AN

H I S T O R I C A L AD D R E S S

D ELI VE RED AT

R T N M A S SACH SETTS G O O , U ,

UL' 1 2 1 0 J , 9 5 ,

B ' R E E S T F T H E I TI Z E S Q U O C N ,

O N T H E CE LE B R AT I ON OF T H E

’ Wm fi u n flrw mm fiftie th gnn ih ewa rg

TH E SETTLEM ENT OF TH E TOW N.

SAM UE L ABBOTT GRE EN n

A NA TI VE OF T H E TOW N .

W ith an gnpmhip

G R O T O N

1 905 .

To TH E ME MOR'

QD a bs 'Early g amers of mton,

TO W H OM IN MAN' W A'S TH E PRESENT INH ABITANTS

OW E S M H TH E E PA E ARE O UC , S G S

INSCRIBED .

I T R I C A L A D D E H S O R S S .

ON this interesting o ccasion we all miss the p rese nce of on e

. whose fo rm and figu re were familiar to every . man , woman , and child in town ; and only a few months ago we were all looking forward to the time when he wou ld take a p romi .

- nent p art in these exercises of to d ay . Some of us remember the Bi- centen n ial Celebration which took p lace a half- centu ry

fe w ago , and a of us now in this assembly were p resent at that gathering . We recall the grace and dignity with which he , the p resident of the day , p erformed the duties of h is

ffi - o ce , both in the meeting house where the historical address

- was given , and i n the tent where the after din ner speeches w ere made . Whenever or wherever his services were n eeded , w hether in the cou ncils of the State or of the n ation , they were always cheerfully rendered ; and in this qu iet village his aid b and advice , often sought y his townsfolk , were always freely

re given . I n many walks of life , both lofty and lowly , his moval will be keenly felt ; bu t here among his old -time neigh bors more than elsewhere , the loss is a personal one , and

u s comes home to all . We miss hi m now at this time more

ma n than words can tell . When death strikes su ch a , who has

m e n led a blameless life , and whose bodily fra e has become

b infirmitie s o f h is feebled y the age , dep arture is not a cause for sorrow b ut rather it is an occasio n for devout gratitude to Heaven and for heartfelt thanksgivings that he was sp ared to u s du ring so many years . The n oble exam p le of su ch a one is as lasting as the cou ntless ages of time , and is never lost , n for the continu ity of life keep s up the thread of co nection . He died at an advanced age in the fulness of all his mental 6

and intellectual p owers , which seemed to strengthen as the b years rolled y . Tru ly he was the Grand Old Man of t he Commonwealth ' As long as the town of Groton Shall have a mu nicip al existence , the memory and traditions connected with the name of Boutwell will be cou nted among her richest treasu res .

The story of this town has been told so many times , both I i n p rinted book and p ublic address , that now shall not I repeat the tale . might give a narrative of the trials and f hardship s , su fered equally by brave men an d resolute women , during the first century of the settlement ; I might tell how

a nd the town was attacked by the Indians an d bu rnt , how the i n habitants were driven away from the ir homes and com p e lle d for a while to abandon the p lace ; h o w on various b occasions men were killed y the savages , families broken up , and children carried o ff into cap tivity ; and how oftentimes fro m the failu re of crop s they were pinched b y want ; and how they endu red other p rivations , but a relation of these

- facts at this time would be as tedious a s a twice told tale . Instead of describing the sa d and dreadful exp eriences of the early settlers , and the destru ction of their hom es by fire and

I o hideous ru in , shall confine myself to other t pics , and speak

d a of some of the conditions of their y , bringing the accou nt down to a later p eriod , and tou ching on a few of the more im p o rtant events in ou r local history . In early Colonial days a town did not become a mu nici p al b corp oration y formal vote of th e General Cou rt , with p ower to act as one p erson , but a grant of land , sometimes con

w a s taining many thousand acres , made to a body of men

ua si u nder certain conditions , which was p ractically a q form of incorp oration . The most imp ortant of these conditions was the sp eedy settlement of a Godly mi n ister , and often another conditio n w a s that those p ersons who received land shou ld bu ild houses thereo n within a stated period of time . Sometimes a board of selectmen was named b y th e Legis latu re S ff , who hould look after the p rudential a airs of the town u ntil their su ccessors were chosen . In those days this cou rse was substantially the only formality needed in order - to give local self government to a new community . The t “ f erm p rudential af ai rs was a convenient expression , intended to cover anything required by a town which p ru dence would dictate . In the early records of the Colony the p roceedings of the

d a d a General Cou rt , as a rule , were not dated y by y,

— though there are many excep tions , but the beginning of n the session is always given , and occasio ally the days of the month are entered . These dates in the printed edition of the Records are frequ ently carried along without authority , sometimes cove ring a p eriod of several days , or even a week or more ; and for this reason often it is imp ossible to tell the exact date of a ny p articular legislation when there are no contemporaneous docu ments on file which bear on the sub e c t j . In some instances p ap ers are fou nd among the State l Archives o r e sewhere , which fix the date of such legislatio n

is ffi that wanting in the o cial records .

d a For these reasons it is imp ossible to tell to a dot or a y , with entire certainty , when the town o f Groton began its f mu nicip al life or o ficial existence , or , i n other words, whe n ” is it was incorporated , as the modern exp ression . With

a n M a 1 6 o ut y doubt the date was near the end of y, 5 5 , Old

M a 2 d a Style . It must have been after y 3 , as o n that y the 2 General Court began its session ; and it was before M ay 9 , when the next entry in the records ap p ears . Fortu nately there is still preserved among the m anuscrip ts of the New England Historic Genealogical Society a contemp o rary rec ord of the action of the General Court in regard to the b matter . This interesting old p aper , officially attested y b Edward Rawson , Secretary of the Colony , and y William

n b Torrey , Clerk of the D ep uties , was give to that Society y the late Charles Woolley, for many years an honored resident

. M a 2 of Groton This docu ment was signed o n y 5 , the day when the Assistants , or Magistrates as they are often called , granted the petitio n , and apparently at the same time the

House of Deputies took concu rrent action . At that p eriod the Assistants formed the body of la w—makers which is known to - day as the State Senate ; and at that time the 8

House of Deputies corresponded to the p resent House of

Representatives . It may be p rop er to add that the Groton Historical Society owns a contemp o raneou s copy of the record made near the ti me of the Grant by Edward Rawson , Secretary of the

M a 2 1 6 n Colony , wh ich is dated y 3 , 5 5 . It was fou d among

- the p ap ers of the late John Boynton , a former town clerk o f

Groton , and may have been sent , soon after the settlement of the town , to the selectmen for thei r information and gu idance .

d a Perhap s the Secretary took the first y of the General Court , 8 1 as in England before April , 793 , all laws passed at a ses

d a sion of Parliament went into effect from the first y , u nless there was some en actment to the contrary .

But whatever the date , be it a few days mo re or less , the substance is al ways of greater importance than the S hadow ; so it is of less moment to learn the exact time of the order than it is to know that the town has now reached the ri p e S old age of two centu ries and a half, and that he wears the dign ity of her increasing years like a crown of glory . Besides Groton the only two other towns established in the year 1 6 5 5 b y the Colony of Massachusetts B ay were Billerica and Chelmsford ; an d singularly enou gh all three were con ti u o u s g township s , all lying in the same county , and all three “ ” incorp orated within a very few days of each other . It should be borne in mind that originally the town of Westfo rd W h was a part of the territory of Chelmsford . y these t hree adjoin ing towns were thus created at this particular time ma y not have been a mere coincidence . It may have been the result of a certain condition of p olitical i ns and o uts at that early period of Colon ial history which now can not be explained .

b I . wa s The Charter , duly given y Charles , abrogated by w a s the English co urts i n the sum mer of 1 684 . The action b o considered y the Colonists as little sh rt of a gross outrage , and cau sed mu ch confusion in p ublic affairs as well as hard “ feeling among the p eople . Says Palfrey , i n his History ” I “ V. of New England ( The charter of Massachusetts ,

z the only u nquestionable title of her citi ens to any rights , 9

b prop rietary , social , o r p olitical had been vacated y regular p rocess in the English courts . It was vacated b y a decree 2 1 1 6 8 i n Chancery , on J une , 4 , which was confirmed on

2 . M a 2 1 686 October 3 of the same year O n y 5 , , Jose p h K Dudley , a native of Roxbu ry , u nder a commission from ing

James II . became President of New England , with j urisdiction f over the whole region . This o fice he held for seven months , 0 m u ntil December 3 , whe n Edmund Andros beca e Governo r b of New England , ap p ointed y J ames I I . He proved to be a ffi b highly arbitrary o cer , and was dep osed y a revolution of

1 8 1 6 8 . b the people , on Ap ril , 9 Andros was followed y 2 1 68 Simon Bradstreet , who was Governor from May 4 , 9 , to

M a 1 1 6 2 . y 4 , 9 He was the grandfather of Dudley Bradstreet ,

in an early minister of this town , which gives an additional te re st to his name at this time . D u rin g this p eriod another S b 1 6 1 Charter , igned y William and Mary , o n October 7 , 9 , and now known as the Seco nd Charter , became op erative . U nder this instru ment the Colony was made a Province , which

w a s is a lo er grade of p olitical existence , it has fewer privi leges and more restrictions as to the rights of the p eop le . 1 68 From Ju ne , 4 , when the First Charter was vacated , till 1 6 2 O M ay , 9 , when the Second Charter went into p eration ,

- the time is generally sp oken of as the Inter Charter p eriod , and is an ex ceptional one in the history of Massachusetts and

New England . The first settlers of the town came here less than one gen e ra tio n after the Colonial Charter of M assachusetts B ay was

b . granted y Charles I They rep resented a rugged race , will in g to u ndergo hardshi p s in daily life , and exp ecting to meet danger from many sources . Under adverse conditions they p ushed into the wilderness and made their homes in a region little known to the white man . They were a brave band , and took their trials and troubles with a readiness worthy of all p raise . The new townshi p lay on the fro ntiers , and all beyond was a desolate wild . It stood o n the o uter edge o f civilization , an d for a ti me served as a barrier against Indian attacks on the inly in g settlements . The lot of a frontiers man , even u nder favorable conditions , is never a hap p y one , I O

o ff but at that period , particu larly when cut from neighbo rs and deprived of all social and commerci al intercou rse with other towns , an d in an age when newsp ap ers and postal p rivi

- l eges were u nknown , his lot was i ndeed hard . I n after years this exp erience told on the settlers to their cred it and bene

fit , and made the bold character that crop ped out in late r generations when there was need of such stu ff. The laws of heredity are not well enou gh known for u s to trace closely ca u se and effe ct ; but th e lives led b y the early p ioneers o f the Colony had their fruitage in the wars of the next century . These laws work i n a subtle and mysteriou s way and cannot be defined , but the hardships of one generatio n tou ghen the

fibre of the next . Given a strong body and a high standard

m f n S . of orality , an d the o fspri g will how the inherited traits Every farmer in this town kno ws that a strain of blood and

