Newton City (part 2 of 8)

The society was incorporated by the legislature' of Massachusetts, and the act of incorporation signed by the governor February 12, 1821. The ministry of Mr. Grafton extended over a period of forty-eight years and six months, and he had many I hearers, not onlv citizens of Newton, but from sev- eral of the neighboring towns. The whole number admitted to the cluirch during this period was five hundred and sixtv-seven. In consequence of the increasing infirmities of Mr. Grafton, tlirougli age, Kev. Frederic x\ugustus WiUard, of Worcester, was elected colleague pastor, aiul installed Xovembcr 25, 1835. A new nieeting-liouse was erected on the present site in the year 18:36, the land for which was a donation from Mrs. Deacon Eben White, Sr., formerly Mrs. Elizabeth King, a member of the church. The house, as originally finished, contained seventy-six pews, of which six in the northwest corner were appropriated, free of rent, to be occupied by the students of the Newton Theological Institution. The clock, the gift of Deacon Reuben Stone, was transferred from the former meeting-house. The last service in the old meet- j ing-house was the funeral ceremonies of the senior I pastor, who died December 16, 1836, aged seventy- i nine, having been pastor nearly half a century. The number received into the church during Mr. Grafton's ministry was five hundred and sixtyseven. His remains rest in the cemetery on Centre Street. The monument commemorating his virtues and attesting the affection of his people was erected through the efl'orts of the late Thomas Edmands, Esq., to whom the public is indebted for the neat and faithful inscriptions. After two years and eight months ^Ir. Willard left Newton, and was settled in Abington, South Danvers, and N'eediiam, and was lecturer on chemistry in Louisville, Kentucky, and died in Piiiladclphia in 1806. During his ministry seventeen were received into the church.

The fourth jjustor was Eev. S. F. Smith, wiiose service continued twelve years and six months, - from January 1, 1812, to June 30, 1854, - and during that period one hundred and six were admilted to the church. Tiie fifth pastor was Rev. Oakman Sprague Stearns. His term of service began September 23, 185.'), and closed May 31, 1868. During his ministry two hmidi'cd and two were received into the church. Th( ^i\ih pastor was Rev. William N. Clarke, whose trnn of service commenced May Ki, ISdl). The cinircli cdiliee, erected in 183G, jjainted white (jn the outside, and having a s])rcad of elegant crimson damask beiiind the ])ulpit within, was wholly reconstructed in 1855-50, and the low lower, "formerly in the middle of the east IVont, was nplacrd by the steeple on the soutlicast corner and the low loucr on the norlht'ast corner, as at ])ri'scnt. 'I'lic cliiircli has been twice since altered and improved, - in 1869 and 1874-. A supplementary chapel was erected at Thompsonville in 1867, for a neighborhood Sabbath-school.

After the decease of Mr. Meriam, the fourth pastor of the First Parish, in the year 1780, the town and parisli having become distinct from each other, the First Church and society united in calling Rev. Jonathan Homer to be their pastor, and the invitation was accepted. The ordination occurred February \A-, 1782. At the public service in the meeting-house the church formally renewed their call, and the pastor elect in like manner renewed his acceptance of it. Dr. Homer graduated at Harvard University in 1777, and received the degree of Doctor of Divinity from Brown University. His entire ministry as sole pastor of the church was forty-four years. His whole residence with the church was fifty-one years and six months. During his ministry a new church was built, the fourth from the commencement of the town, and dedicated November 21, 1805. His principal study for many years was directed to ascertaining the precise condition in which the English version of the Bible was left by the translators of King James, and the successive variations in the text in the translations of Wicklitfe, ilatthewe, Tyndale, Coverdale, Rogers, and the rest. Dr. Homer manifested great enthusiasm ni this branch of study, and wrote many notes, which he proposed at a future time to publish. But he left them at his decease in a scattered and disordered state, so that no use could be made of them. Dr. Homer died August 11, 1813. Dr. John Codman of Dorchester preached on the occasion of his funeral. November 11, 1827, the infirmities of Dr. Homer being such as to require aid in the pastoral work, Riv. .lames iiates was ordained colleague pastor, and they lioili resigned the charge simultaneously, April 7, 1S3!1. Rev. William Bushnell was installed pastor in May, 1812; resigned December 13, 1810; died .Vpril 28, 187'.i'. Daniel L. Furber was ordained December 1, 1817.

The Common at Newton Centre was given to the town as a training-field probably as early as 1700. There is no formal record of the donation, but. tradition ascribes the gift nniinly to Jonathan Ihd,', Sr., \^ho di.'.l in 1 7 1 I . at lli'e ripe age of eiuhly-Uve years. Mr. .laekson thinks he may luue'.rivcn'nearlv two thirds of it, and that iiion' than one third was given by Elder Wisxvall or his sons. In 1703 Mr. Hyde also gave to the selectmen of Newton in trust iialf an acre of land near Oak Hill, for the benefit of the school in the south part of the town. This half-acre of land was sold after many years, and a small fund accumulated from the proceeds, which was divided among the inhabitants of the south school-district by vote of the town, pro rata, according to the taxes which each one paid. This Jonathan Hyde had twentythree children, to whom he distributed his property by deeds of gift a few years previous to his decease. Various records show by incidental testimony that the Common was regarded and used for many years as tlie property of the town ; besides which, the existence of bound-marks and fencing and undisputed possession for a hundred and seventy years seem to indicate a sufficiently secure title. '

A similar tract of land, to be used also for a training-field, was given in 1753, by Captain Joseph Fuller, to the military company of Captain Ephraim AVilliams and their successors forever. I This Common was located at Newtonville, near! Washington Street; but in 1787 the land reverted to the heirs of the original proprietor, they paying the town for it the sum of two pounds. This insignificant price shows how little value was at that time put upon real estate.

The first grist-mill in the town of Newton was I erected by Lieutenant John Spring, on a stream j called Smelt Brook, at the outlet of Bullough^s i Pond. Mr. Spring resided opposite the cemetery on Centre Street, and opened Mill Lane, now Mill Street, to accommodate the patrons of his mill. Previous to the erection of dams on Charles Eiver, alewives, smelts, herring, and other fish used to jMss up the river as far as Newton Upper Falls ; i and fish-reeves, ainiually elected, were charged with the duty of protecting the fishing interest on the river. Smelt Brook, on which Lieutenant Spring erected his grist-mill, undoubtedly received its name from the graceful shiners which found their way into its waters.

Charles River, called by the Indians Quinobequin, encircled a large part of Newton, its channel forming the boundary line on the north, west, and south sides of the town, being a continuous curving line more than fifteen miles in length. The falls on the river invited the spirit of enterprise at a very early period. The first mills were erected at the Upper Falls. At this part of its course the waters of the river fall perpendicularly twenty feet, and then descend thirty-five feet in the course of half a mile. Here a saw-mill was built in 1688 by John Clark, whose father, Hugh Clark of Roxbury, conveyed to him by deed of gift sixty-seven acres of land in New Cambridge in April, 1681, This land was on the easterly side of Centre Street, at the training-field, and his house was on the spot now occupied by the old house formerly Deacon Ebenezer AVhite's, on the west side, a few rods north of the First Baptist Church at Newton Centre. In 1675 John Clark died, bequeathing to his sons William and John the saw-mill on the river, and the land adjoining. The mill and eight acres of land were appraised at £180. In May, 1708, John Clark conveyed to Nathaniel Parker one quarter of the saw-mill, stream, dam, and eel-weir, and half an' acre of land for £12, with an open highway from the county road to the mill and eelweir. Soon afterwards AVilliam Clark conveyed to Nathaniel Longley one quarter of the same, and these four proprietors and et[ual owners built in addition a grist-mill and fulling-mill. In 1720 Noah Parker became the sole owner of the mills and appurtenances. At his death in 1768 this whole property passed into the hands of his son, Thomas Parker, his administrator, who sold the same to Simon Elliot of Boston, with about thirtyfive acres of land, house, barn, etc., for £1,700 in 1778 and 1782. Mr. Elliot, who was a tobacconist, erected snuff-mills, and that business, with the grist-mill, was carried on by him and his son. General Simon Elliot, till 1814, with additions of other works. In that year the screw-factory, wiremill, four snuff-mills, annealing shop, and dwelling-house were sold to the Elliot Manufacturing Company, Frederick Cabot, agent. This company removed the grist-mill, and erected on its site a cotton-factory, which was under the superintendence of Mr. Otis Pettee, Sr., for five years, ilr. Pettee then erected extensive shops for building machinery for cotton-mills. Many manufactories in the south and west and in Mexico have been supplied with their entire machinery from these works.

In 184-1 Mr. Pettee purchased all the property of the Elliot Manufacturing company, and carried on the business till his death in February, 1853. Mr. Pettee was one of the prime movers and most energetic and liberal patrons of the Charles River Railroad, now the New York and New England, Woonsocket Branch.

In 1799 the Newton Iron Works Company built a rolling-mill, and commenced operations in 1800, opposite the small island in the river, where a dam was built and a saw-mill erected in 1783.

In 1809 a new manufactory was built for making cut nails. Nails were sent by the cargo from the manufactory in Nekton to New Orleans and the West Indies, to be used in the construction of stigar-boxes, in which they were thus returned to every port on the Atlantic seaboard. The same year the Worcester Turnpike was constructed through this estate, and the bridge was built over the river. In 1813 this company erected a cottonfactory on the same dam, on tlie Needham side of the river. In 1831 Mr. Ellis bought out this company and became sole owner. In 18;J3 a new company of seven persons was incorporated under the name of the Newton Factories, and in 1835 Rufus and David Ellis became sole owners of the property. In later years the cotton-factory was destroyed by fire, and has not been rebuilt. The rolling-mill, adjoining the bridge, was long managed by the late Frederic Barden, Esq.

