"Preserving the Past for the Future"
Vol. 5, No.11 - 1 May 2004 Circulation: 250 and growing!
(C) 1999-2004 Boylston Historical Society and Museum
7 Central St., PO Box 459, Boylston, MA 01505
potpourremail@boylstonhistory.org 508-869-2720
Editors: Betty L. Thomas and Judith Haynes
Boylston Historical Society and Museum Web Page:
http:www.boylstonhistory.org
CONTENTS. Welcome; "The History of Boylston 1642-1741";
Tidbits; BHS News; On The Web; Humor
Welcome to our Email newsletter! For those of you who are not
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"The History of Boylston 1642-1741"
The following is from Vol.II of the Historical Series.
This book is no longer available for sale, but there are bound
cop ! ies of all the Historical Series books in the Museum's Fuller
Resea rch Library, the Boylston Public Library, the DAR Library and the
Allen County Public Library [Fort Wayne, IN.]
"The History of Boylston 1642-1741"
A Critical Edition of the Papers of George L. Wright
by William O. Dupuis
Volume II in the Boylston Historical Series
Revised edition 1978
CHAPTER 6
"The First Settlers of Boylston" by William O. Dupuis
THE FOUNDING FAMILIES
Settlement from 1720 - 1730
In addition to the first three families who settled in Boylston territory, there were at least 18 other families who came to populate this wilderness during the ten years from 1720 to 1730. These hardy souls who numbered at least 120 by the end of the decade, are really entitled to the honor of being called our Founding Families.
Methods of Acquiring Land
Bearing in mind that what is now Boylston was at that time partially Shrewsbury and partially Lancaster, it is important ! to clarify the various methods by which the earliest settlers came into possession of their land.
1. The Colonial Legislature had granted land to the group known as the Shrewsbury Proprietors. They in turn sold lots to interested individuals.
2. The second method involved buying these lots from the original grantees. In fact, the majority of those who were granted lots in the Boylston section of Shrewsbury never lived on them, but either sold them or gave them to sons or kinsman.
3. A third method was to acquire land in grants that had been laid out prior to the Shrewsbury Grant, such as the Sewall Grant, and the like.
4. Another method was to receive a grant from the Lancaster Proprietors in that part of Boylston which belonged to that town.
5. Lastly, to purchase land from someone who had originally been granted the land by the Lancaster Proprietors.
map
The Founding Families
Following the settlements by Deacon John Keyes, Samuel Bennett, and Joseph Sawyer, there followed a steady flow of families into the Boylston area. From the time of Sawyer's arrival to 1730, at least 18 families established themselves in Boylston, and firmly built the
foundations on the community which we now call Our home. What follows is an attempt to sketch these families so that we can better appreciate the courage of these hardy men and women.
Richard Temple
The son of Abraham and Deborah Hadlock Temple, he was born in Concord on October 6, 1674. His first marriage was to Mary Barker in Concord on May 2, 1699. He was granted Shrewsbury Lot #37 by the Proprietors in 1718, but he did not settle here until 1723-24. Prior to coming to this area, he, his wife and their 9 children lived in Stowe. Upon arriving here, he built his home on that part of Diamond Hill Ave. which, befo ! re the Reservoir, extended further westward. On the map of 1856 the spot is marked "E.Ball & Geo. Flagg". He also set up a saw mill, the first in Boylston, on Brigham's Brook, about a mile north of the Center, and which is marked "W.Andrews" on the 1856 map. He later sold this mill to Rev. Ebenezer Morse in 1747. His wife died, and he decided to leave this area for his hometown of Concord, where on Sept. 26, 1734 he married Rebecca Leighton. He remained there til his death on November 21,1756 at the age of 82. Members of his family
continued to live here for many generations.