. A S b breed will tell on his domestic stock flowers , y a p ro

cess not revealed to us , select the tint of delicate colors fro m

na tu re so a the swamp y bogs of , the toils of life we ve the warp

u and the woof which make p noble character . The web of ” ou r life is of a mingled yarn , good an d ill together .

wa s b — so It once wittily said y a writer , d istingu ished i n his d ay that I hardly know whether to speak of him as a poet or a physician , bu t who m all will recognize as the Autocrat ’ - of the Breakfast Table , that a man s education begins a hu ndred years before he is born . I am almost temp ted to add that even then he is p utting o n only the finishing tou ches o of his trai ning . A man is a com p si te being , both in body and soul , with a long line of ancestry whose beginnings it is imp ossible to trace ; and every s ucceeding generation on ly help s to foster and weld together the variou s and innu merable

u qu alities which make p his own p ersonality , thou gh they be modified b y countless circu mstances that form his later edu cation , and for which he alo n e is resp onsible . The first comers to M assachusetts brou ght from thei r

s o f English home a love p ersonal freedom and liberty . Fo r generations this feeling had not been encou raged there b y the

b o b royal autho rities ; and its growth , ham p ered y many

le - sta c s . , had been slow These settle rs were a hard working I I

- set and a God feari ng p eop le , and of the right stock to fou nd a natio n . Here the new conditions enabled them to give free t scop e to their actio ns , an d the na u ral drift of events was all toward individual indep endence in its widest sense . There

- was no law against conventicles or non conformists , and for that p eriod of time there was great liberality of sentiment on the p art of the Colonists . Fo r centu ries the microbic atoms of independence had been kep t alive in England , and from o ne generation to another they handed down the germs which develop ed in the new world , and bore fru it in the

. K American Revolution From the time of i ng John , who , 1 1 2 1 on June 5 , 5 , signed the Great Charter of the Liberties of

s England , the recognition of hu man right was advan cing i n the

in mother cou ntry slowly but steadily ; and the new settlers , fe cte d with si milar ideas , brou ght with them the spirit of these

w a s p olitical p rinciples . The development of broad views gradual , but o n every advance the wheels were blocked behind , and the gai n was held . Each sep arate step thus taken led

fi n ally to the Declaration of Indep endence , which was the culmination of p olitical freedom . Based on this instru ment ,

was and following it closely both in sp irit and in p o int of time , w U the ritten Co nstitution of the nited States , wh ich has served as a model for so many d ifferent governments . Less than o ne generatio n p assed between the time when the Charter of Charles I . was given to the Colony of Massa c h u se tts B a y an d the date when the grant of Groton Planta tion was made b y the General Cou rt . The Charter was 1 62 8— given on March 4 , 9 , and the grant of the town was

M a 1 6 — made i n y , 5 5 , the interval being a little more than

- twenty six years . At that p eriod scarcely anything was known

re io n a n d about the geograp hy of the g , the Charter gave to the Governor and other rep resentatives of the M assachusetts Co m pany , o n certai n conditions , all the territory lying between an easterly and westerly line ru n ning three miles north of a ny p art of the Merrimack River and extending from the Atlantic fi Ocean to the Paci c , and a similar p arallel line ru nning three m iles south of a ny p art of the Charles River . Without attem p ting to trace in detail , from the time of the Cabots to I 2

the days of the Charter , the continu ity of the English title to this transcontinental strip of territory , it is enou gh to kn ow that the p recedents and u sages of that p eriod gave to Great

Britain , i n theory at least , u ndisp uted sway over the region , and forged every link in the chain of authority and sovereignty . At the time of the Charter it w a s incorrectly supp osed that

America was a narrow stri p of land , p e rhap s an arm of the — m continent of Asia , and that the d istance across fro ocean to ocean was com p aratively short . It was then known that the Isthmus of Darien was narrow , and it was therefo re w thou ght that the whole continent also was narro . New England was a region about wh ich little was known beyond S light examinations made fro m the c oast line . The rivers were u nexplored , and all knowledge concerning them was confined to the neighborhood of the p laces where they

- em p tied into the se a . The early n avigators thought that the general course of the Merrimack was easterly and westerly , as it ru ns i n that direction near the mouth ; and their error was p erp etuated inferentially by the words of the Charter . By later exp lorations this strip of territory has S in ce been lengthened out into a belt three thousand miles long , and stretches ac ross the whole width of a co ntinent . The cities of f Albany , Sy racuse , Rochester , Bu falo , Detroit , and M ilwaukee all lie withi n this zone , on territory that once belonged to the

to Massachusetts Comp any , according the Charter granted b K y ing C harles .

a s The general cou rse o f the Merrimack , as well its sou rce , soon became known to the early settlers o n the coast . The northern bou n dary of the original grant to the Colony of Massachusetts B ay wa s established u nder a misapp rehe n sion ; and this ignorance of the top ograp hy of the cou ntry on the part of the English authorities afterward gave rise to con sid e ra b le controversy between the adjoining Pro v mce s of

Massachusetts and New Ham p shire . So lon g as the territory i n qu estion remained u nsettled , the disp ute was a matter of little practical impo rtance ; but after a while it assu med grave p rop ortions and led to much confusion . Grants made by one Provi nce clashed w ith those made by the other ; and 1 3 there was no ready tribu nal to decide the claims of the two b p arties . Towns were chartered y M assachu setts i n territory claimed by Ne w H am p shi re ; and th is action was the cause of bitter feeling and p rovokin g legislatio n . M assachusetts ” contended for the tract of land nominated i n the bond , which would carry the ju risdictional line fifty miles north

o f ward , into the very heart New Hamp shi re ; and , on the other hand , that Province stre nuously op posed this view of the case , and claimed that the line should run , east and west , three miles north of the mouth of the Merri mack River . In f order to settle these con l icting claims , a Royal Co mmission was app ointed to consider the subject and establish the con t tested line . The Com missio ners were selec ed from th e

' Ne w cou ncillors of the Provinces of New ork , Jersey , Nova — Scotia , and Rhode Island , men sup p osed to be free from a n y local prej udices i n the matter , and im p artial in their feelings ; and without doubt they were such . The board , as o ap p inted u nder the Great Seal , consisted of n ineteen mem bers , although only seven served in thei r cap acity as Com

. h m issioners They met at Hampton , New Hamp s ire , on 1 1 Au gust , 73 7 ; and for mutual co nvenience the Legislative Assemblies of the two Provinces met in the same neighbor — hood , the Assembly of New Hamp shi re at Hamp ton Falls , and that of Massachusetts at Salisbu ry , p laces o nly five miles ap art . This was done in order that the claims of each side might be considered with greater desp atch than they o ther l wise wou d receive . The General Cou rt of Massachusetts

- met at Salisbu ry , in the Fi rst Parish Meeting house , on 1 0 1 h August , 73 7 , and conti nu ed to hold its sessions in t at 2 0 town u ntil October , inclusive , thou gh with several adj ou rn

- five m e nts , of which one was for thirty days . The p rinted j ou rnal of the House of Rep resentatives , du rin g this p eriod , gives the p roceedings of that body, which contain mu ch in regard to the controversy besides the ordinary business of legislation . Many years p reviously the two Provinces had

— a t been u nited so far as to have the same governor , this

— its time Jonathan Belcher , bu t each Provi nce had own legislative body and code of laws . 1 4

The Commissio ners heard both sides of the qu estio n , and

agreed u p on an award in alternative , leaving to the king the

i nterp retation of the charters given resp ectively b y Charles I . U and William and Mary . nder one i nterpretation the deci

wa s sio n in favor of Massachu setts , and u nder the other i n favor of New Hampshire ; and at the same ti me each party

was allowed six weeks to file objections . Neither side , c however , was satisfied with this indire t decision ; and the

whole matter was then taken to the king in cou ncil . Massa c h u se tts claimed that the Merrimack River began at the co nflu

Pe mi e wa sse t ence of the Winnep esaukee and the g Rivers , and that the northern bou ndary of the Province should ru n , east

and west , three miles north of this point . On the other hand , New Ham p shire claimed that the intention of the Charter was

to establish a northern boundary o n a line , ru nning east and

o f . west , three miles north the mo uth of the Merrimack River I n this controversy Massachusetts seems to have based her

claim on the letter o f the co ntract , while New Hamp shire based hers o n the sp irit of the co ntract . The stro ngest argu ment i n favo r of M assachusetts I S the fact that she had always considered the disp uted territory as belonging to her j urisdiction ; and before this period sh e had chartered twenty - fou r towns lying within the limits of the

ro te c tract . These several settlements all looked to her for p tion , and natu rally sy mp athized with her d u ring the contro ve rs A S w y . j ust stated , neither was satisfied ith the verdic t of the Royal Commissioners , an d both sides ap pealed fro m their j udgme nt . The matter was then taken to England for

w a s b 1 a decision , which given y the king , o n M arch 4 , 73 9

0 . 4 . H is j udgment was final , and in favor of New Hamp shire

It gave to that Province not only all the territory in d isp ute , bu t a strip of land fou rteen miles in width lying alo ng her — southern border , mostly west of the Merri mack , which sh e had never claimed . This strip was the tract of land between the line ru nni n g east and west three m iles n orth o f the sou thernmost trend of the river , and a similar li ne three n m iles north of its mouth . By this decisio many township s were taken fro m Massachusetts and given to New H amp sh ire . I S

The settlement of this disput ed questio n was undoubtedly a

great p ublic benefit, but at the time it caused a good deal w a of hard feeling . The new line s established b y surveyors 1 1 o ffi cially in the spring of 74 . In regard to the divisional line between the two Provinces

ly ing east of the Merrimack , there was mu ch less u n certainty ,

a s , in a ge neral way , it followed the bend of the river , and for

that reason there was mu ch less controversy over th e j uris ~

o u n ma diction . M any of y , doubtless , have oticed o n a p the

tier o f towns which fringe the north bank of the Merrimack , between the city of Lowell an d the mou th of the river ; and , m p erhaps , you have wo ndered why those p laces , which fro a geograp hical point of view belong to the State o f New H am p

Of . shire , should come now within the lim its Massachusetts The exp lanation of this seemi ng incongru ity goes back to the

date o f the first Charter , now more than two hundred and

—five seventy years ago . I have given an accou nt of this dispute in some detai l as the town of Groton was a p arty to the controversy and took

wa s b o f a deep interest i n the result . It y this decisio n the king that the town lost all that p ortio n of its territory which lies now within the limits of the city of Nashu a ; but it did

no t f so n su fer nearly mu ch as ou r eighbor , the town of D u n

f . re stable , su fered by the same decision At that time she

c e ive d a staggering blow , and her loss , indeed , was a grievous

sh e w s one . Originally a a large townshi p containin g

acres of land , situ ated o n both sides of the Merrimack ; and sh e wa s so cut in two b y the ru nni ng of the new line that b y far the larger p art of her territo ry came within the j u risd ic

- tion of New Hamp shire . Even the meeting house and the

- so cl bu rying grou nd , both closely and early connected with the early life of our p eop le , were separated from that p ortio n of the town still remaining i n Massachusetts ; and this fact added not a little to the animosity felt b y the inhabitants when the disputed qu estion was settled . It is n o exaggeration to say that throughout the old township and all along the line C of the borders from the M errimack to the onn ecticut , the

feelings and sympathies were wholly wi th Massachu setts . 1 6

w Thus cut in t ai n , there were two adj oining towns bearin g the same name , the one in M assachusetts , and the other i n New Ham p shire ; and thus they remained for nearly a cen tu ry . This similarity of designation was the sou rce of con sid e ra b le confusion which lasted u ntil the New Hampshire

I 1 8 o f town , on January , 3 7 , took the name Nashua , after the i river from which its p rosp erity largely s derived . By the same decision of the ki n g ou r other adjoining n eigh

as e t bor , Townsend , for at that time Pep perell had not y m — taken on a separate u nici p al existen ce , was dep rived o f more than one qu arter of her territory ; and the p resent towns of Brookli ne , Mason , and New I p swich in New H amp shire h now are reapi ng the benefit of what s e then lost .