Previous to 1800 the business carried on at the Upper Falls by water-power was small, being only three snuff-mills, a grist-mill, and a saw-mill, and only about six families resided in the place. In 1850 there were, at the upper dam, one cotton-factory, with about nine thousand spindles; machine .shops sufficient to accommodate about three hundred workmen ; and a steam furnace for iron castings, employing about fifteen workmen. At the lower dam was a rolling-mill, working about 1,500 tons of iron into various shapes ; a nail-factory, making about five hundred tons of cut nails; a cotton-factory (on the Needham side), with about 2,000 spindles, and manufacturing about 500,000 yards of cotton cloth annually. There were then in the Upper Falls village about 1,300 inliabitants.

The first religious society at the Upper Falls occu])ied the meeting-house now in possession of the First Methodist Church. The building was commenced in the autumn of 1827, and dedicated February 27, 1828. Tiie land on which the meeting-house is built was given for this purpose by the Elliot Manufacturing Company. The building cost about $3,300. Of this amount the Elliot Manufacturing Company paid three fifths, and Mr. Rufus Ellis two fiftiis. The society was incorporated as The Upper Falls llcligious Society, and tlie jjulpit was su))plird mainly by preachers of tlie Unitarian faith about five years. In 1832 the church edifice was sold to Marshall S. Eice, Esq., of Newton Centre, and it has since been occupied by the First Methodist Society of Newton.

Tlie IMethodists in Newton first formed a "class," but in consequence of removals it was dissolved. In April, 1828, another "class" was formed, of seventeen members, the germ of the present Methodist Society at Newton Upper Falls. Tlie church was organized November 11, 1832, numbering fifty-three members. The meeting-house, purchased by Mr. Eice, has been repeatedly enlarged and improved. The first stationed preacher was the late Eev. Charles K. True.

The Second Baptist Church in Newton (Upper Falls) was organized February 8, 1835, numbering fifty-five members, all of whom were previously members of the First Baptist Church. The meeting-house, which had been erected two years earlier, was dedicated ilarcli 27, 1833. It was erected on land given for the purpose by Mr. Jonathan Bixby, an efficient and leading member of the church, and in whose house the meetings had beau held before the church-building was erected. The property was divided into twenty shares, of which Jonathan Bixby owned seven ; three others, tAvo each ; and seven others, one each. The first pastor, Eev. Origen Crane, was ordained Sejrtember 14-, 1836. He was succeeded by Rev. C. W. Denison, S. S. Leighton, A. Webster, and W. ('. Eiehards. The congregation was very much weakened by the removal of members, resulting from changes in the character of the bushiess, and ultimately by a change hi the character of the population.

A Uni\'ersalist society was organized in September, 1841, at Newton Upper Falls. They erected a meeting-house, which was dedicated iu May, 1842, and cost about S 1,300. Their only regular pastor was Eev. Samuel Skiinier, who left in 1845. The society finally relinquished the enterprise, and the meeting-house was changed to a village hall, called Ellio"t Hall.

Catholic services were first held at Newton Upper Falls in 1843 or 1844. The celebrant was Father Strain, of Waltham, and his chapel a room in the house of Mr. James Cahill. A beginning was made to collect funds for the erection of a church in 1852. In 18G0 the congregation began to assemble regularly in Elliot Hall, numbering about three hundred. In 18G7 the Catholic church Avas built, forty feet by seventy-six, and dedicated November 17, 1867. In 1875 this church was enlarged by a transept, fort}' feet by and used by the people as a village hall for lectures and public meetings, receiving the name of Lyceum Hall. It was afterwards removed again to a point nearer the railroad station, and became a stable, and was ultimately burned. When the new church of the West Parish Society was built on its present site, the old meeting-house, removed a few feet westward, was remodelled as a town-Jiall. After Newton became a city, the same building, again altered and enlarged, and fitted to the wants of the several municipal offices, was transformed into the city hall. xVn increasing population and new elements among the people, the system of graded schools, an improved police, an efficient fire department, pride in tlie history of the town, and a more equable growth in all its parts, exercised a unifying iuHucnce ; and the division of the town has been not only no more mooted but no more desired. And its present status as a united city, as a culminating argument, has made it finally and indisputably one.

The Newton Theologic.Vl Institution

This institution was opened in 1825, under the patronage of the Ba])tist denomination. Tlie land in Newton Centre on which the buildings are situated was formerly the estate of i\Ir. John Peck. Instruction in the institution was first given in a house, since removed, on a lot next west of the Harback House, near the junction of Ward Street and Waverley Avenue. The first officer in the institution was Professor Irah Chase. The first class which graduated consisted of but two members, Eli B. Smith and John E. Weston. The territory belonging to the institution at the beginning consisted of about eighty acres of land, and was afterwards enlarged by the purchase of forty additional, bounded by Pound Lane (Cypress Street) on the south, Centre Street on the west, and Station Street on the north, including the present school-house lot and the sife of many fine residences on streets since laid out. The comely mansion-house which stood on the crown of the hill was used in the early days of the institution for a steward's residence and boarding-house for students. The attic story, containing four dormitories for students, used to be denominated "the crow's nest." A stranger on a certain occasion, alluding to the breezy situation of the building and the cupola on it, perhaps also to the annual grist of young men sent forth from its halls, pleasantly asked the Eev.

Mr. Grafton, who was a man of wit, if that building was a mill. He replied, " Not exactly ; I never heard of but one 2)eck being ground there." The humor is explained by the fact that j\Ir. Peck expended a great deal of money in adorning and developing the estate, from which he never received any returns; and the neighbors used to call the place Peck's Folly. Two houses for the use of professors were built on the south side of Institution Avenue, about half-way from the summit of the iiill to tlie Common ; they lia\e since been removed to Cypress Street, and remodelled. A third house for the sauie purpose was built near the west line of the original estate, first occupied by Rev. B. Sears, D. D., and now by Gustavus Forbes, Esq. The following have been professors in the institution : Piev. Irah Chase, D. D.; Rev. Henry Jones Ripley, D. D.; Rev. James Davis Knowles, A. M.; Rev. Barnas Sears, D. D.; Rev, Horatio Balch Hackett, D. D.; Rev. Robert Everett Pattison, D. D.; Rev. Albert N. Arnold, D. D.; Rev. George

At the close of half a century from the planting of the institution, it appeared that the whole num- , ber of students in the institution, whose names are recorded in the historical catalogue, was six hundred and ninety-nine, of whom, at that date, one hundred and seventy-two had died. Of the whole number, about fifty-five have been, for a longer or shorter time, presidents or professors of colleges or theological seminaries, and fifty-four - more than one for each year of the existence of the institution - had served as missionaries in foreign lands. And of tliese, one. Rev. John Taylor Jones, translated the New Testament into the Siamese language; another. Rev. Francis Mason, translated the whole Bible into the Sgau Karen, and a third. Rev. Durlin L. Brayton, the whole Bible into the Pwo Karen, languages of Burmah ; a fourth. Rev. Josiah Goddard, translated into Chinese the whole '^e\y Testament and three books of the Pentateuch. Many of the alumni have been widely known as editors, writers, and translators, " and the volumes which they have given to the public would make a library worthy of any man's attention." Tlie cash paid for the original estate was $4,250 ; expense for alterations and repairs, S 3,748.4 5 ; total.

$ 7,998.45. Besides tlie subscription to pay this ainouut, a sinking fund was instituted at the beginning to pay the salaries of the first professors, and afterwards a $100,000 fund, a $£00,000 fund, and a library building fund of about S 40,000. Several acres of the estate have been sold for building purjjoses ; these portions are on the west, bordering on the Conunon and Centre Street, extending the whole distance from Cypress Street to Station Street ; and on the north, bordering on Station Street, and including several streets which have been laid out within the territory, especially Chase Street, Ripley Street, and Knowles Street, named in honor of tlie first three professors.

The corner-stone of the Eliot Church edifice, Newton, was laid March 19, 184-5, with religious services. The building was dediratcd July ], 1845, and the church orgaui/.rd the same day. Tlie church was composed of thirl\ -m\cii inriiibers, of wiioni thirty-one were from the I'ir>l i'arisji Church in Newton Centre. The name ul' Hon. William Jackson heads the list, and hi- uilhieiirc and eounsc'l were at tlic foundalicju nf I his iin|i(n-- tant measure. William S. Leavitt, the first pastor, was ordained December .'3, 1845, and was dismissed, at bis own request, November 8, 1853. In the spring of 1849, the house of worship, being insufficient to accommodate the increasing congregation, was enlarged by the addition of twenty-eight pews, making the whole number ninety-two, and reopened for public services May 13, 1849. The second pastor, Eev. Lyman Cutler, was installed October 25, 1854 ; but his health declined rapidly from the time of his settlement. He was able to preach but once a day for eight successive Sabbaths ; he administered the sacrament the first Sabbath in January, 1855, and then asked for a susjjension of his labors for three months, which was granted. But lie continued to decline, and died April 28, 1855. June 11, 1850, Rev. J. W. AVellinan was installed pastor, and remained in office about seventeen years. The old church-building was removed a few rods northerly, and converted into a public hall, and the present house of worshi]), on the original site, was commenced about January 1, 1 8(10. Tiie corner-stone was laid on the day of the slate East, Ajiril 5, 1860, and the church was dedi- <al(d oil the following Fast-day, April ISCl.

Newton

Tfie Channing Church, at Newton Corner, had its origin in meetings hekl by a few persons of the Unitarian faith in Union flail. Tiie society was formed September 3, 1851, and the Sabbath-school was organized in April, 1852, the late Dr. Henry Bigelow being superintendent. Tlie Rev. Convers Francis, professor in the Divinity School at Cambridge, supplied the society with preaching. January 3, 1853, Rev. Joseph C. Smitli, Calvin Bailey, and Samuel G. Simpkins were appointed to prepare a form expressive of their common faith and fellowship. The first pastor of tlie society was the Rev. Joseph C. Smith, who preached the last sermon in Union Hall, and the dedication sermon of the new house of worship erected for tlie society, in February,. 1856. The church was organized in February, 1853. Mr. Smith supplied the pulpit four years, and then, on account of failing liealtli, he left, and sailed for the Sandwicli Islands, wiiere he died in December, 1857. His remains were brought to this country, and rest in the Newton Cemetery. Tiie second pastor was Rev. Edward J. Young, wlio was ordained June 18, 1857, and resigned Marcli 15, 1869, to become professor in the Divinity School of Harvard University. May 30, 1860, the church edifice was struck by lightning, but the fluid passed into tlie i ground, doing but little damage to the building. Rev. Eli Fay, the third pastor, was installed | May 4, 1870, and resigned March, 1873. He ! was followed by Rev. George W. Hosmer, D. D., ' formerly president of Antioch College, Ohio, who commenced his service November 14, 1873, being ' at that time within two weeks of threescore years | and ten. In 1867 the house of worship was eu- I larged by being sawed into two parts ; and the back part was removed southwardly towards the Hue of the railroad and the vacant space refilled.

