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Vol. 5, No.2 - 1 September 2003. Circulation: 200 and growing!
(C) 1999-2003 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

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Welcome to our Email newsletter! For those of you who are not
members of BHS and don't receive the snailmail newsletter, it is called
The Potpourri. Sooooo, we thought the appropriate name for this version
would be PotpourrEMAIL. This Email version is not meant to repeat or
copy the snailmail version, but to complement it, with the addition of
topics of interest to those with computer and web capabilities. If you
have a story to tell, information to impart, a good joke, computer
or web genealogy info, a Boylston genealogy query, or anything that would
be of interest to our readers--please Email us at:
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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
copies of all the Historical Series books in the Museum's Fuller
Research Library, the Boylston Public Library, the DAR Library and the
Allen County Public Library [Fort Wayne, IN.] There are drawings,
sketches and photos in the book that we cannot include
in this Email.

"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 4

SHREWSBURY - ANOTHER PARENT TOWN

John Brigham of Sudbury

This John Brigham was a son of Thomas Brigham, the pioneer ancestor of all the Brigham families in this vicinity, and his wife, Mercy H---d came from England in 1635, and settled in Cambridge, where he died in 1653. His widow, Mercy, married Edmund Rice in 1655, and went to live with him in Sudbury taking with her the Brigham children, five in number. After a few years, they removed to Marlborough, where they lived until their deaths. John Brigham was a man of many efforts. He was a pioneer settler, farmer, miller, a land surveyor, and was sometimes styled as Doctor Brigham, though with what authenticity we cannot say. He lived in the westerly part of Marlborough upon territory that afterwards, became Westborough, and then finally Northborough. About 1675 he built the first saw mill erected in Northborough, and he has always been considered as the first settler in that town. His family suffered much from the Indian raid in 1707; his mill and nearby log cabin were burned, and his daughter, Mary Fay, wife of Gershom Fay, barely escaped capture; a grand-daughter, Mary Goodenow, was slain. In 1713 he sold his. real estate in this region, and removed to a less exposed location near Boston. He was much employed by the General Court in surveying and laying out grants of land. At the time he was engaged in laying out and dividing the Haynes Farm, he was also employed in the same work in the south westerly part of Marlborough, and headed a petition for the incorporation of this section into a new township, which became Westborough, and later a portion of it-Northborough. He may be styled, in a certain sense, as one of the founders of the three towns of Westborough, Northborough, and Shrewsbury. The first we learn of him in connection with Boylston history was in a survey of a grant of 200 acres near Rocky Pond made by him in 1684.

The Parcelling of Land

The beginning of the activities toward the settlement of Shrewsbury began when the 23 owners of the Haynes Farm met in Marlborough and appointed a committee to go with John Brigham and divide the tract into three parcels, and were ready to draw lots at a second meeting, held at the house of David Howe in Sudbury, December 10, 1716. The report of the committee was heard. John stated that they had divided the land by lines running east and west into three parcels or squadrons, whereupon the drawing of lots was made, by which the north squadron was drawn by the heirs and purchasers of the right of Dea. John Haynes. The middle squadron went to the heirs and purchasers of the right of Nathaniel Treadway, and the south squadron went to the heirs of Lieutenant Joshua Haynes.

In April 1717, a deed of partition was executed, and of the 23 signers of this deed, Major William T. Harlow in A Historical Sketch of Shrewsbury published in the History of Worcester County in 1818 says:

"The following or their children settled in Shrewsbury; John Keyes, Joseph Noyes, Daniel Gow, Moses Newton, Elias Keyes, Samuel Wheelock, Thomas Haygood, Edward Goddard, and William Taylor, Gershom Wheelock, a son of Samuels said to have been the first settler in Shrewsbury."

The survey and partition having been made and plotted, a petition was drawn up headed by John Brigham and signed by thirty others, and presented to the General Court for the grant of the whole of the large tract between Marlborough and Worcester. This petition has been lost, and cannot be found among the State papers, so that it is now impossible to tell who signed it, or exactly what the petition called for. At the time this petition was submitted, there was also another petition pending before the General Court, which was like wise headed by John Brigham, asking for the incorporation of the southwest and west parts of Marlborough into the townships of Westborough, and both of these petitions were referred to the same viewing committee viz. Samuel Thaxter, John Chandler, and Jonathan Remington, who reported favorably upon both petitions:

Report of the viewing Committee on the Petitions of John Brigham And Thirty Others:

Pursuant to an act of the General Assembly at this session in May last, we, the subscribers, have been upon the land petitioned for to be a township by John Brigham and thirty others: have viewed the situation and the quality of the same and informed ourselves of the circumstances of the petitioners that desire the grant of the land and are of the opinion that they and such as are likely to join with them, are a competent number and such as are likely by themselves or their dependents to make a good and speedy settlement thereon, and that if this Honorable Court allow to the westerly part of Marlborough a line to be continued from the westerly line of Lieut. Rice's Farm until it meets with Fay's Farm and there to bound by said Fay's Farm according to the line thereof until it meets with Sutton line on the southward and from the northwest corner of said Rice's Farm to run upon a straight line to a heap of stones called Warner's Corner which is the most easterly corner of Haynes Farm by the county road and from thence to a line running north 20 degrees east by the needle, till it comes with Lancaster lines on the north it will so disadvantage the land petitioned for a township but may be very accommodable and entertains a suitable number of persons to make good a town."

Signed

Samuel Thaxter

John Chandler

Jonathan Remington

John Brigham, who had surveyed the territory intended for the town of Westborough, and had also headed the petition to the General Court for its incorporation as a town, had likewise been employed as the surveyor to plot the survey for the Shrewsbury township, and also headed its petition to the General Court, and has as already been stated both of these petitions had been referred to and favorably reported upon by the same committee. This was, says Major Harlow, in his Shrewsbury Sketch "of course no accident, and it seemed probable that John Brigham and his Westborough committee were looking mainly to the interest of the new town, and less to those of the new township. A good slice from the latter, to wit, a strip between the former boundary of Marlborough and the Haynes' Farm was added to the former by the committee who thought that the petitioners for the township were competent members, and likely to make a speedy settlement, and that the slice proposed to be taken, would not so disadvantage the township, but that it might make a good town, that is to say, if the owners of all the five farms at Quinsigamond would make common cause with the petitioners. There would be plenty of land left after parting with the slice in question."

The laying-out Committee laid out forty-five house lots, of about seventy acres each, and assigned a 50 acre lot right to each lot additional in the common and undivided lots, and also assigned to each lot about 6 acres of valuable meadows. This meadow and swampland, which would now be considered as more of an encumbrance than anything else, was then considered as a valuable addition to a farm.
(The Laying-out Committee proceeded to formulate conditions for the occupancy of the grants and to actually grant lots to individual petitioners.) Ed.

Some of the grantees probably never settled in Shrewsbury, but disposed of their grants to other persons who settled thereon, while some of them settled their sons on the grants. [Settlers paid about 12 pence an acre,or an average of 3 pounds,12 shillings for a lot of land which had to be paid before June, 1725.]

In 1729, the Proprietors of Shrewsbury caused a record to be made of the house lots with the names of the persons to whom they were granted in 1718, and the names of the persons who were in possession of them in 1729. This record gives a brief description of the location and boundaries of each lot, and is not of great value to the historian in determining where and what sections of the town the settlers lived. [Remember that these lots were divided into sections which were often far apart and unconnected.]

GRANTS OF LAND IN THE NORTH PRECINCT AREA
(The following is a condensing of the descriptions of lots located in what is now Boylston. The reader is referred to the map showing the approximate locations of these grants.) Ed.

The Lands of Moses Newton
Lot #17; granted to Moses Newton, December 30,1718. Contained 59 acres and was situated east from Asharris Hill [Now Rawsons Hill] and was bounded easterly by the town lines, and westerly by the 18th house lot. without any doubt, this lot was near or a little westerly of Straw Hollow. In 1729 it was in the possession of Aaron Newton. In later years, this place was known as the Benjamin Fassett Place. [25]

The Lands of John Shattuck
Lot #18; granted to John Shattuck, December 30, 1718. Contained 58 acres and was situated on the east side of Asharris Hill.* In 1729 it was in the possession of Captain Joseph Bigelow, and was later known as the William A. Moore Place. [26]

The School Lands
Lot #20; granted for the use of a school building. Contained 69 acres and was situated at Rocky Pond. This land was later part of the James Longley, Esq, Farm, and was subsequently owned by Walter A. Stone. [27]

The Lands of the Minister
Lot #22; land set aside for the minister's dwelling place. Situated in the southeasterly part of Boylston in the area later known as Cushing Swamp. It contained 83 acres, and in 1729 east in the possession of Rev. J. Cushing.

The Lands of Jonathan Brigham
Lot #23; granted December 30, 1718 to Jonathan Brigham. Contained 70 acres, and was located easterly of the minister's lot, and southerly of the present Congregational Church in Boylston, in the area of the Malagasco Swamp. The land in 1729 was in the possession of Thomas Hall.