E nou gh of the original Groton Plantation , however , was left to furnish other towns and p arts of to wns with ample material

. 2 6 1 2 t for their territo ry On November , 74 , the wes parish of Groton was se t o ff as a p recinct . I t com p rised all that

o n S p art of the town lying the west ide of the Nashu a River , north of the old road leading from Groton to Townsend , and

a s I ts a s now known Pe p perell . incorp oratio n a p arish or pre cinct allowed the inh a bitants to manage their own ecclesias f tical a fairs , while in all other matters they co ntinu ed to act with the parent town . Its partial sep aration gave them the be n efit of a settled m in ister in their neighborhood , which i n those days was considered of great im p ortance . It is an interesting fact to note that in early ti mes the main reaso n given i n the p etitions fo r dividing towns was the long

- distan ce to the meeti n g house , by which the inhabitants were p revented from hearing the stated p reachi ng of the gospel . At the present d ay I do not think that this argu ment is ever u rged by those who favo r the division of a township . 1 2 1 On Ap ril , 753 , when the Act was signed by the Gov e rno r , the west p arish of Groton was made a d istrict , the second step toward its final and co mplete sep aration from the mother town . At this p eriod the Crown authorities we re j ealous of the growth of the p op ular party in the House of

Rep resentatives , and for th at reason they frowned on every attempt to increase the n umber o f its members . This fact

1 8

engrossment . It was so named after William Sh irley , the

Governor of the Province at that period . It never was incor o ra te d p specifically as a town , but became on e by a general Act

2 1 . of the Legislatu re , passed on August 3 , 77 5 While a dis trict it was represented i n the session of the General Cou rt

1 1 re re which met at Watertown , o n July 9 , 7 75 , as well as p sented in the First Provincial Congress of M assa chusetts , and thus tacitly acquired the dignity of a town , which was b afterward confirmed y the Act , j ust mentioned .

These two township s , Pep perell and Shirley , were the first settlements to swarm from the original Plantation . With the

n benediction of the mother they left the p are t hive , and on all occasions have proved to be dutiful daughters in whom the old town has always taken a deep pride . I n former years , before the days of railroads , these two towns were closely iden

'

‘ tifie d with Groton , and the social intercou rse between them

v r in i a m was e y t m te . I f the fa ilies o f the three towns were no t akin to one another , in a certai n sense they were neighbors . The latest legislation connected with th e dismemberment of the original grant , and perhap s the last for many years — 1 1 8 1 to come , is the Act of Feb ruary 4 , 7 , by which the town of Ayer was incorporated . This enactment took from Groton a large section of territo ry lyi n g n ear its southern borders , and from Shirley all that part of the town on the easterly side of the Nashu a River which w as annexed to it

6 1 8. fro m Groton , on February , 79

Thus has the old Groton Plantation , du ring a period of two h u ndred and fifty years , been hewn and hacked down to less than one half of its original di mensions . Fo rmerly it con ta ine d acres , while now the amou nt of taxable land it w hin the town is acres . It has fu rnished , substantially , the entire territory of Pepp erell , Shirley , and Ayer , more th an one half of D unstable , and has contributed more or less to

— n form five other towns , amely , Harvard , Littleton , and M Westford , in assachusetts , besides Nashu a and Hollis , i n

Ne w Hampsh ire . G The early settlers of roton , l ike all othe r persons o f that p eriod of time or of any period , had thei r lim itatio ns . They I 9

were l overs of political freedom , and they gave the largest l iberty to all , so far as it related to their p hysical condition ; but in matters of religious belief i t was quite otherwise . With

- them it was an acce p ted tradition , perhap s with us not — f entirely outgrown , that p ersons who held a d i ferent faith from themselves were likely to have a lower standard of mo

ra lit . b saw y They saw things y a dim light , they through ” b a glass darkly . They beheld theological objects y the hel p of dipped candles , and they interpreted religion and its rela tions to life accordingly . We living two hundred and fifty years later can bring to bear the electric light of science and modern discovery . We have a great advantage over what they had , and let us use it fairly . Let u s be j ust to them , as we hope for j ustice from those who will follow us . Let u s ’ remember that the standards of daily life c h a nge from on e centu ry to another . Perhap s in futu re generations , when we are j udged , the verdict of p osterity will be against u s rather than against the early comers . More has bee n given to us than was given to them , and we shall be held responsible in a corresp ondingly larger measu re . It is not the number of talents with which we have been entrusted that will tell i n our favor , but the sacred use we make of them . In f deciding this question , two centuries and a hal hence , I am b y no means su re of the j udgment that history will render . D o we as a nation give all men a square deal ' The autho r

was - of the Golden Rule color blind , and in its ap p lication he made no di fference between the various races of mankind . This rule app lied to the black man equally with the W hite ' man . D o we now give ou r Afri can brother a fair chance

tr It is enough for us to y to do right , and let the couse

u e nce s H e w u q be what they will . p to the chalk line , and ”

w ma . let the chips fly here they y , once said Wendell Phillip s

We hear mu ch nowadays about the si mp le life , but that was b the life lived y the settlers , and taught to their ch ildren , b t both y p recep t and exam p le . Austere i n heir belief, they p ractised those homely virtu es which lie at the base of all

— - civilization ; and we of to day owe mu ch to their memory . f They p rayed for the wisdom that cometh rom above , and O for the righteo usness that exalteth a n ation ; and they tried to squ are their co nduct by their creed . l The early sett ers were a p lain folk , and they knew little of

m su m u the p ride and p o posity of later times . To p briefly their social qualities , I sho uld say that they were neighborly to a superlative degree , which means much i n country life . They looked after the welfare o f their neighbors who were ’ o ff not so well i n this world s goods as they themselves , they w atched with them when they were sick , and symp athized with them when death came into their families . In cold

u weather they hauled wood for the widows , and cut it p and s p lit it fo r them ; and wh e n a beef crittu r or a hog w a s a c killed , no one went hu ngry . When a m an m et with an c id e nt h a d and a leg broken , the neighbors saw that his crops k were gathered , and that all needful wor was done ; and

- after a heavy snow storm in winter , they tu rned to and broke out the roads and p rivate ways with sleds drawn by many yoke of oxen belon ging in the district . Happily all this order of

is e t things not y a lost art , but in former times the custo m wa s more thoroughly observed , and s p read over a mu ch wider region than now p revails . When help was needed in p rivate “ households , they neve r asked , like the lawyer of old , And who is my neighbor ' They always stretched out their hands to the poor , and they reached forth their hands to the needy .

To u s it seems almost p athetic , certainly amusing , to see how closely they connected their daily life with the a ffairs of S the chu rch . As a p ecimen I will give an instance fou nd in

n - the ote book of the Reverend John Fiske , of Chelmsford . a It seems that James P rker , J ames Fiske , and John N utting wished to remove fro m Chelmsford and take u p thei r abode in

w a this town . The subject o f their removal s brought before 1 66 1 the chu rch there in the autu mn of , when they desired “ ” so the loving leave of thei r brethren to do , as well as p rayers that the blessing of God might accom p any them to their new homes . The meeting was held on November 9 , 1 66 1 , when some discussion took place and considerable

feeling was shown . M r . Fiske , the p astor , shrewdly declined

to commit himself in the matter ; or , according to the record , 2 1

n decli ed to sp eak o n the question one way or the other , bu t m ” desired that the b rethren ight manifest themselves . At the conference o ne brother said that there was n o necessity for the removal , and hop ed that the three members w ou ld give u Ch e lms p their i ntention to remove , and would remai n in w ford . Reading bet een the lines it seems as if this town had invited the three men to settle here ; and Brother Parker “ ” ’ sp eaking for them ( i n the p lu ral number ) said that God s hand was to be see n in the whole movement . The same hand

‘ which brought them to Chelmsfo rd now pointed to Groton .

Ap p arently the meeting was a protracted one , and scarce a man i n the Church bu t p resently said the grou nds , the ” grounds . This was another form of calling for the qu es

— in tion , other words , for the reaso ns of the removal , whether valid or not . While the decision of the conference is not given in exact language , inferentially it was in favor of — 1 662 . their goin g , as they were here in December , J ames Parker was a deacon of the Chelmsford church ; and perhap s there h a d been some slight disagreement between him and m a few of the other me bers . Evidently he was one of the pillars of the body at Chelmsford ; and at once he became

se e a deacon at Groton . To u s now it is amusing to what a commotion in the church wa s raised because these three “ families pu rposed to remove to another town . Behold , how ” great a matter a little fire kindleth . Fortunately for this

n town James Parker , James Fiske , and John Nutti g with thei r households came hither to live , where they all became u sefu l

d a and influential citizens far above the average . In his y

James Parker was the most p rominent man in Groton , filling many civil and military p o sitions ; the next year after coming

- a nd J ames Fiske was chosen selectman , and later town clerk ;

J ohn Nu ttin g was ap p ointed surveyor of highways . There are in this audience , doubtless , at the p resent moment many descendants of these three p ioneers who had so many obsta

wa cles thrown in their y before taking up their abode here .

I f these families had not removed hither at that early p eriod , p erhaps their descendants now would be celebrat in g a nn ive r sa rie s elsewhere rather than here , and might never have known l what they lost by the change in their resp ective birth p aces . Without being able to call them by name or to identify them

a n f n i n y way , to all su ch I o fer the greeti ngs of this gatheri g o n the good j udgme nt shown by their ancestors .