Bajdisf Church, Newton Corner. - Public worship was first held by several members of Baptist churches residing in Newton Corner, in the village hall, in the spring of 1859. The church was organ- I ized June 7, 1860, with twenty-one members. The church edifice was built on the corner of Washington and Hovey streets, in 1864. Five Indian skeletons and several ancient copper coins were turned i up by the laborers in digging the cellar for the building. The remains were found in different parts of the ground, about two feet below the surface. This spot was probably once the seat of an

Indian settlement, and here they buried their dead. The jaw of one, which was in perfect preservation, with the full number of teeth, and double all round, was placed in the box which was sealed and deposited under the corner-stone. The coins, it is said, are believed to have been made during the reign of George I., bearing the date of 17:20 or 1729. There were also two or three arrow-heads.

The communion service was given to the church in April, 1865, by Messrs. Quincy and Harwood. The pastors have commenced service as follows: Rev. G. Robbins, June 30, 1800 ; Jeremiah Chaplin, April 20, 1862 ; John Tucker, Jr., October 31, 1S65; Thomas S. Samson, May 1, 1873.

The church edifice was dedicated in the autumn of 1864. In April, 1874, ten years later, the following statistics were recorded : Received up to date, by baptism, seventy-eight ; by letter, one hundred and fifty-seven; by experience, five; total, two hundred and forty. Members, April 14, 1874, one hundred and forty-six. The largest number admitted in any one year hitherto (1874) was twenty-nine.

Grace Church. - The first services of the Episcopal Church in this part of Newton were held in the old Union Hall, ilay 30, 1855. The parish was organized in the parlor of Stephen Perry, Esq., father of the present Rev. William S. Perry, Bishop of Iowa. Mr. Perry's house stood on the east side of the street leading to Watertown Bridge. An Episcopal parish was organized September 25, 1855. Rev. T. T. Fales, for many years rector of the Episcopal Church in Waltham, was invited to become the first rector, but declined. The call was then extended to Rev. John Singleton Copley Greene, soil of the late Gardiner Greene, Esc|., of Boston, who accepted the charge. He commenced his service in January, 1856, gave liberally towards the erection of the chapel, and built the school-house and rectory at his own expense. The corner-stone of the chapel, at the corner of Washington and Hovey streets, opposite the Baptist Church edifice, was laid May 28, 1858, and the church, designed to accommodate about two hundred and twenty-five hearers, cost not far from S 4,000. Mr. Greene resigned his office in 1864, after a service of nearly nine years. The second rector was Rev. P. H. Steenstra, who held office from November, 1864, till July 1, 1869, and was followed by Rev. Henry Mayer. The fourth rector was Rev Joseph S. Jenckes, from July, 1872, to September, 1874 : and the fifth, Rev. George W. Shinn, from

January^ 1875, to the present date. The comerstone of the present church edifice was laid September 4, 1872, - tlie stone being tlie same stone used in the foundation of the cliurch-building on Washington and Hovey streets. Tlie cost of the church, including the land, was about 1 105,000. The new church was used for public worship the first Sabbath in December, 1873. The old cliurchbuilding was afterwards sold, and removed to Watertown. The cliime of bells was the gift of Mrs. Elizabeth Trull Eldridge, who presented the money on Christmas Day, December 25, 1872. The bells, with the framework on which they rest, weigh about 8,300 pounds, and cost $4,400. The largest bell weighs 2,140 pounds.

Midhiidui Church, Newton Corner. - Union Hall was hired as a place for meetings for the Methodist people of Newton Corner, February 1, 1864. Eev. Dr. Cobleigh, editor of Zion's herald, was the first preacher. The society was organized April 21, 1864, the constituent members being twenty in number. The land on which the church is erected was originally low and wet, and the Avhole tract, about two acres, was filled. Tlie cost nf the rliiirch,mcliHliiig the land, was about §0,000. It was (Icdicalcd >Sc])tcmber 26, 1807. The following have been the pastors : Rev. C. Cromack, Rev. C. S. Rogers, Rev. S. P. Jones, Rev. A. A. Wright, Rev. Fred. Wood, Eev. W. E. Huntington, and Rev. S. Jackson.

Universalist Churvh. - A society existed for several years called the Newton and Watertown Universalist Society, whose meeting-house stood in Watertown, north of the border-line of Newton. The church edifice was dedicated August 15, 1827, and the church formed March uC 1828. The members were thirteen in number, nine belonging to New Ion and four to Watertown. The society was served by about fourteen successive paslors, and finally dissolved about 1866. The churchbuilding was sold for a school-house, and still occupies its original loratinn. The tower was rc-nioved, and the bell 'm. I, I l(, lh<' S.roud l;;,|,hsl Chnrrli in Newton (U|)|)cr FalKj.aiid i^ slilMnusc liyiiiat society. The comnuinion furniture was formerly the property of the First Universalist Church in Hosiou (corner of Hanover and Norlli IVnnett streels, n.iw llic S,.;, men's IVtlid ) , and niirnniireups was iHTui-lit IViau Kugland In ilrv. ,l,,lui Murray. This sociely may be regarded as the begiiniing of the Universalist Society now at Newtonville.

completed as far as Needham, the pulse of life began to stir at a point in Newton intermediate between Newton Centre and Newton Upper Falls. This locality had been the seat in former years of the well-known Bacon Tavern, a place of considerable resort, and also of the Mitchell Tavern, kept afterwards by Mr. Mancy Thornton. The intersection of several streets, the Worcester Turnpike, now Boylston Street, the Dedham Road, now Centre Street, and the old Sherburne Road, rendered it a situation of importance in the days of stage-coaches, teaming, winter singing-schools and sleighrides, clubs and merry-makings. On the location of the railroad a station was planted here, and some enterprising gentlemen purchased land and began to lay out streets in anticipation of future growth. The name of the station was successively Oak Hill, Newton Dale, then Oak Hill again, and finally Newton Highlands. The level land, stretching for a long distance in every direction, is well adapted for building purposes, demanding little or no expense for grading ; and the facilities for reachuig the neighboring city of Boston soon attracted a considerable population. As in all the early towns of New England, so in this new village, the church and the school came at the begiiniing. One of the public schools of the town, the Hyde School, was erected at a central point. The Congregitihnial Church here originated in meetings first held in Farnham's Hall, in November,

1872. F(ir a ((iiisiderable time the meetings were held in thccliiiiK 1 : iln' rhurcli was finished and dedicated in IS?."). The land on which it stands was the gift of Moses Crafts, Esq. The cost of the house was about $16,000. The church was organized June 13, 1872, composed of twenty-seven members, 111' whom iweuly-three were dismissed for the imrpose liom the JMvst Cliurcli in Newton. The first pastor was Rev. S. H. Dana, who was ordained October 9, 1872. Mr. Dana held office till ^fay, 1^77, when lie resigned. The second pastor \v;is IJiv. (1. (1. Phipps. Deacons, James F. C. Wydv, Samuel X. Woodward, Albert F. Hayward; menibers, February, 1S78, fifty-six.

Chc^hiiil nil/' Chapel, with the school-house attached, was given by the late Thomas ];ee, Esf|., to the families residing at Chestnut Hill. The projierty was placed in the care of tnisti rs. with authority to sell it and devote the proceeds to charity when it should be no longer employed for religious or educational purposes. The society was organized in 1861, and tlie chapel dedicated to Christian worship October 2, 1861. The first pastor was Rev. William A. Whitwell, who remained pastor till his death in 1865. He was succeeded by Kev. Artemas Bowers Muzzey and Mr. Buckingham.

Unilarian Church, Newton Ceitlre. - In tiie autumn of 1877 persons attached to tlie Unitarian faith, belonging in Newton Centre and Newton Highlands, commenced holding worsliip in the hall in White's Block, Station Street, near the railroad depot. The first service was held on Sabbath, November 11, 1877. Rev. Dr. Rufus P. Stebbins was called as the first pastor, and regular worship has been maintained since the above date.

Chapel at ThompsniiviUe. - Thompsonville, a village half a mile southeast of Newton Centre, acquired its name from the name of ^Ir. Thompson, a laboring man, wlio lived a kind of liermit life in that locality. A few families, chiefly Germans, became residents of the place, and a room was hired at the expense of members of the First Baptist Church, and a Sabbatli-school commenced March 6, 1867. The immber present was fortyfive. Tile cliapel was erected during the followhig summer, and dedicated November 9, 1867. At the close of eleven years, it was stated that no Sabbath had passed without a public service. Including the cost of the chapel, up to March 31, 1878, $1,700 had been laid out to sustain the chapel and scliool, and a (juarterly collection taken up in the First Ba[)tist Church supplied the funds. It was in this iinmcdiate vicinity that the New Light excitemeut commenced nearly a hundred years before, which was among the elements leading to the formation of the church now holding out its helping hand to support this mission.

The Central Congregational Church, Newtonville, grew out of a )ieighborhood conference meeting, first held at the house of Mr. Nathaniel D. Vose, December 11, 1867, and continued weekly, until it resulted in the formatioti of a church and society, the purchase of a house of worsliip, and the settlement of a pastor. The chapel on the corner of Washington and Court streets, previously occupied by the Methodist society, was opened for the regular Sabbath services of this new society, April 8, 1868. The churcli was organized September 8, 1868, and Rev. Joseph B. Clark was installed pastor. The constituent members numbered thirty-six. Mr. Clark resigned July 1, 1872. The church edifice was enlarijed in 1869.

