The History of Roxbury Town

NOTICE, Another volume will complete the history of the Town, down to the date of the City Charter. The object has been, in this, to line of division can be give the Early History. But no distinct drawn. Much matter has necessarily been reserved for the ap- The of the pendix which will be added to the second part. plan work has been, in order to secure for it the only merits such an one can ever have, accuracy and completeness. The materials are that exist for gaining these ends are so much scattered, they so often found where no one could have supposed they existed, ferret them out but are that no diligence could ; they glad- it that use can be made of them. ly furnished when is known Since the last pages of the manuscript were sent to press, I communica- have to acknowledge the receipt of several valuable that all who tions. Any such is a great favor. It is my hope in or can procure me access to materials that will aid completing correctinar the account of the Town, will do so, so that the ends of this work will be secured. C. M. ELLIS. January 8, 1848. THE HISTORY OF ROXBURY TOWN. BY CHARLES M. ELLIS. LI BRARY '^^fS£Y CITY, ^-^^ BOSTON: PUBLISHED BY SAMUEL G. DRAKE, 1847. )U^ Jl'^i''^ » . Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1847, By Charles M. Ellis, in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of Massachusetts. II. Mann, Printer, Dedham, Mass. PART I. THE EARLY HISTORY OF THE TOWN i M7Qm HISTORY OF ROXBURY, CHAPTER L lntroductio7i.— Sources of the History of the Town. The object of a town history is to gather up and record family, local, village details. Part are those of every day life. Partr1)elong to general history, but are so minute or multitudinous as to escape its grasp. Yet all history is made up of these, and each, and the group of each town, may illustrate it, as the life of each man will give some insight into the spirit of his time. There is an interest attached to these accounts of small places, of the same sort as that which is ex- cited by the biography of an individual. We like to know the motives, reasons and method of a man's ac- tion, as every child wishes to see a watch opened. In general men care less for the result, however great, than for the petty moving causes in operation. And the idea that each man is a wheel in the great ma- chine, weighs more with men than they think. But, after all, the chief interest attached to these matters is of a very different sort, and, if this were the place, ^^^ HISTORY OF H0X1511KY. [PaRT I. it might be shown to be somewhat rational and not altogetlier useless, apart from all historical specula- tion. We love to know the origin of those we spring IVom, what they did, how they dressed, labored and worshipped. Most men have local attachment so strong that it invests some spot, endeared by associa- tion, with controlling interest. The old church, the old homestead, the old school, or something of the sort, bring back dear recollections to every man, and he will find pleasure in all that relates thereto. I have endeavored to collect here such facts as may gratify these natural feelings, and such as may illustrate history, without pretending to assume its digni- in ty, or be more than the incidents the life of a little town. There is in the town, in the records and papers of the town, church and school, much new matter, though they are very meagre in many respects. The Town Records for the first few years are imperfect. They begin with a half obliterated and worn out memorandum of four lines, about the garrison, of a date seven- teen years after the settlement, (1647.) Then fol- lows a memorandum of the choice of the Captain, " Lieut, and three brethren to order town affairs," and an order for an allotment of lands and salaries without any date—then a vote appointing a commit- tee to repair the church and also assessors, then a vote conferring powers somewhat plenary, viz : that " these men shall have for ye present year, full power to make and execute such orders as they in their ap- prehension shall think to be conducive to the good of the town"—then a much mutilated j)age about dig- of koxiuirv. 7 Part I.] history out of the — tiicn a ging "rocks" and stones higliway act— meeting at brother Johnsons, about the Synod's a fine of then some old scraps from the fire act laving 8 and 12 pence on such as have not ladders to give of fire. ready passage to the tops of the houses in case These are all, down to the year 1632. From that time the records have been regularly are and im- kept. The earlier ones however meagre no attestation. Then perfect. The earliest have five men. In down to 1666, they are attested by the 1666 a Town clerk was first chosen, but he merely wrote the records w^ithout attesting them. The first of Dorr in signature by the clerk is that Edward 1717. There is a tradition that the old records of the de- town were a long while ago burned up, or else a lit- stroyed in the revolution. The dates have got tle confused. But so it is that in the lapse of few whether this generations, it has become uncertain event was seventy years or two centuries ago. One tradition is that the first records of the town were burnt when the second meeting house was burnt down. Men expressed a doubt, in speaking of it, whether they were ever destroyed. But I think it quite certain that the earliest records were destroyed by fire, in 1645. Under the date of 1652 there is entry which can are be partially decyphered although the edges gone. "The towne booke wherein most mens lands being wrote Gods providence being burned thereby much dammedg may to all men, to prevent dammedg as aforesayd dered by the town of Roxbury that there shall be five 8 HISTORY OF ROXBURY. [PaRT I. be chosen to do their best in order to set down land given them by the town or that may belong thence other ways to make returne unto ye towne three month, as far as this may be accomplished for the- of dammedg as aforesayd & alsoe to record hie ways and other town privileges. 17 of 11 no 1652," The Transcript, as it is called, was finished and certified in 1654. In Eliot's petition to the General Court June 20, 1669, for a renewal and confirmation of the school charter, it is recited that "our first book and charter were burned in ye burning of John Johnsons house and by reason of the death of sundry of the donors and the alienation of the tenements we are under this defect that some of the names of the donors are not unto this 2d book personally which were to the first." The second book and agreement are still preserved and bear date "the last of August 1645." In John Eliot's diary [which will be referred to] is this record, viz : "1645. Toward ye end of ye 1st month (called March) there happened, by God's providence a very dreadful fire in Roxbury streete. None knoweth how it was kindled, but being a fierce wind it suddenly prevailed. And in this man's house was a good part of ye county magazine of powder of 17 or 18 bar- rels which made ye people that none durst come to save ye house or goods till it was blown up & by that time ye fire had taken ye barns & outhouses (which were many & great) so that none were saved. In this fire were strong observations of God's providence, to ye neighbours and towne, for ye wind at 9 Part I.] history of roxbury. first stood to carry ye fire to other bowses but suddenly turned it from all other howses only carrying it to ye out houses & barns thereby. And it was a fierce wind & thereby drave ye ele- ment back from ye neighbors howses which in a calm time would, by ye great heate have been set on fire. But above all ye preservation of all people from hurt & other howses from fire at ye blowing up of ye hurt powder, many living in great danger yet none & sundry howses set on fire by ye blow, but all quenched, thro God's mercy in christ." Considering therefore that the early records were all kept for one body, that those of the school, and those having the records of lands were both burned and that the Town Records prior to the time of this fire are not in existence, there can be little doubt that they were also burnt up. Probably the "old Towne Booke" named in the note respecting the Transcript, contained the whole respecting titles, the schoole and the towne, and the petition some twenty years after the fire was caused by some question arising respecting the charter or the agreement of the school. The ^'Ancient Transcript''' is an ancient book which contains a list of the lands owned by the re- spective inhabitants. This record is of great value in tracing the titles of individuals.

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