This town took its name from Groton , Co . Su ffolk , En gland , which was the native p lace of D eane Winthrop , one of the o riginal petitioners for Groton Plantation . H is name stands at the head of the list of selectmen ap p ointed in 1 65 5 b y the General Court ; and to —day we shou ld give him the title of

Chairman of the Board . He was a so n of J oh n Winthrop who came to New England in 1 6 3 0 as Governor of M a ssa ch u setts ; and it was i n com p liment to him that the name of his birthp lace was given to the tow n . Without much doubt h e was a resident here for a few years ; and in this op inio n I

b - o f am supported y a distin gu ished member that family ,

: now deceased , who some time ago wrote me as follows

B OSTON 2 F e b a 1 8 8 . , 7 ru ry , 7

— M' D EA R D R . R EEN I t w to G , ould give me real p leasure aid yo u in establishing the relations of Deane Winthrop to the Town of

Groton in Massachusetts . But there are only three or four letters ’ m s of Deane s among the family p ap ers in y p osses ion , and not one of e a them is dated Groton . Nor can I find in a ny of the family p ap rs distinct reference to his residence there . “ w two n his a 1 6 There are, ho ever, brief otes of , both d ted the of

w a ma a e December, hich I c nnot help thinking y h ve b en

w . s ritten at Groton One of them is addres ed to his brother John ,

who wa s n e the Governor of Connecticut, then in Londo , on busin ss

w . a connected ith the Charter of Connecticut In this note , De ne says as follows “ I h ave some thoughts of removing from the p lace that I no w u n live in, into yo r Colony, if I could lit of a co venient p lace . The n o w me m no w p lace that I live in is too little for , y children growing up .

i We know that Deane Winthrop wa s a t the head of the first Board

' e w s w s of Selectm n of Groton a fe year earlier, and that he ent to re ide

o no w r a . at Pullen P int , called Winth op , not many ye rs after

n e to w o u m I am stro gly inclin d think ith y that this note of Dece ber ,

1 66 2 wa s wr a t . , itten Groton ' u ours very tr ly, 3

During my boyhood I always had a strong desire to visit

w n Groton i n England , hich gave its ame to this town and

l ix i ndi rect y to s other towns in the United States . Strictly sp eaking , it is not a town , but a p arish ; and there are tech n ic a l distinctions between the two . More than fifty years ago I was staying in London , and as a stran ger in that great metropolis , even after many inqu iries I fou nd much di fficulty m i n learning the best way to reach the little village . All y p revious knowledge in regard to the p lace was limited to the f fact that it lay in the county of Su folk , near its southern border . After a somewhat close study of a Railway Gu ide , b I left London y rail for Sudbu ry , which is the only town of considerable size in the immediate n eighborhood of Groton .

o fwh ich After changing trains at a railway j u nction , the name m f has long si nce faded from y memory , I ou nd myself in a

- carriage alone with a fellow p assenger , who was both cou rte ous and commu n icative , and thoroughly acquainted with the country through which we were p assing . O n telling him the m p u rp ose of y visit , he seemed to be much in terested , and told me in retu rn that he was very familiar with the p arish o f Groton ; and he had many questions to ask about ou r good old town , which I was both able and glad to answer . It soon tu rned out that my hitherto u nknown friend was Sir Henry

. l E Austen , of Che sworth , Hadleigh , who , o n reachi ng Su d

Alma ck bu ry , gave me a note of introdu ction to Richard , Esq . ,

w d a of Long Melford , hich I used a y or two afterward with

S u d b ur I - excellent results . From y drove in a dog cart to

Boxford , where I tarried over night at the White H orse In n , and in the mo rn in g walked over to Groton , less than a mile

- m — I d istant . This p lace , the object of y p ilgrimage , fou nd to be a typ ical English village of the olden time , very small a n both i n territory and p op ulation , and utterly u nlike y of its

n American n amesakes . Its h istory goes back many ge era tions , even to a p eriod before Domesday Book , whi ch was ordered b y William the Conqueror more than eight hundred w y ears ago . and hich registers a survey of the lands of E ng land m ade at that early date . The text is i n Latin , and the words are much shortened . The writing is peculiar and hard 2 4 to read ; but it gives s o me interesting statistics i n regard to the p lace . O n reaching the end of my trip I called at once o n f the rector , who received me very kindly and o fered to go

h th e c h u rch . wit me to , which i nvitation I readily accepted H e exp ressed much interest in the New En gland towns bear ing the name of Groton , and sp oke of a visit made to the

Engl ish town , a few years previously , by the Honorable Robert

C . Winthrop , of Boston , which gave him great pleasure . We walked over the grou n ds of the old manor , once belonging to John Winthro p , first Governo r of Massachu setts and

Groton Place , the residence of the lord of the manor at that

a so lita r - ti me , was poin ted out , as well as y mulberry tree , ’ which stood in Winthrop s garden , and is now the last vestige of the spot . In strollin g over the grou nds I picked u p some m acorns u nder an oak , which were afterward sent home to y father and planted here , but u nfortu nately they did not come

u . p . I remember with sp ecial pleasu re the attentions of M r

R . F . Swan , who took me to a small school of l ittle children , where the teacher told the scholars that I had come from another Groto n across the broad ocean . He also kindly made for me a rough tracing of the p art of the parish in which I was more p articularly interested ; and as I had left b the inn at Boxford when he called , he sent it y p rivate hands w - to me at the Sudbu ry rail ay station . All these little cou r te sie s and many more I recollect with great distinctness , and they add much to the p leasant memories of my visit to

h a s the ancestral town , which such a nu merous progeny of mu nicip al descendants i n the United States .

no w Of this large family ou r town , celebrating the two hu n

a s dred and fiftieth anniversary o f its birth , is the eldest ; and ” - first . the born , h igher than the kings of the earth The next child i n the order of descent is the town in Con n e cticu t b , younger than this town y j ust half a centu ry , and ’ du ring th e Revolution the scene of the heroic Ledyard s

. so 1 0 death It was named i n the year 7 5 , d uri ng the Gov e rno rsh i — e ff p of Fi tz John Winthrop , ou t of r sp ect to the Su olk home of the family . In p op ulation this is the largest of the

2 6

w Connecticut at Wells River J unction , a rail ay centre of some importance . 2 6 1 8 0 My visit to the town was m ade o n July , 9 , and while there I called on the Honorable Isaac Newton Hall , o ne z o f the oldest and most prominent citi ens of the place , who kindly took me in his buggy through the village , pointing o ut b y the way the various obj ects of public i nterest . The

o f Methodist Episcopal Chu rch , situ ated at one end the

o f village street , had some memorial windows , which two had

: inscriptions , as follows

Cap t Edmund Morse Born Groton Mass 1 764 Died Groton Vt 1 843

Sally Morse Hill Born 1 78 7 Died 1 864 The First Person Born in Groton

Befo re leaving the place I walked through the bu rying o ground and exam ined s me of the ep itap hs , but none of the names reminded me particu larly of the parent town .

The next town of the name is Groton , Erie Cou nty , Ohio , 1 80 which was settled abo ut the year 9 . It was first called

b ro u h f W h e a ts o . g , a ter a M r Wheats , who o riginally owned I most of the township . t lies in the region known as the Fire

o f Lands Ohio , a tract of half a million acres given by the

1 2 h e r State of Connecticut in May , 79 , to those o f citizens who had su ffered l o sses from the enemy du ring the Re vo lu o tion . Like many ther places in the neighborhood , the town to ok its n ame fro m the one in Connecticut . 1 88 a Late in the autumn of 9 I h ppened to be in Nashville ,

Tennessee , as a member of a committee on business co n ne cte d t with the Peabody Normal College i n that ci y , of

- which ex President Hayes was chairman . On telling him i ncidentally that I p u rp o sed o n my retu rn homeward to stop

o in for a sh rt time at Groton , Erie Cou nty , Ohio , he kindly vite d to h is o me make him a visit at home in Frem nt , which 2 7

was very near my objective point ; and he said fu rthermore m that he would accomp any me on y trip to that town , which ff o er I readily accep ted . O n th e mo rning of November 2 7 b we left Fremont y rail for Norwalk, the shire town of Hu ron

Cou nty , a county in which the township of Groton formerly — came , where we alighted , and at once repaired to the rooms

F i re la nd s o f the H istorical Society . Here we were met by

several gentlemen , prominent in the city as well as in the His

to ric a l Society , who showed us many attentions . We had an op portunity there to examine various objects of interest con

ne cte d with the early history of that part o f the State . Then

takin g the cars again o n ou r retu rn , we p roceeded as far as

- . we Bellevue , where we left the train Here at a livery stable

engaged a buggy and a pair of horses , without knowing ex

a ctl y to what part of the township I wished to go , as I was

then told that there was no village of Groton , but only scat

te re d . farms throughout the town One man , however , said

w a s that there a place called Groton Centre , which seemed to

so me both very natural and familiar , and thither we directed

ou r cou rse . After driving over very muddy roads for five or

six - wa m iles , we inquired at a farm house the y to Groton

- Centre , where we were told that a school house in sight , half

a mile off, was the desired p lace . There was no village what ever to be seen in any direction ; and the bu ilding wa s the p ublic voting- place,on which account the n eighborhood re

c e ive d the name . The town is entirely agricultu ral in its

character, and the land is largely prairie with a rich soil . It is

-o ffic e small in pop ulation , and does not contain even a post . The inhabitants for thei r postal facilities depend on Bellevue

and Sandusky , adj acent places .

Another town bearing the good name of Groton , which

' . I have visited , is the one i n Tom p kins Cou nty , New ork

More than eighteen years ago I fou nd myself at Cortland , ' Cortland Cou nty , New ork , where I had gone in order to M se e rs . the venerable Sarah Chap lin Rockwood , a native of this town . She was a daughter of the Reverend Dr . Chaplin , the last mi nister settled by the town , and at that time she was almost one hu ndred and two years old . By a coincidence f she was then living on Groton Avenue , a thorough are which leads to Groton , Tom p kins Co u nty , a town ten m iles distant .

m M a Takin g advantage of y nearness to that p lace , on y 4 , 1 88 se t 7 , I drove there and was down at the Groton Hotel , where I p assed the night . Soon after my arrival I too k a stroll through the village , and then called o n M arvi n Morse

E s Baldwin , q . , a lawyer of p ro minence , and the author of an

1 8 8 . h istori cal sketch of the place , pu blished i n 6 The town 1 8 1 was formed originally , on April 7 , 7 , fro m Locke , Cayuga

County , u nder the name of D ivision ; bu t d uring the next

inh a b year this was chan ged to Groton , on the petition of the ita nts , some of whom were fro m Groton , Massachusetts , and others fro m Groton , Connecticut . The p rinci p al village is situated on Owasco Inlet , a small stream , and is su rrou nded by a rolling cou ntry of great beauty . The pop ulation is

m - small , and the business chiefly confined to a achine shop e - and fou ndry , several carriag shops , and the making of agri cultu ral implements . The town su p ports a National Bank w and also a weekly newsp aper , and has rail ay commu nication with other p laces .

In all these visits to the several towns of the same name , I have i nterested myself to learn the local p ronunciation of the word . I have asked many persons i n all ranks of life and

e x ce grades of society in regard to the matter , and without p ” h a - tion they ave given it Gr w ton , which every native here , ” and to the manner born knows so well how to pronou nce .