The second pastor. Rev. James R. Danforth, was installed January 2^ 1873, and resigned March 17, 1874. He was followed by Rev. E. Frank Howe, who was installed December 6, 1876. The original cost of the church edifice was $ 6,500. It was enlarged the second time in 1875, and re-dedicated November 6, 1875. Its seating capacity was now about six hundred and fifty. Deacons, William A. Goodwin, D. Wayland Jones, M. D., William F. Slocum, Henry C. Haydcn, Charles E. Chester, Edward W. Greene.

The New Church [Swcilentjorgian). - '\:\\c first families in Newtonville holding tlie Swedenborgian faith were those of Mr. Davis Howard and, a year later, Mr. T. H. Carter. The former, shortly after his removal to Newtonville, died. The church services were read first at the house of Mrs. Howard, and afterwards for several years at the house of Mr. T. H. Carter. As tlie families attached to this faith increased, a hall for worship was hired in the village, and in October, 1857, Rev. John Worcester was invited to preacli regularly. This arrangement continued eleven and a half years, and the services were held during that time in four different halls. The chapel on Higliland Avenue was built in 1868-69, on land given for the ])urpose by Mr. T. H. Carter, and dedicated A])ril 11, 1869. It will seat about two hundred and seventyfive persons. At the same date a society was organized with twenty-nine members. Rev. John Worcester was histalled pastor December 26, 1869. Among the original members were Messrs. T. II. Carter, H. L. Keyes, R. M. Pulsifer, Edwin Field, S. I. Kellogg, and F. N. Palmer. In February, 1878, the society numbered sixty-three members.

The VninermUst Society of Newtonnille embraced at the outset several persons who had been connected with the former Newton and Watertown Universalist Society and the Waltham Universalist Society. The first meeting was held in the small hall over Williams's drug-store in Newtonville Square, in February, 1871. The following spring the society removed into Treinont Hall. The society was legally organized in April, 1871 ; the corner-stone of the church on Washington Park was laid October 22, 1872, and the building was dedicated June 26, 1873. The church is of stone, and suited to accommodate three hundred hearers. Rev. J. Coleman Adams, the first pastor, was ordained December 19, 1872. The church was organized in February, 1873, with thirteen members.

History Of Middlesex Couxty

originated in a Methodist class formed in 1S57, and composed of members previously residing in Watertown. The question of forming a Methodist society was first agitated in the spring of 1860. The first public meeting of the society on the Sabbath was held March 24, 1860, in the piano-forte wareroom of Mr. Amasa Dexter. The public services were shortly afterwards held in Tremoiit Hall, and the first pastor of the society appointed by the conference. Rev. G. W. Mansfield, commenced his labors April 14, i860. The chapel on the corner of Washington and Court streets, now occupied by the Central Congregational Society, was their first house of worship, dedicated in April, 1800.

The church was organized May 17, 1860, consisting of twenty-four members. Two of them were in the Union army in t!ie war of 1861 - 1865. The Sabbath-school was organized April 21, 1860.

Another society in the village, which had commenced the brick church near the railroad station, having become weakened by removals, so that they were unable to finish the work, desired to sell the edifice which tliey were unable to hold. It was purchased by the Methodist Society for about $6,000, finished, and dedicated in August, 1863.

The growth of the North Village of Newton dates back to a period of more than a century ago, when David Bemis purchased thirty-nine acres of land on the Watertown side of Charles River, and subsequently twenty-five more, - embracing all the land now covered by the buildings on that side of the river. In 1778 David Bemis, with Dr. Enos Sumner, who then owned the land on the Newton side of the river, constructed the dam across the river, where it now stands. A papermill was erected here in 1779, and the business of manufacturing paper was carried on successfully more than forty years. Many of the workmen and much of the machinery requisite were imported from Europe. So important was tlie enterprise considered in a public ])oint nf view, that when the establislnnent was burned iIomii, tlie legislature of Massachusetts made a special grant to enable the owners of the mill to rebiiild. The process of paper-making was then slow and tedious, requiring as many montiis as it, now rc(|iiii-i's days. Each sheet was made singly by dipping the mould into the i)iil|i, and tlicii liirinng it over iipcu a woollen felt, to which the pulp adhered. Upon this another felt was laid for the reception of another sheet, and thus the process was continued. Mr. Jacob Mead, an ingenious citizen of Waltham, subsequently invented a macliine for weaving copper wire for the construction of paper-moulds, which proved a great convenience to the public, and highly remunerative to the inventor.

All the land bounded by Charles River on the southerly, that is, the Newton side, extending from or near Watertown line to a point on Charles River, near the north end of Morse Island, fifterwards called Fox Island, belonged, during a century or more from the first settlement of Newton, to Richard Park and John Fuller, and their descendants. The former owned six hundred acres of the easterly portion, and John Fuller the westerly portion, containing seven hundred and fifty acres. John Fuller had seven sons, whose names all began with the letter J. This valuable tract of land was ceded in 1849 to Waltham, and is the territory now occupied by the Waltham Watch Factory. For more than a century it bore the name of Fuller's Corner. The father, with some or all of his sons, while traversing the then wilderness, refreshed themselves with cake and cheese, and drank from the brook near which they reclined, which hence gained the name of Cheesecake Brook, by which name it is still known. At a later hour they cooked some wild game on a small conical hill, which from tliat time onwards for half a century was known as Cook Kill ; but the name has now become obsolete.

Besides the manufacture of paper on the Newton side of the river, David Bemis built and carried on a grist-mill and snulf-mill on the Watertown side until his death in 1790, it being the first mill on that side at that place. At his decease the property on the Watertown side was inherited by his two sons, Luke and Seth, the latter of whom in 1796 made preparations for the manufacture of chocolate, dye-woods, and medicinal roots and woods for use, and carried on these branches of business successfully till about the year 1803. At that lime he commenced spinning cotton by machinery. At this early day, when few factories were in operation, it was the custom to manufacture cotton cloth for domestic use in the family. All families wore possessed of spinningwheels, and nearly all had hiums. Hence there was a great demand for " liniiis' warp." which was inucli superior to that si)Uii by hand. The woof

The preparation of the cotton for carding was at that time slow and expensive, the cotton being picked by hand at an expense of about four cents a pound. This gave employment to a great many people in the families in the vicinity. Mr. Bemis subsequently invented a machine for this purpose, which was denominated " tiie devil," which performed the work in a much more expeditious and satisfactory manner. It did not ditfer materially from the cotton-pickers in use at the present day.

In 1808 or 1809 Mr. Bemis, with tiie aid" of foreign weavers using hand-looms, began to manufacture somewiiat extensively sheeting, shirting, bed-ticking, satinet, bagging for packing cotton at the South, and cotton duck.

In the fall of 1812 Mr. Bemis commenced the manufacture of illuminating gas from coal, under the direction of an English expert, and the lighting of his factory by tlie same in 1812-13 is said to have been the first attempt to illuminate with coal-gas in the United States. Many persons from a distance visited the factory to witness the experiment. But the situation of the gas-factory near Mr. Bemis' dwelling-liouse, and the many leakages of the pipes, which were of tin, rendered it objectionable, and after the second year the experiment was discontinued. It is, however, a fact worthy of record that carburetted iiydrogen gas was used for illuminating purposes here two years before it came into use in England.

For tlie first eigliteen or twenty years the operatives in the various branches of business in this locality >vere summoned to tlieir work by the blowing of a tin horn. It is said that at that period there was not a bell in Newton, "Waltham, or Watertown. In process of time the horn fixed its name upon tlie village, which for many years bore the soubriquet of Tin Horn. It is said, however, tliat this title is a coinage of later times, no sucli name having been in use until subsequent to the employment of the tin horn for the purpose specified.

In 1821 Mr. Seth Bemis became sole owner of the whole water-power, mills, etc., and soon afterwards sold to the Boston IMannfacturing Company twelve inches of the power; tliat is, he lowered his dam one foot, receiving §12,000 for so doing. He then re-conveyed to his brotlier Luke and four or five others a joint interest in the establishment under the firm name of the Bemis Manufacturinii

Company, and during their corporate continuance carried on principally the manufacture of satinets and cotton duck until 1830, when this company was dissolved.

On the dissolution of tiie Bemis Manufacturing Company, Mr. Seth Bemis, in company with Thomas Cordis, one of the old company, bought out the entire property of said company, and continued tlie same business until 1839, when Thomas Cordis sold out his interest to Seth Bemis and his son, Seth Bemis, Jr. Tiiey used the water-power on both sides, partly for the manufacture of cotton and wool, and partly for the manufacture of dye-woods and drugs, until 1847. They then sold out tlieir dye-wood business on the Newton side to William Freeman, and Seth Bemis, Sr., again became sole owner of the factory buildings and water-power on the Watertown side, and so continued till his death in 1850.

On the settlement of his estate, in 1851, Seth Bemis, son of the deceased, became sole proprietor of the Watertown mills and property, and retained tiie ownership till 1860, when he sold out to Wdliam Freeman & Co. Still later, William Freeman & Co. sold to the Mhm Mill Company, by whom tiie works were greatly enlarged, for the purpose of manufacturing woollen fabrics by both water and steam power.

From the original purchase in 1753 by David Bemis, tiie property on the Watertown side of the river has been in the Bemis family more or less exclusively for more than a century and a quarter, and on the Newton side for nearly a century.

