of the town.

Voted, That the town pay a bounty of one hundred dollars to those volunteers who shall have served in the United States army three years, provided they have already received no such bounty; and those who shall have been discharged from the service for disability shattreeeive in proportion to the time they may be so disabled (the amount not to exceed one hundred dollars). The same amount shall be allowed to the families of such as have died, with an additional one hundred dollars when the deceased leaves a wife, or any children under twelve years of age.

Voted, To authorize their treasurer to borrow, with the approbation of the selectmen, a requisite sum of money to pay town aid or bounty that was grauted at the annual meeting of 1863 to the soldiers that enlisted without bounty.

Voted, That the town raise the sum of two thousand eight hundred and seventy-five dollars, for the purpose of refunding the amounts advanced by individuals, and paying expenses incurred in raising recruits,

Voted, That the town raise the sum of two thousand two hundred and fifty dollars, to be applied, under the direction of the selectmen, for the purpose of procuring this town's proportion of the quota of volunteers in the military service, called for from this commonwealth by the President, under the order of March 14, 1864, provided the amount of money so raised and applied shall not exceed the sum of one hundred and twenty-five dollars, including expenses fur each volunteer enlisted in said service as a part of the quota of this town under said order.

Voted, To appropriate the sum of one hundred and twenty-five dollars for each recruit enlisted on any quota called for by the President, at any time between the Ist day of March, 1864. and March 1, 1865. Agree. able to the act, in addition to an act authorizing towns and cities to raise money for recruiting purposes, approved March 28, 1864.

Voted, To raise such sums of money as may be necessary to refund to individuals money contributed in aid of and for the purpose of filling the quotas of the town, or furnishing men for the present war, under any requisition, order, or call of the President or of the War Department of the United States, during the year 1864, as authorized by the act of the Legislature of 1865, approved April 25th.

The following are the names of officers and enlisted men from or credited to the town of Needham who served in the army or navy of the United States during the war of the Rebellion, 1861-65:

Appendix

Andrews, Henry, one yeaf; shipped Feb. 20, 1863. Barry, James, one year; shipped Aug. 12, 1862. Bigelow, Albert, one year; shipped Feb. 11, 1863, Brown, Daniel H., one year; shipped March 11, 1863. Foster, William, three years ; shipped May 17, 1864. Grant, George D., three years; shipped Dec. 22, 1864. Hanson, Carl, one year; shipped April 18, 1863. Hazard, Frank W., one year; shipped April 18, 1863. Pheeney, William, one year; shipped March 17, 1863. Reynolds, Bernard, one year; shipped March 16, 1863. Shaw, William, one year; shipped Jan. 20, 1863. Shepherd, John, three years; shipped Dec. 14, 1861. Smith, John (3d), three years; shipped Dec. 16, 1861. Smith, Noah, three years; shipped Dec. 17, 1861. Smith, William E., three years; shipped Dec. 18, 1861. Snider, Stephen, three years; shipped Dec. 26, 1861. Sullivan, Dennis, one year; shipped Nov. 7, 1862. Symonds, Daniel, three years ; shipped Dec. 23, 1861. Todd, Robert, three years; shipped Dec. 14, 1861. Tibbetts, Edward H., two years; shipped Jan. 1, 1862, Trudo, Francis M., two years; shipped Jan. 6, 1862. Trefry, James, three years; shipped Jan. 14, 1862. Wallace, Charles, one year; shipped Aug. 26, 1862. Welch, Michael, one year; shipped April 24, 1863. White, William, one year; shipped April 14, 1863. Williams, Michael, one year; shipped March 23, 1863. Wentworth, George, one year; shipped Aug. 22, 1862. Willard, Henry, one year, shipped Aug. 26, 1862. Ward, John H., one year; shipped Aug. 26, 1862. Withan, Francis, one year: shipped Aug. 26, 1862. Wheeler, Henry, one year; shipped Aug. 25, 1862. Ward, Abner, one year; shipped Aug. 25, 1862. Williams, George J., one year; shipped Ang. 26, 1862. Wakefield, Josiah J , one year; shipped Aug. 29, 1862. Wood, Charles H., one year; shipped Aug, 25, 1862, Wise, Pliney, one year; shipped Aug. 27, 1862.

Randolph

The following is a complete record of the names of | all the soldiers and officers in the military service of the United States, and of all the seamen and officers in the naval service, from the town of Randolph, during the Rebellion begun in 1861:

County, Massachusetts

List of Randolph Selectmen. - The list of gentlemen who have in years past served the town of Randolph as selectinen, as printed in the body of the article from what was believed to be an authoritative source. While the sheets were passing through the press, however, certain errors were discovered in it. The list below given has been carefully revised, and is thought to be entirely accurate:

1845. - Aaron Prescott, Zenas French, Jr., Isaac Tower. DELEGATES TO CONSTITUTIONAL aS. 1846. - Jonathan Wales, Zenas French, Jr., Isaac Tower. ri a i CONN eo 1779. Thomas Man. | 1820. Allen Tillinghast.

State Senators Members Of Revolutionary Conventions

Military Record, 1861-65. - The subjoined list contains the names of persons who were mustered into the military service of the United States in the _ civil war of 1861, for Wrentham. It includes the names both of citizens and of others who enlisted as la part of the town's quota:

WRENTHAM. Bauman, Antoine. Dart, Gustavus F. Benn, Henry. Dermont, Joseph. ul TRS REPRESENTATIVES TO THE GENERAL COURT. Bennett, Aaron A. Dimond, Richard H. 1691. Samuel Fisher. 1809. James Ware. Bennett, Alonzo F. Dow, Charles 8.

Ide, Nathaniel. Inman, William L. Jordan, Hartley D. Jordan, Henry A. Jordan, Horatio A. Jordan, Lowell A. Keenan, James. Kendall, Charles P. Keyes, George R. Kingsbury, Forrest B. Kingsley, Samuel C. Lake, Edgar B. Lake, Peter.

Ray, George A. Raymond, John. Regan, Michael. Rice, Henry T. Richardson, Alfred A. Richardson, James O. Richardson, Warren A. Roberts, James H.

It is hardly to be expected that the foregoing list will be found strictly accurate, notwithstanding much time and labor have been expended in trying to make itso. Some of our townsmen served in the military