The Lands of Thomas Hall
Lot #24; granted December 30, 1718 to Thomas Hall. Contained 70 acres, and was situated westerly by Judge Sewall's Farm, and was probably located in the southerly part of Boylston. In 1729 it was in the possession of Eleazar Rice. [Bannister & A.B.Hall Farm; Deacon Stowell-Dean Place]

The Lands of George Brown
Lot #25; granted on December 30, 1718 to George Brown for his son, Josiah Brown. Contained 70 acres, and was located on both sides of Brigham's farm, and was bounded southerly and other ways by common land. In 1729 it was in the possession of Elisha Maynard, and was later known as the John E. Fitzgerald Place in Boylston.

The Lands of John Wheeler, Senior
Lot #28; granted December 30, 1718 to John Wheeler, Senior. Contained 60 acres, and was located at the southerly lot at Spring Garden, which Mr. Ward in his history of Shrewsbury says" was in Boylston near the brook that crosses the road leading from Shrewsbury to Boylston sometimes called Spring Garden Brook." In 1729 it was in the possession of Deacon Thomas Keyes of Marlborough, who in 1733 gave it to his son, Deacon Jonathan Keyes who resided and died there. This was later known as the Levi Lincoln Flagg place, and was in the po_session of Miss Jennie Flagg at the time of the writing of this article. [29]

The Lands of John Gates
Lot #29; granted December 30,1718 to John Gates. Contained 70 acres, and was situated in an area which is now West Boylston. It was bounded northerly by the Davenport Grant, and westerly by the Worcester line, which was later the dividing line of the Shrewsbury North Precinct and Holden. In 1734 it was in the possession of Hezekiah Gates.

The Lands of the Ministry
Lot #30; granted in December 1718 to the Ministry of Shrewsbury. Contained 70 acres. It was situated north of the Davenport Farm. It was last in the possession of Deacon Amariah Bigelow, and then John Temple.

The Lands of Eleazar Rice
Lot #31; granted to Eleazar Rice December 30,1718. Contained 70 acres and was located on the north side of Rutland's first road, and was bounded northerly by lot #32, and other ways by the Malden Farm Grant. It was later known as the Deacon Amos Knight Place, or one of the places adjacent to it.

The Lands of James Gleason
Lot #32; granted December 30,1718 to James Gleason. Contained 70 acres, and was located at the northwest angle of the Malden Grant, and was in 1729, in the possession of Daniel Child. It was later known as the Ayer's Place, and for some years was occupied by Rev. William Nash, Minister of West Boylston.

The Lands of Jacob Hinds
Lot #33; granted December 30,1718 to Jacob Hinds. Contained 60 acres and was located near the southwest angle of the ministerial lands. It was later known as the Harthers Place, and was located near the eastern side of what is now Temple Street, and slightly over the present line of West Boylston.

The Lands of David Haynes
Lot #34: granted December 30, 1718 to David Haynes. Contained 70 acres, and was located at the northeast corner of the Malden Farm in the westerly part of Boylston. In 1729 it was in the possession of Isaac Temple, and was subsequently occupied by the Wellington family, Ezra Ball, David Lovell, Dr. Amos Pevey, Levi Flagg, and George A. Flagg. Almost the entire territory is now covered by the Wachusett Reservoir.
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25. Located on Stiles Road.
26. Located somewhere in the Straw Hollow area.
27.Located at 25 Rocky Pond Road.
28.Presently owned by M. Carter on Tower Hill Road.
29.The site is located on Rout 140, between the Mountain View Restaurant and the Capera Construction Co..

More of chapter four in September!
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Tidbits

Tidbits section will return for the October newsletter.
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BHSM News

2003 - 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!
------------------------------------------------

September -
Sun. 14 - Opening of "We Were There" exhibit - 2- 4 pm
Exhibit focuses in on the World War II military careers of three Boylston soldiers...
Victor Delnore, Fenton Bean, and Florence [Swenson] Smith
William Dupuis, Curator, will give the opening remarks. Refreshments in the Library.
Test your WWII knowledge...take our quiz...get them all correct and win a prize!
The exhibit opening is Free

On our Web Site:
Share your memories of WW II ...wether you were in the service, at home, at school, or college.
Fill in the form and hit submit...it's as easy as that!
wwww.boylstonhistory.org/ww2form.htm

October -
Sat. 4 - Appraisal Day - 10am-2pm, at the Townhouse on Main St.
Paul Royka of Fitchburg will be doing appraisals
$5 / item donation $10/ 3 items
Coins, stamps, jewelry, and ancient artifacts will NOT be appraised

16-19 - Reform, Restore, & Rally- A Civil War Event
Cosponsored by BHSM and the Hillside Restoration Project
A Unique and fun event that makes the connection between our nation's War of the States and socially-defining reform movements of the 19th century
Adults - $10 Seniors/Students - $7 Family[ 4] - $25 *Meals are extra.