A bridge across tiiis part of the river was first built by the Messrs. Bemis, being private property, between 1790 and 1796. For ten or twelve years it was without a railing. In 1807 the Watertovvii end M'as swept away by a freshet, and a foot-bridge was substituted for two or three years. Still later a bridge suitable for teams was built by subscription. In 1818 the Watertown end of this bridge was again carried away. Tlie next day two men attempted to cross in a boat to the Newton side, above the dam. Tlie boat was upset, and they were carried over the dam, and one of them was drowned. The other, after having been several times drawn back into the vortex, was thrown out on the Newton side and rescued. California Street was laid out as a public highway in 1816.

the depot known as Bemis' Station, on the Watertown lirancli Railroad, on the North side of Cliarles River. This scliool was commenced June 2, 1861. It was transferred, July 27, 1862, to a small chapel erected for its use on Cliapel Street. Tlie land was given by Mr. Thomas Dally, and tlie cost of the building was $1,200. In" December, 186.5, the chapel was enlarged at an expense of S2,000. Tiie church was organized July 11, 1866, com- ]iosed of twenty-three members. Rev. Samuel E. Lowry was ordained tlie first jiastor February 21, 1867. The chapel, which had been in use ten years, was destroyed by fire June it, 1872, and the present stone edifice was erected on the same site at a cost of $18,000, which was all subscribed ])revious to the dedication. This service occurred October 16, 1873. From June till December, 1872, when the vestry was completed, worship was held in a simp owned by Mr. Dally. The stone used in the CDnsiructiini was taken from a quarry near Beacon Street, Xcwioji, on land then owned by Mr. Samuel Gooch. TJie church-members, in February, 1878, numbered one hundred and ten. The following are the names of members w lid lia\i' served as deacons : Messrs. Joseph Wain, Ilnirv .Mason, Artemas Rumrill, Nathaniel Davidson, W. R. Smitli, and Hii-enr Carlick.

The first i)ost-office in the town, and previous to ]s2(i the only one, was at Newton Lower Falls, a village remote from many of the iidiabitants. .\s the first settlers of Cambridge seem to have cherished (he I'xjurlation that that town, embracing also New Caiiibfiilge, or Newton, would become the ca|)ital of the country, so the people of the Lower Falls very likely anticipated that their village was to lie the principal depot and centre of business of the town; which accounts for the location of the first post -oflice there. The business enterprise of the inhabitants gave them some grounds I'or such an anticipation ; for in early times the village was the seat of iron-works, saw-mills, grist-mills, snnir-inills, clothing-mills, leather-mills, paper-mills, calico-printing, macliine-sbo])s, etc. The second ijosl-ofiicc was established at Newton Corner in 1S20, the income of which at first was Old) thirty or lorly dollars per annum. In the early days of the Newton Tlieologicnl Institution the students and officers were obliged to go to Newton Corner - a distance of two miles - to receive and deposit their letters.

.\bout the year 1798 two public libraries were founded, - one in the east, the other in the west part of the town. The first, after a time, fell into neglect, and the books were sold. The library styled the West Newton Social Library, inaugurated in 1797, had a very grave but useful selection of books, and did good service in the town for several years. The AYest Newton Athenfeum, organized in December, 184-9, had in 1872 a library of three or four thousand volumes. This institution was established both as a library association and an organization for the promotion of liberal culture and good-fellowship in the town. .\mong its founders were tlie late William B. Fowle, Hon. Horace Mann, Eev. Joseph S. Clarke, Cyrus Peirce, Dr. .J. H. Brown, and :\rr. J. W. Plimpton^ the latter of whom, in 1867, made a donation of f 1,000 to the library funds. The library property was held in shares of the ])ar value of ten dollars each. But previous to the existence of the Free Public Library of Newton it was for many years contemplated, as soon as its financial condition would allow, to throw it open to the gratuitous use of the public. A library called the Adelphian Library was formed about 1830. Mr. AYilliam Jackson and others, by begging, buving, and giving, procured quite a valuable collection of books, which were placed in the entrance-room of the academy of Mr. Seth Davis, of West Newton, who was the librarian until 1839. About 1833 or 1833 it was arranged that the books in part should be kept, and occasionally exchanged, in both parishes. Marshall S. Eice was the librarian in the east parish. Deacon Samuel F. Di\ was the custodian of the library of 1798. About 1839 or 184-0 the libraries of 1798 and the Adelphian Library were both merged in the Alliemieuin. The Newton Lower Falls Free Library, organized in 1869 for the free use of the inhabitants residing in Newton Lower Falls ami (he \ieiiiily, galliered a collection of nearly twn tlion^iind volumes. A small library in the North Vilhiy-e iiunibeiv.l five hundred volumes. Tlie Newton Centre Library Association, organized in 1S59, had about fifteen hundred volumes, which, after the inauguration of tiie A'ewton Free Library in 1869, were transferred, by vote of the subscribers, to that institution.

Tlie Newton (Corner) Library Association was organized originally as only a book-club ; but in January, 1849, it assumed the character of a circulating library, and gradually acquired, through the liberality of the members and others, about seventeen hundred and fifty volumes. The subject of a Newton free library was from time to time debated in an association of gentlemen styled the Newton Literary Association. But no definite action was taken till June, 1866, when §3,300 were raised by subscription, with which to purchase a lot of land on Centre Street, to be offered as a free gift to the Newton Library Association, on which to erect a suitable building for library purposes, and, if declined by that association, to be ofi'ered to any other organization which would guarantee the erection of such a building.

In 1867 the late Hon. J. Wiley Edmands offered the sum of $15,000 towards the establishment of a free public library in Newton, provided that an equal sum should be secured by the trustees of the fund. The requisite amount was obtained, and even more, - the whole sum secured being upwards of §53,000. Mr. Edmands subsequently gave $5,000 more as a special donation for the purchase of books. Ground was broken for the building on its present location June 10, 1868. The rough stone for the walls was taken from a quarry in Newton Centre. The corner-stone was laid August 13, 1868, and the building dedicated June 17, 1870, - the ])ublic exercises on the occasion being held in a tent spread in front of the building. The cost of the building and fixtures was about $37,000. Before any books were purchased, the donation of the Newton Lilirary Association formed an important and valuable nucleus, and donations from individuals added five hundred volumes more. The principal room in the building was named Edmands ILill, in honor of ITon. J. Wiley Edmands, the most munificent donor. A beautiful copy of Raphael's celebrated painting of the Transfiguration, in the A'alirnn at Rome, given to the library by Mrs. D. 15. Jewel t, adorns Edmands Hall; also' a bust of Charles Sumner, and portraits of distinguisiied individuals, formerly residents of the town. The number of volumes in the librarv is about fifteen thousand.

On the third day of November, 1875, the trustees, in behalf of the subscribers to the Newton Free Library, were empowered to transfer the Newton Free Library to the city of Newton, on the city's assuming the conditions of trust of the existing organization, under the act of incorporation obtained in 1871. The terms being accepted, the transfer was duly made, and the library became thenceforth a city institution.

Newton Water- Works. - Prior to the year 1871 two or three private aqueducts had been constructed in Newton, which yielded a limited domestic supply; but there was no public provision adequate to the necessities of the town. In April, 1871, a resolve was passed by the citizens in town-meeting assembled, appointing a committee of three gentlemen "to investigate the best method of supplying the town with water, and to report at a subsequent town-meeting." At a town-meeting held November 13, 1871, this committee reported in favor of taking water from Charles Eiver. The report of this committee, which was thorough and of considerable extent, took into view a careful consideration of sources of supply, cost of works, mode of distribution, water damages, and other points important to a full understanding of the subject, and closed their report by recommending that a committee be chosen to apply to the legislature for an act giving the town full power to carry the report into effect, and report at a subsequent meeting. In order to obtain an expression of the popular opinion concerning the introduction of water, the citizens were called upon in 1871 to vote " Yes" or " No " on the question, " Shall the city of Newton be supplied with water for fire and domestic purposes, at an expense not exceeding §600,000, in accordance with the special Act of the Legislature of 1872, chapter 311, authorizing the same?" The vote was taken by ballot Deceinber 1, 1874", and resulted in yeas 928, nays 443. On the 9tli of Deceiuber a board of three water commissioners was apjjointod, who in May, 1875, made their report to the city council, recommending as a source " a well at a point on Charles River above Pettee's works at the Upper Falls " ; advising the use of a reservoir for distribution, and estimating the cost at not over § 800,000.

A vote was passed to purchase Waban Hill, formerly called Prospect Hill, in the east part of the town, as a site for the reservoir. October 9, 1875, the first pipe was laid, in Washington

Xbii'Tux

Street, near ^Yoodland Avenue. Land was purchased in Needham, between Kenrick's Bridge and Needhaui Avenue, and near the latter, for a filtering basin. On the occasion of the inspection of the water-works by tlie city government, November lo, 1876, the filter-basin, which is situated in Needham, fifty feet distant from the river, was in use ; the great pumpiug-engine was in operation, the Wabau Hill reservoir was one third full, and the hydrants supplied with water along forty-eight miles of street mains. The capacity of the reservoir is about fifteen million gallons. Tiie area of the bottom of the reservoir is 91,525 square feet; and the area of water surface, when the reservoir is full, is 126,000 square feet. The gate-house was built in the last half of October, 1876. Water was first pumped into the reservoir October 30, 1876. In November, 1877, the report of the water commissioners stated that water-pipes had been laid in the streets of the city to the extent of fifty-one and a half miles. Most of the pipes were furnished by the Warren Foundry, Phillipsburg, N. J. The first service-pipes were laid in October, 1876. In Woodward Street the Newton water-pipe passes over the Cochituate aqueduct.

Sudbury River, - pass through Newton from west to east. The former is about eighteen miles in length, and enters Newton a short distance below the village of Upper Falls. Ground was broken for this aqueduct August 20, 1846, and water was introduced into the city of Boston with imposhig ceremonies October 25, 1S4-8. Tlie act of legislature empowering the city of Boston to engage in this enterprise was a])proved by the governor,'George N. Briggs, March 30,184-6. The water is carried over Charles River by three iron ])ipes properly supported and secured against the frost. The most interesting feature of the work in Newton is a tunnel, executed through porphyritic rock of extreme hardness, on the Harback property, a few rods east of Waverley Avenue. This tunnel is 3,410 feet in length; in its construction two or more shafts were sunk to a depth of eighty-four feet to the bottom of the tuiuiel. Several specimens of copper ore were found by the workmen in the process of excavation.

