THE 3 PARTS OF CONCORD’S COLONIAL INN “History is an endless chain of inventive and spurious continuities, as in the case of the USS Constellation1, the USS Constellation , the USS Constellation , and the 2 3 USS Constellation4.” — Austin Meredith HDT WHAT? INDEX CONCORD’S COLONIAL INN THE COLONIAL INN 1659 The land which is now under Concord’s Colonial Inn facing the town common, up to this point, had been owned by the Reverend Peter Bulkeley (1). His son, the Reverend Edward Bulkeley (1), had removed to Concord from his church in Marshfield in 1658, and would in 1660 be designated to succeed his deceased father as the reverend of Concord. In this year Samuel Symon Willard, son of Major Simon Willard, a Concord merchant living on Lee’s or Nawshawtuck Hill (Gleason F6) and charged by the community to deal militarily with the problem posed by the presence of a racial and ethnic other (native Americans), received his Harvard College diploma. He would become a minister of Groton and eventually his father would relocate there to reside with him. Samuel Willard one of the most eminent ministers in New England was son of Major Simon Willard and was born in Concord January 31, 1640. He was graduated in 1659 and ordained at Groton, Mass., in 1662, from whence he removed to Boston when that town was destroyed by the Indians in March, 1676, and was installed as colleague pastor with the Rev. Mr. Thacher, over the Old South Church, April 10, 1678. He officiated as Vice President of Harvard College, from September 6, 1701, till his death. He died September 12, 1707 aged 67. His son was Secretary of the province 39 years, and his grandson, Joseph Willard, D.D., LL.D., was President of Harvard. The notices in “History of the Old South Church,” and other works, are so copious, that any further 1 2 account here is unnecessary. 1. Lemuel Shattuck’s 1835 A HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF CONCORD;.... Boston: Russell, Odiorne, and Company; Concord MA: John Stacy HDT WHAT? INDEX CONCORD’S COLONIAL INN THE COLONIAL INN Henry Dunster died. 2. Per the History of Groton by Caleb Butler, 1848, page 444: Rev. Samuel Willard and his wife, Abigail Sherman married August 8, 1664. Children: 1. Abigail Willard b. July 5, 1665. (m. Samuel Estabrook) 2. Samuel Willard, Jr. b. Jan. 25, 1667. 3. Mary Willard b. Oct. 10, 1669. 4. John Willard b. Sept. 8, 1673. 5. Elizabeth Willard b. Dec. 27, 1674. He was the 2nd Minister of Groton, Mass. & ordained there July 13, 1664 - “a church gathered at Groyton and Mr. Willard ordained” (pages 155-157, Butler’s Hist. of Groton.) He m. Abigail Sherman Aug. 8, 1664, granddaughter of Lord Darcy, Earl of Rivers, England & after her death he m. Eunice, the dau. of Edward Tyng. It is said he had twenty children six by Abigail Sherman and fourteen by Eunice Tyng. The Hon. Josiah Willard, Secretary of the Province by appointment of the King, for 39 years was his son & the late Rev. Joseph Willard, Pres. of Harvard 23 years was his grandson. Rev. Gershom Hobart succeeded him as minister of Groton. HDT WHAT? INDEX CONCORD’S COLONIAL INN THE COLONIAL INN 1663 Captain Timothy Wheeler became Concord’s deputy and representative to the General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. He would be their representative off and on until 1672.3 The land which is now under Concord’s Colonial Inn was sold by Grace Bulkeley, the widow of the Reverend Peter Bulkeley, to Captain Timothy Wheeler. John Miles, freedman of Concord, had by this point acquired over 400 acres of land in the South Quarter of the town (Nine Acre Corner area). His son Samuel Miles would construct a house on “faier haven way” (still standing at #429 Williams Road) in the early 1700s, and in this house his grandson Charles Miles of Revolutionary fame would be born in 1727 and would live most of his life. During this year there would be five marriages, fourteen births, and four deaths in this town: Marriages Births Deaths 1656 3 11 — 1657 3 11 3 1658 3 