Scholar's Lecture - Thursday Oct., 16 7:30 pm at BHSM, 7 Central St., Boylston, MA
Carolyn J. Lawes, Associate Professor of History at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA will lecture about the Soldiers' Rest in Worcester and temperance during the Civil War years. Free with event button $5 all others

Closing Down the Pub - Friday, Oct. 17 - 8:30 PM
Temperance advocates & soldiers will close down The Other Place Pub
71 Shrewsbury St. [Rt. 140], Boylston, MA

AT HILLSIDE, 221 Main St., Boylston, MA - Saturday, Oct 18 - 9am to 7 pm
Breakfast with the soldiers*, a Civil War encampment and demonstrations, a lecture by the "Apostle of Cold Water, " John B. Gough and a candlelight tour of the camp site.

Dedication - Sunday, Oct 19, 10am - at Hillside, 221 Main St., Boylston, MA
Chaplain's service and dedication to Civil War hero John W. Partridge
--------------------------------------------------------

Visit the gift shop
http://www.ultranet.com/~boyhisoc/gift.htm

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On the Web ...for the month of September

1st - Labor Day
http://www.dol.gov/opa/aboutdol/laborday.htm
http://stockholm.usembassy.gov/Holidays/celebrate/labor.html

21st - Carrot Sunday[ this is a long URL !]
http://pub16.ezboard.com/ftheaigburtharms62866thereddwarfrooms.showMessage?topicID=251.topic
http://website.lineone.net/~stolarczyk/trivia.html#sunday

26th - Rosh Hashanah begins
http://www.jewfaq.org/holiday2.htm
http://www.joi.org/celebrate/rosh/

WW II web sites [ to get you in the mood to come to the exhibit opening!]

Victor Delnore
http://www.uwosh.edu/faculty_staff/earns/delnore.html
http://www.udel.edu/PR/UpDate/02/1/new.html
http://www.rootsweb.com/~lbnwgw/whoiswho/cities/golden.htm
http://downtownbeirut.com/FamousLebanese2.html

Women
http://www.stg.brown.edu/projects/WWII_Women/WomenInWWII.html
http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/wcf/wcf0001.html
http://www.wasp-wwii.org/

Air Force/ paratrooper units
http://www.vetshome.com/ww_ii.htm
http://www.airpower.maxwell.af.mil/airchronicles/bookrev/mckenzie.html
http://www.nasm.si.edu/galleries/archives/USAF.HTM
http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/5340/division/ww2web.html

Other sites
http://www.merkki.com/
http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/timeline/ww2time.htm
http://ww2.vet.org/default.asp
http://www.library.northwestern.edu/govpub/collections/wwii-posters/
http://www.fsu.edu/~ww2/
http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/WORLDWAR2/2001-09
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Humor - from the French's

You don't have to own a cat or be owned by one to appreciate this...

A couple was dressed and ready to go out for the evening. They turned on a night light, turned the
answering machine on the phone line, covered their pet parakeet and put the cat in the backyard. They
phoned the local cab company and requested a taxi. The taxi arrived and the couple opened the front
door to leave their house. The cat they had put out into the yard scoots back into the house.

They don't want the cat shut in the house because "she" always tries to eat the bird. The wife goes out to the taxi while the husband goes inside to get the cat.

The cat runs upstairs, the man in hot pursuit. The wife doesn't want the driver to know the house will be empty. She explains to the taxi driver that her husband will be out soon."He's just going upstairs to say goodbye to my mother." A few minutes later, the husband gets into the cab. "Sorry I took so long," he says, as they drive away.

"Stupid bitch was hiding under the bed. Had to poke her with a coat hanger to get her to come out!
Then I had to wrap her in a blanket to keep her from scratching me. But it worked. I hauled her fat ass
downstairs and threw her out into the back yard!"

The cabdriver hit a parked car...

PERMISSION TO REPRINT articles from PotpourrEMAIL is granted
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Written by -author's name, e-mail address, and URL, if given-
Previously published by PotpourrEMAIL,
PotpourrEmail, Vol. 5, No.2 - 1 August 2003.
Please visit Boylston Historical Society and Museum's main
Web page at http://www.boylstonhistory.org
This newsletter is distributed monthly, on the first day of the month,
to all Boylston Historical Society members (who have Email!), genealogists,
and friends who have a special interest in the history of the town of
Boylston.
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Boylston Historical Society and Museum
7 Central St., POB 459
Boylston, MA 01505
www.boylstonhistory.org
508-869-2720
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