G rOw- o - It has never been ton , or Gr t ton even , but always with

a a broad sound on the first and accented syllable . Su ch w s the old pronu nciation in England , and by the continu ity of custo m and tradition the same has been kept up throu ghout the several settlements in this country bearing the nam e . The latest town aspiring to the honor of the name of Groton

S . is in Brown County , outh Dakota It was laid out about - l b twenty two years ago on and owned y the Ch icago , M il in waukee and St . Paul Railway Comp any . I have been formed that various Ne w England names were selected by ff w the Company and give n to di erent to nship s along the line , not for personal or individual reasons , but because they 2 9

were short and well sounding , and unlike any others in the

Territory of that p eriod .

d a m At some futu re y , if y life be sp ared lon g e nough , I may p a y my respects to this you n gest child of the name and visit her township . In that case I will describe her p erson al ity and place her in the family group with her elder sisters .

Du ring two centuries and a half, the long p eriod of time — now under consideration , many changes have taken plac e m in the custo s and manners o f ou r p eop le . Some of these are entirely forgotten , and traces of them are found only in the records of the p ast ; and I p urp ose to allude to a few . In

ma u w this way a su rvival of their knowledge y be kep t p , hich will help the p resent generation in some degree to catch the attitude of its ancestors . In the early days o f New England marriages were p e r b b f formed y magistrates only , and y other o ficers ap p ointed for that p articular p u rpose . It was many years before minis w ters of the Gosp el ere allowed to take p art i n the ceremony . 1 1 66 At a town meeting held here , on December 5 , 9 , the selectmen were authorized to p etition to the [ General] Cou rt for one to marry p ersons in ou r towne and it is p robable that before this time persons wishing to be joined i n wed lock were obliged either to go elsewhere in order to carry f out their intention , or else a magistrate or other o ficer was brought for the occasion . At that p eriod the p opulation of

wa s the town small , and the marriages were few i n nu mber ; and before this date only eight coup les are found as recorded b of Groton . Perhaps these marriages were solemnized y a

Commissioner o f Small Causes , who was authorized equally f with a magistrate to conduct the ceremony . These o ficers were emp owered to act i n all cases within the j u risdiction of b a magistrate , and were app roved , either y the Cou rt of As sista nts a n or the County Cou rts , on the re quest of y town where there was no resident magistrate . They were three i n number in each of su ch towns , and were chosen by the f reemen . Another instance of a change in early customs is fou nd in connection with funerals , which formerly were conducted with 3 0

severe simplicity . Ou r p ious forefathers were opposed to all

a n ecclesiastical rites , and y custo m that reminded them of

the English ch urc h met with their stern disap p roval . And ,

fu rthermore , p rayers over a corp se were very suggestive of those offered u p for the dead by the Roman church ; and to their minds such ceremonies savored strongly of heresy and

superstition . A body was taken fro m the house to the grave , and interred without ceremony ; and no religio us services

first ‘ ma d e were held . Funeral prayers in New England were

i n the smaller towns before they were in the larger p laces . Thei r introduction into Boston was o f so uncommon occur n rence that it caused some comment in a ewsp aper , as the “ ” - following extract from The Boston Weekly News Letter , 1 1 0 S ‘ December 3 , 73 , will how

'esterday were B uried here the Remains of that truly honourable

e w m . SARAH ' a ffe c d vout Gentle o an , Mrs B FIELD , amidst the tio na t e Resp ects 81 Lamentations of a numerous Concourse . Before

wa s m b carrying out the Corp se, a Funeral Prayer ade, y one of the ’ 01d C/zzzrc/z w mm b e lo n d Pastors of the , to hose Co union she g ; ‘ ’ w - w a ar a hich , tho a Custom in the Country To ns , is singul Inst nce in ’ ’ wish d ma a a m a this p lace, but it s y p rove a le ding Ex p le to the gener l

Pra ctice of so christian decent a Custom .

At a fu neral the coffin was carried upon a bier to the place b — o f interment y p all bearers , who from time to ti me were

u su relieved by others walking at thei r side . The bearers ally were kinsfolk or intimate friends of the deceased ; a nd b they were followed y the mourners and neighbors , who

wa s walked two b y two . After the buri al the bier left stand ing over the grave ready for use when occasion should again

requ ire . M any years ago an old citizen of this town told me that on ce he served as a pall - bearer at the funeral of a friend who

S u a nna co o k V died in q illage ( West Groton) . It took place

near midsummer , i n very hot weather ; and he related how the procession was obliged to halt often in order to give a w rest to the bearers , who ere nearly prostrated by the heat

du ring their long march . 3 1

1 6 Hearses were first introduced into Boston about 79 , and into Groton a few years later . In the warrant for th e Groton

n - 1 80 tow meeting on Ap ril 4 , 3 , Article No . 7 was

’ se e w w the w a nd To if the to n ill p rovide a herse for to n s use,

n am a give such directio s about the s e as they sh ll think fit .

In the Proceedings of that meeting , after Article No . 7 , it is recorded

’ V w w r w oted that the to n ill p rovide a he se for the To n s use .

r V m s aze a . an d oted and chose Ja e Br r, Esq J cob L Parker, Josep h Sawtell a Committee and directed them to p rovide a decent herse ’ at the Town s e xp e nce .

From the earliest period o f ou r Colonial history training days were ap p ointed by the General Court for the drilling of soldiers ; and at intervals the companies used to come

a s together a regiment and practise various military exercises .

a so From this custom sp rang the regiment l muster , common before the War of the Rebellion .

Du ring a long time , and p articularly in the early part of the nineteenth century , many su ch musters were held here .

—fie ld wa s A training o ften used for the purpose the plain ,

- situated near the Hollingsworth Paper mills , a mile and a half northerly from the village . Sometimes they were held on the easterly side of the road , and at other times on the w esterly side . During my boyhood musters took p lace , twice certainly , on the eastern slope of the hill on the sou th ’ side of the Broad Meadow Road near Farmers Row ; and also , once certainly , in the field lying southeast of Lawrence

Academy , near where Powder House Road now runs . Musters have been held on land back o f the late Charles ’ a c o b s s 1 8 0 in J house , and , in the autu m n of 5 , a field near the b ’ dwelling where Benj amin Moors used to live , close y James s

B rook , in the south p art of the town . The last one i n Groton , 1 or the neighborhood even , took p lace on Sep tember 3 and 1 1 8 2 4 , 5 , and was held i n the south p art o f the town , near the line of the Fitchbu rg Railroad on its northerly side , some distance east o f the station . This was a m uster of the Fifth 3 2

Regiment of Light In fantry , and occu rred while M r . Boutwell was Governor of the Commonwealth ; and I remember well the recep tion which he gave to the o fficers on the i ntervening evening at his hou se , bu ilt du ring the p receding year .

t h e Akin to subject of military matters, was a custom which formerly prevailed in some p arts o f Massachusetts , and per

e lse wh e re o f haps t celeb rating occasionally the ann iversary

' 1 . of the surrender of o rktown , which falls on October 7 Such a celebration was called a Cornwallis and it ‘ was in tended to represent , in a burlesqu e m anner , the siege of the town , as well as the ceremony of its su rrender . The most prominent generals on each side would be personated , while the men of the two armies would wear what wa s sup p osed to be thei r p eculiar u ni form . I can recall now more than one such sham fight that took place in this town during my boy 1 0 2 2 hood . In Cushing , 5 , is to be fou nd a decision of the

Sup reme Judicial Court of M assach usetts , enjoin ing a town treasurer from payin g money that had been appropriated for such a celebration . to J ames Russell Lowell , i n his Glossary The Biglow ” : a so rt o ma sle r Papers , thus defines the word Cornwallis , f in ma sq u e ra de supp osed to have had its origin soon after the

Revol ution , and to commemorate the su rrender of Lord Corn wallis . It took the p lace of the old Guy Fawkes p rocession . w Sp eaking in the character of Hosea Biglo , he asks ,

’ ’ ’ Re co e c wut fun we b e d o u n a n E zr H o ll t , y I y lli s ’ U t e e to W h m n f o n 0 th e Co nw p h r alt a p lai last all , al g r alli s

He further says in a note i hait the Sight of a feller with a muskit a s I d u p iz n But their is fu n to a cornwallis I aint ’ ” a i go n to deny it . The last Cornwallis i n this immediate neighborhood came o ffabout sixty years ago at Pepperell ; and I remember wit m essing it . Another Cornwallis on a large scale occurred at 1 8 Clinton i n the year 5 3 , i n which n ine u niformed companies of m ilitia , inclu di ng the Groton Artillery , took part . O n this occasion the burlesque display , both in nu mbers and details , far outshone all former attempts of a similar character , and ,

3 4 often a s thick as honey bees round the bung- hole of a hogs head of molasses in summer time . M any plants were brought originally to New England from

fo r w other cou ntries their medicinal virtues , and many ere introduced by chance . So me h ave m ultiplied so rapidly

so and grown plentifully in the fields and by the roadside , m that they are now considered common weeds . Wor wood , tansy , chamomile , yarrow , dandelion , bu rdock , plantain , catnip , and mint all came here by importation . These exotic plants made their way into the interior , as fast as civilization extended in that direction ; thou gh in some instances the seeds may have been carried by birds in their flight . “ m D r . William Douglass , in A Su mary , Historical and

Political , of the fi rst Planting , progressive Improvements , a n d p re s e n t State o f t he B riti sh S ettl e m e n ts i n N o rth ”

V . America , published at Boston ( olume I in the year

1 V . : 749 , and olu me I I in says

ar B o sto n a nd wn m a t w Ne other great To s, so e Field Pl n s hich a al a m fro m ~ Euro e m ccident ly h ve been i p orted p , sp read uch , and are a e a Nusance a t s a e gr t in Pastures, p re ent they h ve sp r ad

a m B o sto n 0 . Inl nd fro , about 3 Miles (I I

According to this statement , the pioneers of some of these foreign plants or weeds had already reached the town ship o fGroton near the middle of the eighteenth century . w D r . Douglass gives another fact about the town hich may

: be worthy of preservation , as follows

There are some a ctual Surveys of Extents which ought not to be

s as m M e r r ima ck lo t in Oblivion for Instance, fro River due West to G ro to n Meeting-House are 1 2 miles from G ro to n Me eting House (as

s e d b C01. S to dda rd a F a l/za m . D wz fit b urvey y , M jor , and Mr lg , y

r h - Order of the Genera l Assembly) to No t fie ld Mee ting House W .