Chestnut Hill Reservoir was constructed on land formerly a part of the town of Newton, and constituting a portion of the Lawrence farm, previously Deacon Nathan Pettee's, and before him occupied by Deacon Thomas Hovey. In April, 1865, the water board of the city of Boston was authorized to purchase for this use not exceeding two liundred acres in Newton, Brighton, and Brookline. The bank on tlie Lawrence meadow was begun May 16, 1866. Water was let into the Lawrence, or upper basin, October 26, 1868. There was no formal celebration, but members of the city government and others were present, an account was given of the progress of the work, and three hearty cheers were given by the five hundred laborers who were crowded on the bank. Water was let into the Bradlee, or lower basin, October 25, 1870, - the twenty-second anniversary of the introduction of Cochituate water into the city.

In the construction of the Chestnut Hill Reservoir, Beacon Street was turned from its course. The land formerly belonging to Newton and occupied in this enterprise, after Brighton was annexed to Boston, was, by exchange or otherwise, made a part of Boston.

The Sudbury River conduit, bringing an additional supply of water to the city of Boston, is fifteen and four fifths miles in length, and passes through Newton Upper Falls, north of Newton Highlands, and througli Newton Centre to the Chestnut Hill Reservoir. The principal features of this work in Newton are the bridge over Charles River at the Upper Falls, and the tunnel through Chestnut Hill. The bridge is five hundred feet long, and consists of seven arches, - five of thirty-seven feet span, one of twenty-eight feet, and the large arch over the river, the second in size in the American continent, and one of the largest stone arches in the world. It is one hundred and thirty feet in span, with a radius of sixty-nine feet. The crown is fifty-one feet above the usual surface of Uje water, and the top of the bridge about seventy feet above the same. The key-stone is five feet in depth. The ])ressure upon the foundation is about 2,900 tons, or about l&\ tons to the square foot. The foundations of the entire bridge are in the solid rock. To a ])erson standing beneath it, the arch has a very slender and beautiful appearance, being only eighteen feet in width at the crown. There is a remarkable echo in this arch, the human voice being rapidly repeated upwards of fifteen times, and a ])istol-.shot twentyfive times. The .scenery along the river at this point is extremely romantic, and the bridge by its symmetry and elegance adds a striking and beautiful feature to the landscape, and attracts many visitors. It was built in 1876 and I S77, during

There is a tunnel of five hundred feet in length near Pleasant Street, built through quicksand and rock. The Beacon Street tunnel is cut through solid rock, 4,635 feet in length. At one place considerable quantities of iron and copper pyrites were found. One shaft was sunk on land of the late F. M. Johnson, about fifty-five feet in depth to the bottom of the tunnel, the excavation being carried on from each end, and from the shaft each way.

The Pine Farm School, an institution under the patronage of the Boston Children's Aid Society, and designed to furnish a home for boys rescued from the courts of Boston and saved from the haunts of vice and ruin, was commenced in 1S64 in West Newton. It is located on a farm of twenty acres, formerly the Murdock estate, and is situated at the corner of Homer and Chestnut streets. The place was purchased and fitted up for its ])resent use in the winter of 1864, and an act of incorporation was procured, enabling the society to hold real estate to a certain amount, for the purpose of aiding children brought before the police courts, and to rescue them from vice and crime by all possible methods. Mr. Rufus R. Cook, chaplain of the jail in Boston, was from the beginning the efficient agent of the society. The building is designed to accommodate thirty boys. j\ small school-house, formerly a blacksmith's shop, is on the place, where the boys spend every day the hours usually devoted to school instruction. The house was ready for use June 28, 1864, and a service of dedication was held on that day in a grove on the estate. The first superintendent and matron were Mr. and Mrs. Howe, followed in 1870 by Mr. and Mrs. C. H. Washburn. During the first seven years the number who had been inmates of the home was one hundred and ninety-five. As soon as it is judged safe, the boys are placed in permanent homes in the country, the watch-care of the society being still extended over them. A press and types have been ])rocured, and some of the boys have learned to print so neatly and skilfully, that the annual reports of the Home have been issued for several years from this ofiice.

A Homo for Orphan and Destitute Girls was originated under tlir auspices of the Boston Children's Friend Society in 1866, and was sustained for a few years, hut linallv discontinued. A fund of §7,000 was raised by subscription to purcliase and equip a house of mercy for liomeless and vicious girls under twelve years of age, received from the courts, or rescued from the haunts of vice in the neighboring city of Boston. Tlie iiouse jiurchased for this use was the boarding-house originally erected in connection with the academy at Newton Centre, on Centre Street, opposite the estate formerly of Dr. Jonathan Homer, later of Mayor Speare. Here the girls were instructed in the usual branches of a common-school education, and also in needlework and houseliold duties. The home was sujjported by the contributions of five denominations of Christians. The first admission was N'ovember 1-2, lS6ti, and before tlu- dedication on Christmas Day, one inonth later, eiglit or nine more were admitted. The matron was Mrs. Eebecca 13. Pomroy, well known for her faithful and efficient services in the hospitals of Washington and in the family of Abraham Lincoln during the war. Tlie Home prospered until the summer of 1868, when the building was set on fire by one of the inmates, and totally consumed. The school was then removed to the estate formerly of Mr. Ephraim Jackson, southeast of the Theological Institution. The jiumber of girls in the Home in June, 1872, was twenty-two. But the necessity for such an institution seeming to be less apparent than in the beginning, it was suspended, and other provision was made for the inmates. One or two little waifs, however, remained, for whose disposition there was no immediate opening. Tiiese became the nucleus of a new institution, - the Orphan Girls' Home, - since located at Newton, in the house on Hovey Street which was formerly the Episcopal parsonage, and from the commencement has been in charge of Mrs. Pomroy.

To the War of 1812 belongs the name of General William Hull, a distinguished citizen of Newton, who married Sarah, daughter of Judge Abraham Fuller, and resided for many years on the estate of her father, afterwards the property of ex-Governor Claflin, at Newtonville. General Hull built the brick portion of the Nonantum House at Newton. The house formerly standing on the old site, which was Judge Fuller's, was removed nearer the railroad, and is now occupied by J. L. Roberts, Esq. The services of General Hull during the Revolutionary War are said to have been constant and valuable. At the beginning of the War of 1812 he was appointed commander of the northwestern army for the conquest of Canada, and in an evil hour surrendered his army to General Brock. General PIull claimed that he was not adequately sustained by the government; he published a d(?fence of his conduct, and his grandson. Rev. James Freeman Clarke, also prejiared a pamphlet ui which he exonerates him from blame. On his returu to Boston, a public dinner was tendered to him by a number of the best citizens of the town, as an indication of their estimation of his worth. The venerable Seth Davis, now a nonagenarian, has such a conviction of his innocence and uprightness, that he sedulously carries flowers every year, on the appointed decoration day, to strew iu his honor on his grave.

In the War of the Rebellion, 1S61-186.5, Newton, which had so distinguished herself in the days of the Revolution, fully and honorably maintained her patriotic character. In the progress of tlie war the town freely voted large amounts of money to meet the accruing expenses: November 4', 1862, 850,000; August 7, 1863, $5,000; AprU 3, 1864., §23,000; August 5, 1864, $20,000, - in all, $98,000, of which $92,621 were actually expended. The wliole number of men required to fill the quota of Newton under the calls for volunteers was 1,067 ; the number actually furnished by the town was 1,129. The number of volunteers mustered into service for three years who belonged to the town of Newton was 323. This is exclusive of those who served iu the navy, and of others, natives of the town, but who were, at the date of their enlistment, citizens of other places.

The town of Newton furnished thirty-six commissioned officers and two general officers, General A. B. Underwood and General J. Gushing Edmands. The whole number of Massachusettts regiments containing one or more Newton men was thirty ; and in no less than seventy-five fields did the men of Newton imperil their lives for their country. Besides these, thirty-four men, at that time or formerly connected with the Newton Theological Institution, served in various cajjacities in the army. Some of them suffered in prisons or on battle-fields, and brought back oidy mutilated forms for the service of the church. The amount paid by the town and by individuals for military purposes, from the beginning of the war to February, 1865, near the close, was $138,457. Of this sum, $46,918.92 were afterwards refunded to the town by act of the legislature. In a thousand ways probably as much more was contributed, of which no record was ever kept and of which no adequate account can be rendered.

While Boston and many other cities and towns lingered in the work of rearing a fitting memorial to the patriotic dead, Newton was one of the earliest towns in the commonwealth to erect a monument to the memory of her brave soldiers. It stands near the entrance of the cemetery in the centre of the town, and was dedicated July 23, ISGi, more than a year before the close of the war.

On the 31st of December, 1873, the town government was brought to a close, after a duration of one hundred and ninety-four years, and the city government was inaugurated January 1, 1874. The first mayor of the city, Hon. J. F. C. Hyde, is a native of the town, and his genealogy reaches back in regular succession to its earliest records.

Oakes Angier (born 1698, died 1783) kept a public-house near the location of tlie Nonantum House. From him that part of the town was for many years named Angler's Corner, until the station on the Boston and Albany Kailroad displaced the old designation.

John Barber kept a public-house at West Newton, and set out the great elm-tree which stands in front of it, in 1767. It was so small that he brought it from the woods on Ins shoulder. He was the second tenant, and the first mak- tenant of the West Parish Cemetery.

Frederic Barden (died 1877) was proprietor of the rolling-mills at Newton Upper Falls, on Boylston Street. He was representative to the General Court two sessions, and a prominent member of the Chauning Church.

Dr. Henry Bigelow (died 1866) was a prominent physician at Newton Cdnicr. Fur fifteen years he was at the head dl tlir ol' ((luralion in the town, and to him, as cliiiiniinii nf tlie school committee, more tlian to any oIIht pcrsuii, Newton is indebted for the noble condilinu dl' its public schools. He was foremost in selecting, arranging, and adorning the beautiful cemetery in the centre of Newton, and the first president of the corporation.