Ebenezer Taylor
The son of William and Sarah (Mary) Taylor, he was born in Marlboro on January 4, 1701. He married Beulah Mary Bannister in Marlboro on January 11, 1723. There are a number of difficulties in determining the exact location of their settlement. One source indicates that
Ebenezer acquired a part of lot #40 which his kinswoman, Sarah Taylor of Marlboro, had purcha ! sed from its original owner, Capt. Joshua Haines, between 1723-24. How ever, there is no documentary proof that this was the case-in fact, Widow Taylor continues to be recorded as the owner of lot #40 for several decades, although it is doubtful that she ever settled here. A more plausible explanation is given by the late Hiram Harlow viz that Ebenezer lived on Diamond Hill Ave. approximately where #20 is located today. This house and farm later belonged to John Dexter Flagg, and then to his son, John N. Flagg. The house burned in the 1940's, and nothing remains of this early settlement. We are uncertain of the original ownership of this land, but it could have been a piece of undivided land not included in any lot, or a parcel of lot #37, which belonged to Richard Temple. (The identity of widow Sarah Taylor mentioned previously is still unknown Mr. Wright tends to confuse her with another Sarah Taylor who lived much later in time.) Ebenezer and his wife were among the 20 founders of the Boylston church in 1743. They were childless a ! nd eventually
left this area around 1754, and re-settled in Narragansett. They removed from there, and are mentioned as owning a house in Westminster, which burned in February 1764. Their time and place of death is unknown.
-Continues next month-
From Our Readers
from Nel Lazour
Hillside Restoration Project's First Annual Meeting will be held Monday, June 7 at 4 pm at the Massachusetts Criminal Training Council, 2nd Floor Town Hall and the Gough House grounds.
Open to all. Please RSVP [ 508-869-2720] if you are attending.
Tidbits
Gazette July 27, 1987
By AMY ZUCKERMAN
OF THE GAZETTE STAFF
BOYLSTON
Few who drive through Boylston today would realize that the town once contained a thriving industrial center.
With construction of Wachusett Reservoir at the turn of the century, the center known
as the Sawyers Mills was buried under deep waters.
People can visit the Sawyers Mill ! s complex again in the form of a photo exhibit being sponsored by the Boylston Historical Society.
Entitled Sawyers Mills Revisited: A Journey Under the Wachusett Reservoir, the exhibit opens today at the historical society building, 7 Central St.
The public can view the exhibit from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturdays through December, curator William O. Dupuis said.
Joseph Sawyer, descendant of a prominent Lancaster family, built a gristmill on the banks of the Nashua River sometime between 1721 and 1728. That, according to society curators, was the start of what would become a thriving industrial center until 1900.
OVER 500 ACRES
When Sawyer's grandson, Lt. Aaron Sawyer Jr., inherited his grandfather's estate in 1775, the complex included two grist mills, a lumber mill and 500 acres of land along the Nashua.
By 1823, when Sawyers Mills was sold to James and William Lees of West Boylston curators report the complex had increased to include a wire mill, clothier works, a blacksmith shop, a neatsfoot oil mill and a carding machine s ! hop.
It was about this time that the first store was built in the village. The first post office was established in 1825 with Col. Hezechiah Gibbs as postmaster.
The Clinton Textile Co. bought the Sawyers Mills in 1830 for $85,000 and produced cotton warps there. A large, red brick mill was constructed in 1839 and in 1852 gingham looms were added.
A new schoolhouse was built in 1851 and a Village Improvement Society was started the same year. By this point the mill complex was rivaling Boylston Center for population and prominence.
OCCASIONAL VIOLENCE
According to curators, relations between the two sectors of town was "often tinged with animosity and occasional physical violence."
A year after the outbreak of the Civil War, the Clinton Co. sold the complex to the Lancaster Co. for $55,000. The floor space was doubled in 1870 with construction of a mill addition. A picker room, a machine shop, a boiler house, gate house and gas house were also constructed. !
According to curators, the main building now housed 56 cards, 22 s peeders, 90 spinning frames, 15,000 spindles, and produced 20,000 pounds of cotton yarn a week or over a million pounds a year.
By the Victorian era, over 150 employees worked in the mill complex and were housed in more than 24 company tenements. Local farmer W.A. Phelps produced vegetables and dairy stuffs which he sold to mill workers.
Created by Dupuis and Assistant Curator Norman H. French, the exhibit of 50 photographs is dedicated to the late Marie M. Wirt, assistant curator, who was part of the original team for the project.