1 d . . b 1 s and . 2 no te . 6 N y Comp ass, are 4 Mile half (I 4 5 )

a s Such surveys , those given in this extract, were of more interest to the public , before the days of railroads , than o they are now ; but , as the author says , they ought not t be ” lost in Oblivion . The greatest advance in so cial and m o ral life d u ring the 3 5 last one hund red and twenty - five years has been in the cause of temp erance . Soon after the p eriod of the Revolution there arose an abuse of sp irituous liquors , p erhaps induced in p art b y the return home of young men from the army , who while absent had acqui red the habit of drinking to excess . There was no p ublic occasion , from a wedding to a fu neral , or from the ordination of a minister to the raising of a house or barn , when ru m in its many Protean shap es was not given out . It was set on the festive sideboard , and used freely both by the old and young ; and sometimes even the p astor o f the church yielded to the insidious seduction of the stimulant . Liquors were sold at retail at most of the trading shop s in town , and at the three taverns in the village . The late Elizur Wright , an eminent statistician , and nearly eighty years ago a resident o f Groton , once told me in writing that , according to an esti b mate made y him at that period , the amo unt of New En g land rum sold here in one year was somewhat over gallons . This was not a guess on his part , but was take n from the books of dealers in the fluid , who had kindly comp lied with his request for the amount o f their sales du ring the p revious year . We judge of the whole from the specimen . It is generally sup posed that the huge department stores i n

n the large cities are a modern i stitution , so far as they relate to the variety of articles sold ; but in this respect they are only an imitation of the country store . Fifty years ago the

sh O average trading p kep t about everything that was sold , in r from a p to a p lou gh , f om silks and satins to stoves and ff shovels , and from tea and co ee to tin dip pers and cotton

d r - drilling , flour , all kinds of y goods and groceries , molasses , raisins , bricks , cheese , hats , nails , sp erm oil , grindstones , boots

sa and shoes , drugs and medicines , to y nothing of a sup p ly of con fectionery for children ; besides a daily barter of a ny of the aforesaid articles for fresh eggs and butter . The traders were omnivorous in their dealings , and they kep t on hand nearly everything that was asked for by the customers . I n this resp ect they have set an exam p le to the p rop rietors f misce l of dep artment stores , who o fer for sale an equally la ne o u s a Sso rtme nt of goods . 3 6

- o f Within the last three qu arters a centu ry , perhaps the most useful i nvention given to mankin d , certai nly one very

A ~ widely used , has been the commo n friction match . p p a re ntly it is so trifling and inconspi cuous that among the great discoveries of the n ineteenth centu ry it is likely to be overlooked . This little article is so cheap that no hovel or hamlet throughout Christendom is ever without it , and yet so o useful that it is found in every h use or mansion , no matter how palatial , and in every vessel that sails the sea . Bun ches of matches are m ade by the millions and millions , and broad acres of forests are cut down each year to su p p ly the wood ; and in every home they are used without regard to waste o r “ economy . No correct statistics of match making can be

six given , but it has been estimated that matches a day fo r each individual o fthe p opulation o f Europ e and North Amer ” ae ica is the average c o nsump tion . (The American Cyclop dia , ' New o rk , Perhap s no other i nvention of the last centu ry comes so nearly in tou ch with the family and house hold in all p arts of the civilized world as this necessity of domestic li fe . I have mentioned these facts in some detail as the friction match has had su ch a close connection with country life i n w New England , as else here . In early days when fire was kept on the domestic hearth , fro m month to month and from year to year , by covering up live coals with ashes , so metimes from one cause or another it would go out ; and then it wa s “ ” necessary to visit a neighbor to borrow fire , as the ex p ressio n was . I f the distan ce was short , live coals might be b rought on a shovel ; but if too far , a lighted candle could be carried in a tin lante rn and fu rnish the needed flame .

- a nd - Often a flint steel was used for striking fi re , but some

u a times even this sefu l arti cle was wanting . I h ve heard of i nstances where a man wo uld fire o ffa gu n into a wad of tow an d set it on fire , and thus get the desired spark to start the blaze . t Another inven ion , which has come into general use within the last sixty years , and has changed the destinies of the ’ is world , Morse s electric telegraph . I n the sending of mes 3 7

sages it p ractically annihilates space , and has worked won

- d a f B de rs in science and i n the every y a fairs of life . y means of it the words of Puck become a reality whe n he says :

’ I ll p u t a girdle ro u nd abo ut th e E arth

I n fo rty mi nute s .

If the ocea n telegraph had been in operation at that time , 8 1 8 1 the battle of New Orleans , on January , 5 , would not have been fought . I t took place a fortnight after the treaty e of peac had bee n signed at Ghent , though the tidings of the t reaty were not received i n this cou ntry u ntil a month after the action . The chances are that Andrew Jackson would never have been President of the United States if he had not gained that battle ; nor wo uld M artin Va n Buren have su c c e e d e d to the same high office if as Secretary of State o r

V - a n o as ice Presiden t he h d t been associated with Jackson . This will serve as an illustration of the influence which the ff telegrap h may have on hu man a airs . Little short of fifty years ago I spent an even ing with Pro fe sso r s Morse at his rooms in Pari , and he told me a thrilling tale of the circu mstances which led u p to his great discovery of the application of electricity to the sending of messages ; and how the thou ght first came to him many y ears before , when in a p acket ship on the voyage from Havre to New ' ork . I have often regretted that I did not write down at m i once y recollect ons of the visit , while they were fresh in my memory ; but u n fortu nately I did not do so . A f d telegraph o fice m this village was opened o n Satu r ay , 2 0 1 880 M arch , , and the first message along its wires was ffi sent to Nash ua , New Ham p shire . The o ce was i n the rail wa i t . y station , where has since remained f e The telep hone o fice h re was first open ed on Friday , April 2 1 88 1 9 , , in the bu ildi ng at the south corner of Main Street and Station Avenue , where it still remains ; and there are now more than on e hundred and twenty subscribers . By the side of the investigatio n s connected with this a d dress I a m reminded that the First Parish Meeting-house is now one hundred and fifty years Old . During one half o f this 3 8 period it was the only designated place of worship within the limits of the town ; and for these seventy-five years it was the centre of the religious life of the people . From its walls went forth all the efforts that m ade for the highest and noblest

- activities of human natu re . It was the fou rth meeting house u sed by the town , and stands on the site of the thi rd bu ilding , a spot which wa s by no means the u nani mous choice of the town when that structure was built ; and the usual contro

ve rs . 1 1 y then took place over the site It was begu n in 7 4 , and wa s two years in process of building . I n early times the re was always much contention i n regard to the local in position of the ho use , some wanting it put one p lace , and

re others in another , according to the convenience of thei r

s e c tive . . p families M r Butler , in his History of Groton , says But the momentous affai rs of deciding u pon a spot on which to set a public building , and choosing and settli ng a minister , are not usu ally accomplished without much strife and co nte n tion , and are sometim es attended with long and furious quar rels and expensive lawsu its ( page The Reverend

Joseph Emerson , the fi rst minister of Groton West Parish , “ : now known as Pepp erell , explains the cause thus It hath been observed that some of the hottest contentions in thi s land hath been about settling of ministers and bu ilding meet ing- houses ; and what is the reason ' The devil is a great enemy to settling ministers and bu ilding meeting- houses ; wherefore he sets on h is own children to wo rk and make f di ficulties , and to the utmost of his power stirs up the cor ru p tio n s o f the child ren of God in some way to oppose or obstru ct so good a work . ’ re With no desire to disp ute M r . Emerson s theory in gard to the matter , I think that the p resent generation would hardly accept his explanation as the correct one .

For some months , p erhaps for one or two years , before the

e p resent house of worship was built , the question of a new stru

- wa s ture wa s considered and discussed at town meetings . It then i n the air , and finally the matter took concrete shap e . On 6 1 May , 754 , the town made definite plans for a raising of the frame ; and on su ch occasions at that period of time rum 3 9

b was supposed to be needed , not only to ring together a crowd to help along the work , but also to give strength to the workers . At that meeting the following vote was p assed :

at a Legal mee ting of the Inhabitants a t Groton q ualle yfie d b y Law n w ff t for voti g . in To n a airs assembled Chose Cap bancroft moderator d for 5 meeting The question was p ut which way they would face the meetinghouse d and the major vote was for facing s house to the west

te e Voted that The meeting house Com p ro uide one hogshead of Rum one Loaf of white Shuge r one quarter of a hundre ad of brown Shugar also voted tha t Deacon Stone Deacon farwell Lt Isaac t ll woods benje Stone Lt John Woods Cap Sam Tarbell Amos Lawrence

t “:e Ensign Obadiah Parker Cap bancroft be a Com and to p ro uid e Victuals a nd Drink for a hundre ad me n and If the p e op le Dont sub

te e scribe a nough th e n the Com to p urchas the Rema inder up on the

Towns Cost . t Voted that The Com e e that Got the Timb er for The meeting house ’ ha ue Liberty with such as shall subscribe the ar to to build a p orch at ‘ the front Dore of the meeting house up on their o wn Cost Then voted that the Select me n p ro u ide some Co nuiant p lace to meet in up on the Sabbath Till further order .

’ According to Joseph Farwell s note - book the raising took 2 2 1 — place on M ay , 7 54 , which day fell on Wednesday ,

2 . is and lasted u ntil Saturday , M ay 5 It to be hoped that du ring these three days no accident happ ened on account of

w a s the liquid stimulant . Probably the work on the building h pushed with all the sp eed t en possible and available ; and , fin probably too , it was used for worshi p long before it was ish e d . During this period of interruption in the public ser vices it is very likely that the Sunday meetings were held at

e . the hou se of the mi nist r , M r Trowb ridge , who then lived on the site of the High School building . ’ - 1 8 1 According to Farwell s note book , on August , 75 4 ,

M rs . Sarah Dickinson became a member of the church , the

- first p erson so adm itted i n the new meeting house . She was the widow of James Dickinson , who had died only a few weeks before , and was bu ried in the old graveyard . According ’ to the same authority , the sacrament of the Lord s Supper 40

wa s administered in the new building for the first time on 1 1 November 5 , 7 54 . The early settlers did not believe mu ch in outward cere m ony ; and the new meeting- house was never formally dedi

c a te d . by a sp ecial service Perhaps , when the house was first

op ened fo r worship , M r . Trowbridge p reached a sermon in keeping with the occasion ; and very likely in his prayer he

made some allusion to the event . We are told that the pray er

of the righteous man availeth much . The homage paid to

the Creator of the universe each Sunday , both by the pulpit

a n and the pews , would consecrate y such stru ctu re to its high

pu rpose . Simple in their religious faith , the worship pers had

no use for ecclesiastical forms . Not alone by their words , but

- by their thou ghts , they dedicated the meeting house . Some times words not sp oken have more meaning than those

which are uttered .

- wa s The Common , i n front of the present meeting house , a

place closely co nnected with the life of the to W n . Here at an early period the two militia companies used to meet and d rill

- at regular ti mes , known as training days . On the Common the two comp anies of minute- men rallied on the morning of

a mmu ni that eventfu l nineteenth of April , and received their ’ tion from the town s stock , which was stored in the Powder

House near by. Here they took farewell of friends and

fam ilies , knowi ng full well the responsible d uties that rested

o . on their sh ulders , and the dangers that threatened them These men marched hence o n that memorable day as British t subjec s , but they came b ack as independent citizens who

never knew again . the authority of a king .