Gardner Colby (died 1879) was born in Bowdoinham, Maine, September 3, 1810, and removed to Newton in 184G, making his residence here equal to a generation of men. Tii caily life lie wo.s a clerk for two years in a store in Charlcslown, then in a dry-goods house in Boston, and at the age of twenty-two he commenced business for hiiusell, beginning witli a capital of »5()(), wliieh he borrowed. He was afterwards engaged in the drygoods importing business, and in 1848 retired with a handsome competency. In 1850 he embarked in the manufacture of woollens, being associated with Mr. J. Wiley Edmands in the Maverick Mills in East Dedham; and, having large contracts with the government during the War of the Rebellion, he accumulated rapidly new resources. He retired a second time from business in 1863, and in 1870 undertook the building of the Wisconsin Central Railroad, a road three hundred and forty miles long, constructed through a wild and rough country ; he lived to see the road completed. He was a public-spirited citizen, interested in all the improvements of Newton, and a liberal giver. He was treasurer of Newton Theological Institution twenty-seven years, and a munificent patron of that institution, as well as of Brown University, and Colby University at Waterville, Maine, which bears his name in honor of his munificent donation of $50,000 at one time to the funds of the college, followed afterwards by gifts of thousands. In the published list of subscribers for the support of Newton Institution, his name appears at one time for $3,000, at another for $11,000, and at a third for $ 18,000.

Captain Phineas Cooke (died 1784) was a direct descendant of Gregory Cooke, one of the first settlers of Newton. He was captain of a company of minute-men raised in 1773, commanded on the memorable day of Concord and Lexington by Colonel Michael Jackson. His house was at Newton Corner, near the line of Watertown, - the same house which, after the war, was owned and occupied by General William Hull.

]\lrs. Mary Davis (died 1752) lived to the greatest age of any person in Newton, being one hundred and seventeen years and one hundred and fifteen days old at the date of her death. She lived at the south part of the town (Oak Hill), and cultivated the ground in her extreme age with her own hands. At the age of one hundred and four she could do a good day's work at shelling corn, and at one hundred and ten she sat at her spiimingwheel. There is a portrait of her in the rooms of tlie Massachusetts Historical Society, painted by request of Governor Belcher.

Edward Durant (died 178:2), son of Captain Edward Durant, was a man of wealth, inherited from his father. He was moderator of the townmeetings of Newton from 1765 to 1775, - that exciting jKU-iod which drew on the Revolution, - a leading patriot^ aud one of the selectmen for four years. He was known as an active and leading spirit in opposing the measures of the British government for more than ten years preceding the Revolutionary War, was chairman of a committee to report instructions to the representative to the General Court in 1765 on the passage of the Stamp Act, and a delegate to the Provincial Congress in 1774-75.

J. Wiley Edmands (died 1877) was the son of Thomas Edmands, Esq., and removed to Newton from Boston in 1847. He was a man of remarkable business tact and energy, a member of congress in 185:i, presidential elector in 1868, and his name was mentioned on several occasions in connection with high official stations at Washington, including that of secretary of the treasury under President Lincoln. During the Civil War he was always ready with his influence and his resources to sustain the government, and two of his sons did honorable service in the field. He was one of the first liberal contributors to the Home for Orphan Girls in Newton, and the largest patron of the Newton Free Public Library, whose principal hall bears his name.

Efiv. James Ereeman, D. D. (died 1835), lived on the Skinner Place, so called, on AVaverley Avenue, a large portion of the year for more than a quarter of a century. He was pastor of King's Chapel in Boston more than half a century, and it was during his ministry that that church, from Episcopal, became Unitarian, and changed the liturgy to accommodate their views of doctrine. He was one of the first members of the Boston school committee, and one of the founders of the Massachusetts Historical Society. He is buried in the Curtis tomb, in the old cemetery.

Joseph Puller (died 1740), son of John, and known as Captain Fuller, received from his fatherin-law, Edward Jackson, twenty acres from the west end of the Mayhew Farm, including what is now Newtonville, and covering the General Hull place, now owned and occupied by ex-Governor Claflin. Here Joseph Fuller built his house, and this twenty acres, with about hundred inherited from his father, formed the farm which descended to his grandson. Judge Fuller, and his great granddaughter Sarah, wife of General Wm. Hull. The large elm-tree near the house is said to have been planted, a mere riding-stick, by this Joseph Fuller. Until 1830 the hall was ornamented by the horns of a deer, which he shot

Captain Amariah Fuller (died 1802) was selectman two years, and captain of the west company of militia. He and his company were in the engagements of Concord and Lexington. He was also at Dorchester Heights.

Colonel Nathan Fuller (died 182:i), an infiuential and patriotic citizen, joined the army at Cambridge at the time of the Revolution as captain of a company in Colonel Gardner's regiment. He was promoted to the rank of major, and took part lu the Canada expedition of 1776. Li 1795 he was representative to the General Court, and took a deep interest in the atlairs of the church and town. In 1781 he gave to the West Parish an acre and a half for the burial-place, and in 1785, £60 for the use of the church and congregation.^

Judge Abraham Fuller (died 1794) was the leading citizen of Newton in his day. Previous to 1760 he kept a private grammar-school in Newton, and left in his Avill a sum of money to found the Fuller Academy. He was selectman four years, town clerk and treasurer twenty-seven years, commencing in 1766, representative to the General Court eighteen years, - the longest period of service in the last two departments of any citizen in Newton, - delegate to the Provincial Congress, senator, councillor, and judge of the court of common pleas. His only daughter married General William Hull, who, after the death of Judge Fuller, removed to the old homestead.

Henry Gibbs (died 1701) came to Newton from Boston about 1742. Rev. Mr. Cotton, minister of the First Parish, was his brother-in-law. He built and occupied the house lately the residence of Marshall S. Rice, Esq. He was selectman six \'ears, justice of the peace and representative three years. He left a provision in his will that his mansion-house should not be taken for a tavern, but for the residence of some gentleman of the dissenting interest, who should su])port the dissenting minister in Newton. He also left a bequest

1 Colonel Nathan FiiUei- Jciervcs a word more here. During the disastrous retreat of our army under General Sullivan from Canada, Colonel, then Major Fuller, of Bond's Massachusetts regiment, was put iu charge of the lagt;age of the army. Deserted by all except eighty-seven of the five hundred men constituting the guard, aud iu imminent danger of capture by the eueniy, JIajor Fuller performed the duly assigned to him with signal fidelity, intelligence, and courage. It is enough to say that when an express from Fuller reached Colonels Stark and Poor, informing them of his critical situation, they returned, aud at onee put themselves nuder the orders of their gallaut subordinate. - Eu.

to aid in the evangelization of the Indian natives, but not in the Churcli of England form. Gibbs Street, which formed a part of his land, received its name in memory of him.

John Jackson (died 1675), eldest son of Deacon John Jackson, was probably the first child born in Newton of the permanent settlers. He died unmarried, aged thirty-six. years.

Jonathan Jackson (died 1810), son of Edward and Dorothy (Quincy) Jackson, graduated at Harvard College, 1761, as did also two of his sons, Charles (judge) and James (doctor), the latter of whom was professor in the Harvard Medical School from 181^ to 1836. Mr. Jackson was a member of the Provincial Congress, member of the National Congress in 17S1, state senator, appointed by Washington tirst marslial of the district of Massachusetts, treasurer of Massachusetts, and also treasurer of Harvard College.

state ofliccs. He was adjutant and brigade-niajo in the militia, kept tlic town school in the nortl district two winters, was deputy sbcrill' ten vcars selectman many years, moderator of nearly all lii town-meetings from 1795 to 1810 inclusive, and representative to the General Court fifteen years successively. His house, which was demolished in 1809, stood on the same ground as tlie present Jackson homestead.

Hon. William Jackson (died 1855) was elected representative to the General Court in 1819 and again in 1826 ; he was a member of the board of selectmen and of the school committee, took an early and decided stand in the cause of temperance, became one of the earliest and most ardent favorers of the enterprise of railroads, and was superintendent of construction of the Boston and Worcester and several other railroads, and director of the Western Eailroad for nine years. He was one of the prime movers of the savings-bank in Newton, and its first president. He was elected member of Congress in 1830, and served two terms. His influence was the primary cause of the establishment of special trains on the Boston and Albany Railroad. He was the main-spring of the organization of the Eliot C luirch, and one of the deacons from the beginning, and also the mover and president of the American Missionary Association for the first eight years of its existence. His influence also led to the efficient development of the new village of Auburndale.

John Kenrick (died 1833) purchased the place formerly of Edward Durant, on AVaverley Avenue. He was selectman two years, and representative to the General Court seven. In 1825 he made a donation to the town of §1,000, and afterwards other donations, amounting in all to §1,700, as the basis of a perniauent fund for the relief of the poor of the town. He provided that the fund should be allowed to accumulate till it should amount to §1,000, and after that the whole annual income should be distributed to the industrious poor, especially widows and or])hans. The fund reached the stipulated amount ($ 4,000} in 1851. ^Ir. Kenrick was an ardent friend of the temperance reform, and a liberal contributor to the first autislavery society in tliis country, and dic^d its president.

Dr. John King (died 1807), of Newton Centre, was the only physician in Newton for nearly half a century. Fie came from Sutton, and his house was on the site of the present residence of Gustavus Forbes, Esq. The house still stands in its new location on Pclham Street. Dr. King was selectman eight years, and for several years was moderator of the town-meetings. He was a true patriot, and member of several committees during the revolutionary struggle. He was one of the minute-men from Newton in the battle of Lexington, and one of the soldiers from Newton designated to guard Burgoyne's army. In that service, after visiting liis patients at Newton in the morning, he started for the prisoner's camp to perform corporal's duty. He was representative in 179:2. His son, Captain Henry King, was one of the guard at the execution of Major Andre ; he lived on tlie farm on Homer Street now owned and occupied by Eev, George J. Carletoii.

Hon. Horace Mann (died 1859) resided for several years on Wahuit Street, West Newton. He was a native of Franklin, Massachusetts, graduated at Brown University, studied law in Litchfield, Connecticut, and commenced practice as a lawyer in Dedham, continuing in practice fourteen years. He was a member of the House of Representatives from 18^8 to 18:3.3, and of the Senate from 1833 to 1837, and president of the Senate from 1836 to 1837. He was the originator of the State Lunatic Hospital at Worcester, whicli was the parent of all similar institutions throughout the country. He was the first secretary of the Board of Education, and througli his iniluence important changes were made in the school-laws and educational system of tiie state. He was member of Congress in 1848-53, candidate of the Free-Soil party for governor of Massachusetts in 185;J, the originator of normal schools and teachers' conventions, and finally president of Antioch College at Yellow Springs, Ohio.

