HISTORY OF SPENCER, MASSACHUSETTS, FROM ITS EARLIEST SETTLEMENT TO THE YEAR 1860 : INCLUDING A BRIEF SKETCH OF LEICESTER, TO THE VEAR 1 ?'53. BY JAMES DRAPERo SECOND EDITION, ENLARGED A.ND IMPROVED. - ··~•►•·~ " lV e wish to rescue the past from being forgotten, and to give honor to whom honor is due." WORCESTER: PRINTED BY HENRY J. HOWLAND, 212 Main Street. / I \ I / I I I I I I I \ ! \ PREF ACE TO THE FIRST EDITION, It cannot be expected in the history of a town situated in the interior, like Spencer, that many facts or incidents would have happened, connected with its earliest settlement, and but few events in the succeeding stages of its existence, would excite much interest in the general reader; and much less could this be expected of any thing relative to the present state of the town or its inhabitants. It may, however, lay some claim to antiquity, by being once a component part of Leicester, but the annals of its earliest period can exhibit no details of bloody conflicts with the Indian, nor can it boast of having produced any great and illus­ trious characters, either in peace or war. No exciting or inter­ esting details of this kind, will form any part of this history. These pages are the humble effort of a native citizen of Spencer, and have been especially prepared for the benefit and gratification of his fellow citizens of the town. The writer of these sheets makes no pretension to the character of an accom­ plished writer, and indeed, the execution of such a work does not require much talent, or literary acquirements. All that is neces­ sary, and all that may be expected, is a faithful detail of names, dates, facts, incidents and events, such as have occurred with little variation, in most of the towns of New England. The brief . lV :PREFACE. notices and genealogies of families, will undoubtedly be dull and even tedious to the general reader, while others, and perhaps most of the native inhabitants, will esteem this the most inter­ esting part of the work. However satisfactory or acceptable this may prove, or however it may be esteemed, it has cost a great deal of time and labor, indeed so much, that had it been known and realized at the commencement, it would have been abandoned before it was undertaken. The writer has aimed at the truth, and every statement and fact of any importance, may be strictly relied upon. For materials, access has been had to the County Records of Suffolk, Middlesex and ,v orcester ; to the Council and Legislative Records of Massachusetts; to histories of other towns; to the town, church, and proprietors records of Leicester and Spencer ; to Magazines, files of Newspapers, and occasional sermons ; to ancient manuscripts, deeds, and other authentic documents; to the memories of aged people; and even the tomb­ stones have furnished sources of information from which some­ thing has been gleaned. In the hope that it may be of some benefit, and acceptable to the parents and children of his native town, the author cheerfully submits it to their candor and intelli­ gence. PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION. The former edition of this work, written some twenty years since, has long been out of print, but three hundred copies hav­ ing been published. This little publication having been received with more favor than was expected, many calls have been made for copies, and as none could be supplied, at the urgent solicita­ tion of many of his friends, the author has been induced to re­ write the book with additions and improvements. It will still, undoubtedly, be found to contain imperfections, and probably some errors, though none it is hoped of much importance. In addition to other sources for materials in the compilation of this work, it is with pleasnre I hereby acknowledge the assistance I have from received Gov. Washburn's valuable history of Leicester, lately published. The genealogical department contains the list of more than five hundred families, including the names of some who had no children, and some, the names of whose children could not be obtained, and including, also, some adult single persons, who died unmarried. In many instances, the marriages of the children are given with the lists of their births under the parental head, and again, when they were actually married and became the heads of families themselves. This repetition will facilitate, rather than embarrass those who are seeking for this particular information. Without further apology or explanation, the compiler again cheerfully submits it to the candor and intelli­ gence of his fellow citizens. INDEX . .As but few biographical notices are given in this work, t11e names of persons, generally, will be found in alphabetical order, in the genealogical department. A. Associates, names of, 15. Assessors, 148. Agriculture, products of, 124. B. Boundaries of Leicester and Spen- Burgoyn0, surrender of, 53. cer, 24. Building~ in the centre