In that house M r . Dana , a young and rising lawyer of

Groton , pronou nced a eulogy on General Washington , which

F e b ru ai' 2 2 1 800 was del ivered on Satu rday , y , , a few weeks

after his death . The m ilitary companies o f the town a t w 1 1 tended the exercises . M iss Elizabeth Farns orth ( 79 — 1 884) and M rs . Sarah (Capell) Gilson ( 1 793 1 890) as little

girls were present on the occasion , and they both gave me

their faint recollections of the day .

- u wa s o 1 8 The meeting ho se rem delled in the year 3 9 ,

4 2

— family once resident here , made the historical address ,

- which was delivered in the Congregational M eeting house .

Colonel Eusebiu s Silsby Clark , who lost his life in the War of V 1 1 86 the Rebellion , at Wi nchester , i rginia , o n October 7 , 4 , was the Chief M arshal . Of his six aids on that day John

Warren Parker and mysel f are the sole survivors , and the only representatives of those who had an official connection with the exercises ; and now we are left the last two leaves on the branch . At that celebration Mr . Parker was also one of the Committee of Arrangements ; and we are all glad to see him p resent on this occasion .

Groton is a small town , but there are those who love her and cherish her good name and fame . She has been the m other o f many a brave so n and many a fair daughter , duti ful children who through generations arise up an d call he r ”

Z . blessed . She is the M o unt ion of a large household Of b her numerous family , from the nu rsling to the aged , y her examp le sh e has sp ared no p ains to make them u seful citizens

sh e and worthy members o f society . In fo rmer years was h relatively a much more im p ortant town than S e is now . At 1 0 the time of the first national census in 79 , in p op ulation

Groton was the second town in Middlesex Cou nty , Cambridge alone surp assing it . I n order to learn the true valu e of some commu nities , and to give the inhabi tants of Groton their

n o t p rop er rank , they should be weighed and counted ; an d b y this standard it would be fou nd that the town has n ot been lessened even i n relative importance . Bigness and great ness are not syn onymous words , and in their meaning there is much difference between them . In all ou r thoughts and

u s l b sh e b u s. deeds , let do as we l y the town as has done y

— se t Fellow Townsme n and Neighbors , the stint you me is now done . On my p art it has p roved to be not a task , but a labor of love . If anything that I may have said should spur others to study the history of an old town that wa s typ ical of life among plain folk in the early days o f

h a s New England , and on e that left an honorable record

its m during the variou s p eriods of existence , y aim will have been reached . A P P E ND I ' .

T/ze Na me of Gr o wn .

AM I indebted to the co urtesy of D r . Edward M ussey

‘ Hartwell for the following p a p e r o n the origin of the name a n of Groto n . Fro m y other sou rce I could not have obtained such a scholarly essay on the subject ; an d it p laces me under great obligations to hi m . D r . Hartwell passed his boyhood ’ in Littleton , where his father s family belonged ; an d he fitted for college mostly at Lawrence Academy , so that he has inherited an historical interest in the neighborhood .

STATISTI CS D EP ARTM E NT .

B OSTON l 1 0 . , J u y 3 , 9 5

H ON. SAMUEL . REEN a a A G , Libr ri n ,

Massachusetts Historical Society.

D EAR DR . REEN a w m s G , Wh t follo s contains the gist of y note

. a r 1 on Groton For the s ke of conciseness and brevity, I fo bear ( ) s w m from fully de cribing the sources hence y citations are derived , and (2 ) from quotation of authorities regarding the linguistic affi nities w w ma sa of the comp onents of the ord Groton . Ho ever, I y y that , I c an sup p o rt every sta tement b y documentary evidence that seems to conclusive me . Groto n occurs as a p lace name both in England a nd the United

s. o w a ffo State Gr ton in England , hich is situ ted in the County of S u lk , a a 1 60 w p p e rs to be a small p arish of some 5 acres , of hich 3 9 are in ” l co mmon . The Dictionna ire de s B ure aux de Poste p ub i sh e d at

e 1 8 s six - o ffice s a us s U B rne in 95 , give p ost in v rio p art of the nited

Two viz . o o States having the name of Groton . of them , , Gr t n , s s e Ma sachu etts, and Groton , Connecticut, date from Colonial tim s ,

i . e . 1 6 an d 1 0 o , from 5 5 7 5 resp ectively, and numbered am ng their original grantees or p rop rietors members of the Winthrop family whose a e a s was o Bab e nb e r nc str l eat Gr ton in the g Hundred , County Suffolk,

n w s n o Engla d , hence it is reasonable to up p ose all Groto s in this c untry

a r a m . n ss h ve derived thei n e Amo g them Groton , Ma , is the most 44

ancient . The na me (sp elt G ro a ten ) a p p ears in a vote of the Gene ral

d Ma 2 1 6 a a n e w at P e ta a wa Court date y 9, 5 5 , to gr nt p lantation p g

. r n to Mr Deane Winth op a d others . I n late r reco rds of the General

r . . M a 2 6 1 6 8 G ro lerz e a nd Cou t, e g , y , 5 , the form ap p ars 5 in the same

1 2 1 6 G ro len G r o a tefz records under date of November , 5 9 , both and ap p ear .

The Manor o fGroton in Bab e nb e rg Hundred in the Liberty of St .

m f a a s Ed und and the County of Su folk , Engl nd , ccording to the Dome ’ a m n d y Book ( 1 086) belonged to the Abbey of Bury of St . Ed u d s in the time of Edward the Confessor ( 1 04 2 In 1 5 44 the re “ quest o f Adam W yntho rp e to p urch a se the Farm of the Manor of ’ was Groton (Suffolk) late of the Monastery of Bury St. Edmund s V I w w gra nted b y H e nry I I . (into hose hands it had come hen the

w . d . mona steries ere sup p ressed) for the sum of £4 08 1 85 . 3 Gov e rno r r m W ntho r e was d John Winthrop , g andson of Ada y p , Lor of the Manor of Groton in 1 6 1 8 . In 1 63 0 or 1 63 1 he sold his interest there in for I find the n ame of this manor sp elt variously at different times as follows

r 1 . G o tena (a) in Domesday Book in 1 086 . ’ (b) in Jocelin de Brake lo nd s Chronicle in 1 2 00 .

(c) in the Hundred Rolls in 1 2 7 7.

2 . ro zz . G te e (a) in Jo c de Brake lo nd about 1 2 00.

1 2 1 a nd 1 2 8 . (b) in the Patent Rolls , 9 9

N G ro to n a o c . Brake lo n d 1 2 00. ( in J de about

ro t n k l n 1 2 0 . . o e Bra e o d u 0 4 G (a) in J o c . de abo t

(b) in the Patent Rolls in 1 4 2 3 . ’

1 . (c) in D ugdale s citation of a MS . of 5 3 3 ‘ ’ . ro z 1 . 5 G o n (a) in D ugdale s citation of a MS . of 4th Century s 1 1 (b) in Record of the Augmentation Office, 5 4 and I S4 4

’

Brake lo nd was . m who Jocelin de a monk of Bury St Ed und s , as

a a w w a n m . Ch p l in of the Abbot , rote the Chronicle hich be rs his a e — 1 1 1 2 0 . i I t covers the p eriod 73 3 , i the ncumbency of Abbot w Samson . The frequent mention of Groton in this Chronicle , ritten ir ma just at the beginning of the th teenth century, y be accounted for l b y the fact that the Abbey and certain claimants named de Co ke fe d

- had a law suit over lands at Groton . Since 1 5 4 1 Groton ap p ears to h ave been the form of the n ame of ma m : 1 m e . the English manor, p arish or ha l t It y be re arked ( ) that “ u na n m in de G ro te na is fo nd as a p erso l a e the Hundred Rolls, 4 5

1 2 Gro tto n 1 2 97 and de in the Scotch Rolls , 3 7 while a h o ldi ng

“ ' G ro tto n a e r De lacre named , late of the Mon st y of s in Staffordshire

n o r d u 1 is me ti ned in the ecor s of the A gmentation Office , 5 4 7 ; and G ro tto n w , a rail ay station in Lancashire , is mentioned in a Comp re ” he nsive az a a nd a w G etteer of Engl nd Wales, recent but undated ork . “ “ ” The Latinized in Gro te na and G ro te na m of the Domesday Book give rise to the suggestion that G ro fen has the fo rce of an w adjective (meaning gravelly, gritty, stony or sandy) , hich serve d to

iz it r a n a a a . cha acter e a tr ct of la d , or p erh p s a hill , a p , ham, or ton

ro t Old e 6 d I take g to be one form of the English gr t , grut (Mi dle m r r r e . English , greet , g et , and Modern English , g it), eaning g av l ’ The following is a series of forms in which variants of greo t seem to have an adjectival force

1 G reo ta n e d e sce s r a n K r e ( ) lond , el ting to land i ent, in a cha t r dated ma r 8 2 2 . reo ta n ea ca n . Possibly g y stand for g , meaning big

2 G re fenlinke s s a 66 . ( ) , in Hamp hire, in a land ch rter of 9

G retin d un s s m a (3 ) (later Gretton in Dor et hire) , entioned in charter

of 1 0 1 9 .

G reten ho we na 1 6 . (4) , the me of Gretna in Scotland , in 3 7

G r o tintune s 1 086. ( 5 ) , a manor in Shrop shire , Dome day Book ,

‘ 6 G r a zento n P a m r e o 1 086 . ( ) ( ) , ano in Berkshire, Dom sday Bo k ,

G re o ta n ma ur On the other hand, the form y be the dative p l al of “ ” re o t re o ta m e a n g (for g us d in a locative sense at the gr vels , si ce G ra vela i and G ra ve/e i occur as p lace names in Domesday Book a n d

G r a vel] . Edw. . occurs in the Hundred Rolls , temp I

Th e w d x o follo ing scheme , derive from various standard le ic ns, ex hibits the e tymologica l affinities of G re o t (grit)

01d M o dern

S a x o n . s . n e Griot, griet, cf Engli h and Ger cf E glish , G rman

re o t ma n . g , , and Norse

’

E n lzs/z G re Ot r 6 o . g , g ut, Gre t, Greet, grit, gryt, Grit, gr t, grout

grot, gret,

17 2 ]: G er ma n Grio z Grie sz us u . g , , Gries, Gr e, Gra s

I cela n dic G r o t G r o t Gr ttn . j (griot), j , y

' D a ni s'; and

No r we ia n r 6t r ns Gr ttn . g G j , G yt(e) , Gru , Grus , y

w d s/z u G r tt. S e e Gr s, y

Old F r isia n gre t . Lo w G er ma n gro tt 46

’ G ro t reo t a and r m. , for g , ap p e rs to be an old rather are for It sho uld be stated that British p lace (and p ersonal) names having G re t

r are much mo e numerous than those having Gro t in the first syllable .