BHSM News
2004 PROGRAMS and EVENTS
All Programs open to the public and
held at the Society (unless otherwise noted).
7 Central St., Boylston
Donations at the door are gratefully accepted!
------------------------------------------------
ONGOING
"We Were There" exhibit
Exhibit focuses on the World War II military careers of three Boylston soldiers...
Victor Delnor ! e, Fenton Bean, and Florence Swenson Tobiesen Smith.
The exhibit is open during normal open hours.
On our Web Site:
Share your memories of WW II ...whether you were in the service, at home,
at school, or college.
Fill in the form and hit submit...it's as easy as that!
http://www.boylstonhistory.org/ww2form.htm
"Town Remembrances" - -until! June 2004
Stories, thoughts, descriptions of places and people, family life or just rambling through the "old days" - BHSM invites Boylston citizens of all ages to come in and have their "Town Remembrances" recorded on Audio and /or Video tape. By appointment ONLY - Dates are going quickly so call BHSM N ! OW to reserve YOUR date.
April thru June
& nbsp; "Boylston's Unknown Citizens" a traveling exhibit. Look for it! on these dates and places.
Boylston Light Dept. - Apr. 26- May 7
Cyprian Keyes Golf Club - May 10-21
BHSM - May 22-31
May
Memorial Day Open House & Attic Sale on the Green & Town Stocks - Bring your camera and take a fun photo...complete with convict signs and old hats!
Monday May 31 10am - 2 pm
If you would like to help in the museum or at the Attic sale, please call 508-869-2720
Two shifts - 10am-Noon and Noon - 2 pm
We need: greeters at the door,gift shop help, stocks attendant, and attic sale help.
We are also collecting items to sell at the attic sale, so if you would like to donate items for the sale, you can drop them off.
< ! BR>
June
Annual Meeting and Dinner
Thursday June 10, 2004 - 6pm to 9 pm - cash bar at 6pm, dinner at 7pm
at the Manor in West Boylston
Annual Meeting - Awards - History Quiz Show
Bill Dupuis will be conducting a history quiz....come and win a prize!
We must have your reservation by June 5th.
$25 / person Members and Friends welcome. For tickets call the museum.
[Members may bring a paying guest]
September
Sat. Sept. 18 - Appraisal Day with Paul Royka
10 am til 2pm - at the Townhouse 599 Main St.,
$5/item
---------------------------------
Visit the gift shop.
We have gift certificates.
Membership makes a great gift too!!
http://www.boylstonhistory.org/gift.htm
On the Web
The History of Cats
http://www.shvaika.ic.ck.ua/history/historycatengl.html
http://www.catquotes.com/historyofcats.htm
The History of Dogs
http://www.animalfreedom.org/english/opinion/pets/h ! istory_of_the_dog.html
http://dogave.com/origin.html
the Ame rican Memory project at the Library of Congress
includes a collection of digitized maps.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/gmdhtml/gmdhome.htm
The History of Paper Plates
http://analyzer.depaul.edu/paperplate/
History of Hot Dogs
http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/HotDog/HDIndex.htm
http://www.foodhistory.com/foodnotes/leftovers/hotdog.htm
The History of Mustard
http://www.globalgourmet.com/food/egg/egg0796/histcond.html
http://www.honeydijon.com/history.html
The History of Ketchup
http://mimi.essortment.com/historyketchup_rlju.htm
http://www.exploratorium.edu/cooking/pickles/ketchup.html
The History of Pickles
http://www.geocities.com/welovepickles/History_Of_the_Pickle.html
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/plantanswers/publications/vegetabletravelers/cucumber.html
Humor:
On a Musical Note
-----------------------------------
Thanks to: M. Lamkin
[Reprinted from The RootsWeb Review]
My mother's sister was named Regina Monica Shea. Since she went by the
nickname of "Monnie," she adopted the practice of expressing her legal
name as "R. Monica" Shea. Imagine my surprise when, in the 1900 U.S.
census, I found Monnie living with her widowed mother -- listed as
"Harmonica Shea."
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Previously published by PotpourrEMAIL,
PotpourrEmail, Vol. 5, No.11 - 1 May 2004.
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