Hon. David H. Mason (died 1873) resided in Newton for twenty-five years, and was one of its most prominent and usefnl citizens. He was a member of the House of Eepresentatives three years, and the tried and trusted friend and adviser of the patriotic Governor John A. Andrew, during the war of 1861-1865. He declined the nomination of state senator on accomit of the claims of Ins profession as a lawyer. In 1859 he delivered the oration at the celebration of the eighty-third aimiversary of American Independence, held at Newton Centre. Among the measures before tlie legislature in which he took a leading part were the consolidation of the Boston and Worcester and Western Eailroad corporations, equalizing the bounties of the soldiers, adopting tlie fourteenth amendment to the Constitution of the United States, making the Milldam free of toll, and levelling Fort Hill in Boston. He was for several years an efficient member of the Board of Education, and was deeply interested in promoting the high character of the schools of Newton. In 1870 he was appointed LTnited States District Attorney for the State of Massachusetts, which was his last public service.

Otis Pettee (died 1S53) for nearly a quarter of a century was the leading man at Newton Upper Falls, a man of remarkable mechanical ingeimity and great business capacity. He was superintendent of the mills of the Elliot Manufacturing Company, and afterwards a large manufacturer of cotton machinery. His improvements in cotton machinery have been highly valued for their practical utility. He was the leader and moving spirit in the enterprise which culminated in the New York and New England Railroad, and presided over the construction and operation of the road through his own village and beyond. Every part of Newton Upper Falls bears witness to his wisdom and enterprise.

Marshall S. Rice (died 1879) came to Newton in 1S:J4', purchased the Gibbs place at Newton Centre, which was the seat of a school in which more than one thousand boys passed under his tuition. Mr. Rice was the main support of the Methodist Church and Society at Newton tapper Falls, superintendent of the New Y'ork and New England Railroad (Woonsocket Branch, at first the Charles River Branch Railroad) at the beginning, selectman, representative four years, and town-clerk twenty-seven years, till the to«^n of Newton became a city.

Thomas Rice (died 1873) was a native of Newton Lower Falls, where he spent his whole life. He was an eminent paper manufacturer, and one of the leading men of the town both before and during the Civil War. He was selectman twentyeight years, and chairman of the board ten years, state senator, representative, and member of the governor's council. During the war he was specially active as a citizen and patriot, never weary of service done for the country, the town, or its soldiers and their families.

Roger Sherman (died 1793), one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, was born in the east part of Newton, near the residence of the late Eev. Dr. Freeman, on Waverley iV venue.

Judge Edmund Trowbridge (died 1793) was a graduate of Harvard College, and one of the most learned lawyers of ilassachusetts. He was a member of the council, attorney-general of the province, and chief justice of Massachusetts. He stood justly pre-eminent on the bench and at the bar, and exer- cised a salutary influence on the younger members of the profession. Many of the most distinguished lawyers of the state enjoyed his instruction. His office and salary came from the crown, and he thus not only became unpo])ular, but also lost the glorious opportunity of becoming one of the noblest of the sons of liberty.

ColonelJoseph Ward (died 181:i) was great-greatgrandson of William Ward, who came from England in 1C39. He was a teaclier until the battles of Lexington and Concord, and a frequent contributor of articles to the newspapers. He was intimate with the patriots of the Revolution, and co-operated with them in bringing about the great results of the struggle. He served at the battles of Concord and Bunker Hill, and rode over ("harlestown Neck through a cross-fire of the enemy's floating batteries, to execute an order from General Ward, at which time a broadside was fired at him from a British man-of-war. In 1777 he was appointed commissary-general of musters with the rank of colonel. In the fall of 1778 he was taken prisoner in New Jersey, and confined for a year in Platbush, Long Island. In Jamiary, 1780, he was honored with a complimentary letter from Washington for his zeal and faithfulness. He was a representative from Newton to the General Court in 1796. He built the house on Waverley Avenue now owned and occupied by the heirs of the late Charles Brackett.

Colonel Epliraim Williams (died 1755), eldest son of Colonel Ephraim Williams, had distinguished military talents, and commanded the line of ^lassachusetts forts on the west side of tiie Connecticut River in tlie war with the French and Indians, and fell in battle near Williamstown, September 8,

Deacon John Woodward, born February 4, 1724, was captain, selectman seven years, and representative two years, 178-'j and 1784. He was moderator of the town-meeting in 1776, which passed the unanimous vote, approving tlie act of Congress declaring the colonies free and independent, and pledging the lives and fortunes of the citizens to sustain the government in the struggle for complete freedom. He was in the battle of Concord, and loaned £100 to the town to pay the soldiers. He died May 11, 1801, aged seventy-seven.

Deacon Elijah F. Woodward (died 1846) was prominent in church and town afl'nirs. He was deacon of the First Church thirty-one years, representative four years, and town clerk and treasurer twenty years.

We are forbidden by the necessary limitations of this history to extend these notices of citizens of Newton who have been distinguished in church and state, and whose names are worthy of honorable mention. A richer catalogue of men who have been benefactors of their race, and wJiose influence, reaching abroad in every direction, has been felt throughout the -svorld, could not easily be recorded. And if to the honored dead we were permitted to add the names of many noble men among the living, to whom Newton has been a cradle or a home, such as ex-Governor Claflin and ex-Governor Alexander H. Rice, - both of whom attained the highest office in the gift of the commonwealth, and have been, or now are, members of Congress, - it would be manifest to the world that this ancient town had sliown itself worthy of its founders, its fame, and its history.

North Reading

ORTH READING as a distinct municipality is of recent date, althougii it began to be settled about 1680. The first reference to the territory appears in 1651, in the grant to the inhabitants of Reading by the court, as an addition to their former bounds, " a certayne tract of land, about two miles content," lying between Mr. Bellingham's farm (in Andover) and the great river (Ipswich). In 1661 Reading ordered that John Smith, Jonathan Poole, John Browne, Jr., and William Cowdrey lay out the two-mile grant beyond the river.

The chief points of interest in the early history of the town, which do not require repeating, are included in that of Reading, of whicii it continued to form an important part till its incorporation in 1853. It was formerly known as the Second, or North Parish, and was incorporated as such in 1713, and a church in connection with it was organized soon after, which was the second church in Reading.

The first meeting-house, built upon the Common in 1717, was used for a church till the building of another in 1753. The third, which is now standing near the spot occupied by its predecessors, was built in 1829. This liouse was relinquished to the Universalists, who had become a majority of tiie parish, in 1836. The lower part of the house was afterwards fitted up for a town-hall, while the upper room, during portions of each year, continues to be used for meetings of the Universalist Society.

The following is a list of pastors of the Second, or North Parish : Rev. Daniel Putnam, ordained 1720, died 1759 ; Rev. Eliab Stone, ordained 1761, died 1823; Rev. Cyrus Pierce, coll., ordained 1819, dismissed 1827; Rev. J. W. Eastman, installed 1828, dismissed 1832 or 1833;

The more prominent clergymen who have officiated as pastors in the Universahst Society, for terms of varying length, have been Rev. Mr. Marston, Rev. Mr. Griswold, Rev. Horace Morse, Rev. G. B. Emerson, and Rev. Earl Guilford.

The Baptist Society, in the North Parish, was formed in March, 1817. The church was organized in April, 1817, with twenty-four members. Their first house of worship was built in 1828, and burnt in 1860. The pastors have been : Rev. J. M. Driver, settled October, 1828, dismissed 1829; Rev. George Matthews, settled January, 1830, dismissed 1834 ; Rev. William Heath, settled June, 1836, dismissed 1841; Rev. J. Holbrook, settled July, 1841, dismissed 1842; Rev. J. N. Sykes, settled August, 1842, dismissed 1843 ; Rev. Benjamin Knight, settled April, 1845, dismissed 1846 ; Rev. F. E. Cleaves, settled May, 1847, dismissed 1851 ; Rev. A. C. Bronson, settled June, 1851, dismissed 1854; Rev. E. W. Pray, settled February, 1855, dismissed 1857 ; Rev. Horace Eaton, settled April, 1862, dismissed 1863; Rev. W. K. Davy, settled 1863, dismissed 1868; Rev. A. W. Ashley, settled April, 1868, dismissed 1870 ; Rev. Charles F. Myers, settled June, 1872, dismissed 1873; Rev. William L. Brown, settled December, 1877, dismissed 1879. . The town was prompt in action on matters pertaining to the war of 1861. At a town-meeting held May 4, 1 1,000 were appropriated for relief of the families of the soldiers, and for the soldiers. An appropriation not to exceed $1,200 was voted, April 26, 1862, for families of volunteers, and $200 for sick and wounded soldiers and for transportation and burial of those fallen in battle. July 25, the selectmen were instructed to enlist twenty-one men to fill the quota under the pending call, and to jiay each volunteer a bounty of §100. It was also voted to pay the same bounty to each volunteer belonging to the town who had already enlisted. August 14, it was voted to pay a bounty of $ 150 to fill the next quota, and $4,500 were appropriated for that object. An appropriation of § 500 was made November 16, 1863, for the benefit of discharged, invalid, and disabled soldiers and their families. March 26, 1864, it was voted to raise $ 1,600 to pay bounties to volunteers. The treasurer was authorized to borrow $3,500 to pay volunteers for future calls. . It was voted, August 22, to pay a bounty of § 125 " for each man of the present call." Meetings were held in January and March, 1865, in which votes were passed to continue recruiting and the jwyment of bounties.

The town furnished one hundred and thirtyone men for the war, a surplus of seven above all requirements. The town expended for war purposes, exclusive of state aid, §15,-315. State aid raised for the families of the soldiers amounted to $11,828.37.