a a m . . Gretton is the n me of sever l manors entioned in Domesday, e g ,

s n . the p re e t Girton (formerly called Gritton) (cf Girton College) , near

. a nd a Cambridge ( Cambs ) Gretton in Northamp tonshire , still c lled

. wa s r ttune Gre to n 1 086 Gretton The last Gretton (g y in in ,

1 2 1 6 8 and 1 8 . Gretton in 77 , 7 , 95

: - a Gritwate r a Other forms besides Gretton are Gret , a stre m in

- - - e . r a m z Grit wa s P 8 2 1 Cumb rland , cf G et arsc ( ter mar h ) , ; Greta

- —h — - Gritwa te r r a m w . bridge bridge, G et ford , Gret , Gret land, Gret ell

d . Southey, the p oet, live at Greta Hall

’ ’ a r a a r o ta Gret river in Cumbe l nd had its counterp rt in G j , in the

s G ritwate r b D a se nt Tli e eleventh century in Iceland , tran lated y in ' ” B u rn t s a Z. Gr ttnb akki y Gravel hill or Gravel bank , is the name

1 - of ( ) a modern p ost o ffice in Icela nd and ( 2 ) a nother in Denmark .

n G rytte is a p lace name of today in Norway. ' ’ - rt/z n The Icelandic (Old Norse) G ryo i ga mea t stone fence . Akin ’ a r tn a are w a a r d and w ar d to g (g rd) the Nor egian g S edish g , a landed s - a a d estate or home tead ; and the English Cloister g rth , y rd , gar en ,

- a n d orchard (ort ge ard) .

s . a . . . . Ton in Groton, Bo ton , etc , is rel ted to M E Ton (Tone) , O E

t i n . . a a . tun . t tun , tune , O Norse , O Frisian , O H Germ n t un , and

z a . a German aun, hedge or fence Ton and tun origin lly meaning an

a s d m enclosing hedge or fence, me nt al o, fiel , yard, manor, ha let , village and town or city.

a e a i . . G rth (yard) p resents a p arall l series of simil r mean ngs, e g ,

- was M cke l . . 0 . Norse for Constantinop le y gaard, i . e the Great City

- - a a cf. I think th t Groton st nds for Grot ton ( Gretton , Grit ton) and

e Gr 6t- is p ractically quivalent to the Icelandic j garth , and that your suggestion in 1 8 76 as to the meani n g of Groton was a hap p y one .

F lo rea t G ro tena ' a ours f ithfully,

ARTW LL. EDW A R D M . H E

B i ce n te n n ia l Ce leér a i io n .

The following extracts fro m th e town - records relate to the celebration of the two hu ndredth anniversary of the s ettle ment of Groton , which took p lace fifty years ago . They 4 7

e t have never y been p rinted , but are given here , as they have a certain connectio n with th e celebration recently held .

With the exception of the Reverend Edwin A . Bulkley , every man whose name is mentioned i n these extracts is now dead , sh o wmg the ravages which half a centu ry may bring about .

1 1 8 In the warrant for the Town Meeti ng , November 3 , 54 , Article 2 is as follows

To see if the town will take a ny measures to notice or celebrate the Two H undredth a nniversary since the settlement of the town of

Groton in the year 1 65 5 or p ass any vote in relation to the same . (1)

In the p roceedings of the meeti ng i t is recorded that

The subject matter of this article [ 2 ] was referred to the following committee with instructions to rep ort at a future meeting .

Stuart J . Park Jacob Pollard Josiah Bigelow Abel Tarbell

Wm . Shattuck Josep h Sande rson Willard Torrey Calvin Blood Norm a n Shattuck Josep h Brown John Pingree Silas Nutti ng Elnathan Brown J o se p h Rugg

Charles Pre scott Charles A . Hutson

(p . 3 9 2 )

1 8 Proceedings at the Town M eeting , March 5 , 5 5 “ i f The committee chosen in No v. last up on the Article To see the town will take any measures to notice or celebrate the two hun 4 8 d re d th anniversary since the settlement of the town of Groton in the year 1 65 5 or p ass any vote in rela tion to the same have attended to that duty a nd submit the following Rep ort That there are eras or waymarks in the history of a p eop le which it w m a we s ell becomes the to notice or celebr te , and such con ider the

r a s w w ap p roaching anniversa y of the incorp or tion of thi to n , and ould therefore recommend to the town to celebrate sa id anniversary with a w becoming festivities, and th t a committee be chosen to take the hole s ubject into consideration a nd rep ort at the next Ap ril mee ting a p lan

a or mode of cele brating s id anniversary.

Stuart J . Park

Josi ah Bigelow Wm . Shattuck Josep h Rugg Willard Torrey Norman Shattuck Silas Nutting (p

The above rep ort wa s accep ted and the fo llowing gentlemen were chose n a committee to rep ort a p lan or mode of celebrating said

a t x anniversary the ne t Ap ril meeting .

. w Geo . S Boutwell Josiah Bigelo

Rev. David Fo sdick David Lakin a B . Russell Dr . George Ste rns

S . J . Park Norma n Smith Peter Nutting Daniel Needha m a Na thl Stone Rev . D niel Butler

B . P. Dix John Sp aulding w Rev. Crawford Nightingale Curtis La rence

. . . a E A . Bulkley Geo W B ncroft

a . George E . Tucker J . F . H ll, Jr a [John M . ] Chick No h Shattuck

George F . Farley Joshua Gilson

Calvin Fletcher P . G . Prescott a Abel Tarbell J . G . P rk a Walter Shattuck W m. Sh ttuck (p 4 03

2 1 8 Proceedings at the Town M eeti ng , A p ril , 5 5

Vo i ed e , That the rep ort of the Committ e on the second Centennial

s an d a so o Anniver ary celebration be accep ted p laced on file , l ch se the following p ersons a committee to make p rep arations and arra nge

5 0 the few links in a chain of historical facts connecting modern times with the p rehistoric p eriod of New En gland . As the shards that lie scattered around the site of old Indian dwell ings are eagerly picked u p by the arch ae ologist for critical

so - examination , these isolated facts about p lace names are worth saving b y the antiqu ary fo r their p hilological valu e . “ ” u . Gather p the fragments th at remain , that nothing be lost

B a b oifa ssel m n e e no w for erly the ame of a villag in P p p erell,

incl uded in East Pep p erell .

B a dda co o é a p ond in the eastern p art of the town . ’

Ca ta co o n a fn u r r w e as . g a st eam in Shi ley, hich mp ties into the N hua

C/zico ee — a s n w a d p di trict in the ortherly p art of the to n , and p p lie w a d e Ro w. to the high ay ap p ro ching it, calle Chicop e f B u mna zo a brook in Westford .

Kissa co o e a hill in Westford .

M a ssap o ag a p ond lying p artly in Groton a nd p artly in Dunstable .

M u l u s p a bro ok in Shirley.

Nagog a p ond in Littleton .

Na sno oa — o ld the Pra in I ndian a the name of y g vill ge in Littleton ,

no w ap p lied to a hill in that town as well as to a brook in Westford .

[ Va snu a — a r w an d m iver running through the to nship , e p tying into

the M e rrimack .

Na u rno x a m w a district, ne r the Longley monu ent, lying est of the East Pep p erell roa d ; sa id to have been the n ame of a n Indian

chief. ‘ [ Vissizzsse t n Ne w am ap p lied to the eighborhood of Hollis, H p shire,

a n a n d to a river d a hill in Pep p erell .

No n a co icu s a r u m was e b ook in Ayer, tho gh formerly the na e ap p li d a d a nd to tract of lan in the southerly p art of Groton , is shortened

often to Co icus.

[ Vuoa n ussuck d a p on in Westford . P eta up a ukeft — a name found in the original p etition to the General r fo r w w Cou t the grant of the to n , and used in connection ith the territory of the neighborhood ; sometimes written Pe tap awage and ta a wa P e p y. “ u o so o n a o n — a m a w sid o f n me n Q p g e do on the other e the ri er,

tio n e d - a r a w d in the land gr nt of Thomas Tarbell, J . ; the s me or as uasa o nikin a a a a e Q p , formerly the name of tr ct of land in L nc st r,

n o w a a w and a a w w but given to me do hill in th t to n , here it is often o a i c ntr cted into P o n kin . 5 1

' se a men Sna oo é in a e d s r , or more commonly , p p li to a di t ict in

as u w . Harvard, bordering on th e N h a, belo Still River village Sq u a nn a co o k a rive r in the western p art of the town flo wing into the

Nashua ; a name formerly ap p lied to the village of West Gro ton .

Ta dmu cé a n d a a brook meadow in Westford .

‘ Un u e i ena ssen Un uei en o rsel — a r r o f g , or g brook in the no therly p a t w the to n ; often shortened into Unq u e ty. ‘ W a uoa nsco ncezt a nother word found in the original p e titi o n for the

w a nd w e r r o f grant of the to n , used in connection ith the t rito y n the eighborhood .

L ist of To w n s

s two w o was e tablished in the C olonies, before the to nship of Gr ton

a 1 6 w a w are s d gr nted in 5 5 , together ith the ye r hen they fir t mentione

r in the ecords of the General Court .

P L'M OUTH C OLON' J— 1620 Pl m I y out h 7 N 163 3 S ci tua t e 8 M 163 7 D ux bury 9 P- 163 8 B a rn st a ble 1 0 I U S a n dwi ch 1 1 G 1639 'a rmout h

M A S S AC H US ETTS

C h a rle stown S ale m B o sto n D or ch e ste r W a te rtown M e dford Rox bury Lynn C a mbridge M a rble h e a d I p swi c h Ne wbury H i ngh a m W e ymouth C o n cord D e dh a m Rowle y S udbury

Tr ees fr o m

a Last Sep tember I wrote to the Reverend John W . W y

o f man , rector the Groton Parish in England , and through his cou rtesy I p rocu red several you ng elms and some acorns n w and beechnuts from the mother tow . D uring the inter

is Professor Charles S . Sargent, who at the head of the 5 2

i Arnold Arboretu m in Jama ca Plain , kindly took charge of the trees ; and he also planted the acorns and nuts which

“ came u p in the spring . These trees and saplings have been

' o u t te m o ra ril set p y on my land , and in due time , when of w su itable size , they ill be transplanted i n some public p lace . It i s hop ed that they will foster and keep alive an interest w between the two towns hich are connected by sentiment , thou gh separated in age by centuries and in distance b y th o u sands of m iles .

- u F i r s'P a r isn M ee i ing no se .

This cut was taken fro m a drawing made in the year 1 83 8 by

John Warner Barber , and originally ap p eared in his Historical

re re Collections of Massachusetts ( Worceste r , It p sents the First Parish Meeting - house before it was remodelled 1 8 in 3 9 , whe n it was partially tu rned round , and the north

end made the front , facing the west . The Academy bu ild — ing , on the right of th e M eeting ho use , was e nlarged i n the

1 8 6 n 1 868 . autu mn of 4 , and afterward bu r ed on July 4 , The fence now arou nd the Common in front of the Meeting 1 8 2 house was built in the au tum n of 4 , the last p ost being

p laced at the northwest co rner on October 3 of that year . The trees within the enclosu re were se t out about the same

time , excepting the row of elms along Main Street , which 1 82 8 were transp l anted in .