village, 73. Bunker I-Iill, battle of, 50. Baptists, 111. C. Census, 44. Cemeteries, 125. Cornwallis capitulated, 59. Contagious Diseases, 127. Celebration of Mrs. Pope1s 100th Cold "\Vinter, 133. birthday, 97. Cold Summers, 135. Crosby, Rev. Stephen, 104. Committee of Correspondence, 136. Catholics, 114. Casualties, 156. D. Deed, Indian, 10. Dodd, Rev. Stephen G., 107. Dudley, Joseph, 18. Dark Day, 133. Division of lots in Spencer, 1st, 22. Delegates relating to the Constitu~ " " " 2d, 23. tion, 146. DeWarrville's description, 70. Deaths of aged persons, 153. E. Ecclesiastical, Leicester, 79. Epidemic Diseases, 128. " Spencer, 88. Earthquakes, 133. Eaton, Rev. Joshua, 90. Eclipse, Solar, 134. G. Grant, Original, of Leicester and Goddard, Rev. David, 87. Spencer, 9. Graduates of Colleges, 143. Gale, Henry, 66. Genealogies, 159. H. House lots located in Leicester, 19. High Winds, 134. I. Indians, petition respecting them, 30. Independence Declared, 50. Incorporation of Spencer, 40. Industry, products of, 122, 123. J. Justices of the Peace, 144. viii INDEX. L. Lands allotted, 22, 23. Localities, 118. Livermore, .A.bijah, rash conduct Lawyers, 141. of, 66. M. Manners &c. of the people, 67. Methodists, 113. Morals, 76. Minerals, 124. Meeting houses built, 29, 79, 89, Money, depreciation of, 56. 111-114. N. o. Names of officers and soldiers, 273. Old tenor, 89. P. Proprietors of Leicester and Spen- Ponds, 119. cer, notices of, 15. Post Offices, 121. Population, 44. Products of Industry and Agricul­ Prices of Commodities, 51. ture, 122-4. Parsons, Rev. David, 79. Property of our ancestors, 137. Pope, Rev. Joseph, 94. Physicians, 139. Packard, Rev. Levi, 105. R. Roads located in Spencer, 36. Remarkable Phenomena, 132. Roads, description of, 114. Representatives, 145. Revolution, 45, ReYolutionary Pensioners, 155. s. Settlement of Leicester and Spen- Streams, 120. cer, 28. Soil and productions, 124. Shays' Insurrection, 60. Snow Storm, 132. Seventy-five years ago, 74. Slavery, 130. Sports of the people, 75. Senators, 146. Schools and School Houses, 76. Selectmen, 146. Singing, 108. T. Town Meeting in Leicester,first, 28. Town House, 121. Tenor, old, 89. Town Clerks, 149. Town officers, first chosen, list of, 42. Town Treasurers, 150. u. Universalists, 112. v. Valuation fol" taxes, 52. Votes for Governor, 150, w .. War closed, 59. Washington, 135, Wind High, 134 .. ANCIENT PLAN OF SPENCER. /Jrooklic/d ,. ~ ' Ce <- i ~ i ~ w ...._ I ~ ~ I ,.......~ - - ~- ~ .. ~,:. ~ -~ ,-;.. '-l ~ ... ""· 'l..... , ....... ;ty (.,:; ~ C'; -1 (-..!, l ~ \ 1101.r /}, I HISTORY OF SPENCER. THE tl)wn of Spencer is situated eleven miles a little to the south of west from Worcester, and about fifty miles in the satne direction by the nearest road from Boston, though ten miles further by the ,v es tern Railroad. It is bounded east,, by the towns of Leicester and Paxton; north, by Pax­ ton (formerly a part of Rutland), and Oakham ; west, by the towns of North Brookfield and Brookfield, and south by the town of Charlton. As Spencer was once a component part of Leicester, it will be proper to give a sketeh of Leicester, while it included Spencer, until the latter became an organi~ed town itself, in 1753. ORIGIN AL GRAN'l'. In the latter part of the seventeenth century, and the beginning of the eighteenth, certain wealthy and respectable gentlemen belonging to Boston and vicinity, were in t.he habit of purchasing large tracts of unsettled lands in the interior of the State, containing a certain number of square miles, with loose and indefinite boundaries, and then apply­ ing to the governor and council for a confirination of their title, in order to settle a " plantation " thereon. Their ap­ plications to the State authorities were generally successful, 2 10 H I S T O R Y OF S P E N C E R .... and always upon the same conditions, viz: to settle a cer­ tain number of families within a certain nu1nber of years, reserving a portion for t.he support of the ministry, and for schools, then of course, the remainder would be theirs, to dispose of to the best advantage to settlers. Leicester, Rut­ land, Hardwick and other towns were thus purchased, and then disposed of. One example may suffice to illustrate the operation of these speculations. On the 22d of December, 1686, they purchased of Joseph Trask, alias Puagastion, and other In­ dians, a tract of land twelve miles square, for twenty-three pounds, which was confirmed to them by the General Court, on condition that within seven years there then be 60 fami­ lies settled thereon, and sufficient lands reserved for the use of a gospel n1inistry and schools. The town to be called Rutland, &c. In order to comply with the requisition of the General Court, and to settle 60 families on the territory, they set apart six miles square on the south-east part for that pur­ pose, which is now Rutland proper, except a part since being set off, to help form the town of Paxton.