6 3 1659 2 10 4 1660 6 11 3 1661 2 12 6 1662 4 14 4 1663 5 14 4 1664 4 11 2 1665 7 13 6 1666 2 22 6 1667 8 15 6 3. Representative Timothy WHEELER of Concord, freeman on May 13, 1640, ensign in 1646, was a Captain late in his days, but more often in the record called Lieutenant. He was a Representative during 1663, and very often after; he died on July 10, 1687, aged about 86, as the gravestone tells; had Sarah WHEELER, born on June 22, 1640; had his wife Jane WHEELER who died on February 12, 1643; and by wife Mary Brooks WHEELER, daughter of Captain Thomas Brooks, had Mary WHEELER, born on October 3, 1657, died at 3 years; Elizabeth WHEELER, born on October 6, 1661, who got married during 1678 with Eleazer Prout; Rebecca WHEELER, born during 1666, who got married during 1684 with James Minot; and probably others, perhaps Timothy WHEELER of Concord, freeman 1677, for one, who got married on June 29, 1670 with Ruth Fuller, and died on June 7, 1678. HDT WHAT? INDEX CONCORD’S COLONIAL INN THE COLONIAL INN Marriages Births Deaths 1668 4 21 5 1669 4 24 5 1670 2 21 2 1671 6 22 7 1672 5 20 3 1673 6 29 6 1674 3 20 5 1675 5 21 11 1676 4 13 13 1677 11 22 6 HDT WHAT? INDEX CONCORD’S COLONIAL INN THE COLONIAL INN 1667 In Concord, John Smeadly was deputy and representative to the General Court. The initial Concord town meetinghouse had been on the hill some distance easterly from the common. In this year it was arranged to create a new meetinghouse, somewhat closer in. The house would be complete in 1673. Some of the timbers cut during this year for use in the frame of the new meetinghouse would be re-used in 1710 for a law court building on the south side of the Concord common. Then, when this law court building would get old, it would be moved to the back of Deacon John White’s home for use as that family’s barn. Then in 1850 these timbers would be recycled yet again by Daniel Shattuck to build an ell on the Lowell Road side of what is now the Colonial Inn, and a stable. ESSENCE IS BLUR. SPECIFICITY, THE OPPOSITE OF ESSENCE, IS OF THE NATURE OF TRUTH. The Colonial Inn “Stack of the Artist of Kouroo” Project HDT WHAT? INDEX CONCORD’S COLONIAL INN THE COLONIAL INN 1687 July 10, Sunday (Old Style): Timothy Wheeler died, aged about 86.4 Captain Wheeler left the land which is now beneath Concord’s Colonial Inn to his daughter Rebecca Wheeler Minot, wife of Captain James Minot (1653- 1735). 4. Representative Timothy WHEELER of Concord, freeman on May 13, 1640, ensign in 1646, was a Captain late in his days, but more often in the record called Lieutenant. He was a Representative during 1663, and very often after; he died on July 10, 1687, aged about 86, as the gravestone tells; had Sarah WHEELER, born on June 22, 1640; had his wife Jane WHEELER who died on February 12, 1643; and by wife Mary Brooks WHEELER, daughter of Captain Thomas Brooks, had Mary WHEELER, born on October 3, 1657, died at 3 years; Elizabeth WHEELER, born on October 6, 1661, who got married during 1678 with Eleazer Prout; Rebecca WHEELER, born during 1666, who got married during 1684 with James Minot; and probably others, perhaps Timothy WHEELER of Concord, freeman 1677, for one, who got married on June 29, 1670 with Ruth Fuller, and died on June 7, 1678. HDT WHAT? INDEX CONCORD’S COLONIAL INN THE COLONIAL INN 1699 In Concord, Thomas Brown continued as Town Clerk. The trail through Concord to Groton, which had been in existence at least since 1665, was at this point upgraded and incorporated into a Groton Road which ran 200 miles to the British citadel at Crown Point on Lake Champlain, gateway to Québec. The road passed over the Concord River via a bridge near where the Old North Bridge now stands. At some point during the late 17th Century, Captain James Minot had built the home that eventually would become the east wing of Concord’s Colonial Inn (we know he was living there on November 14, 1716). HDT WHAT? INDEX CONCORD’S COLONIAL INN THE COLONIAL INN 1710 In Concord, William Wheeler, Joseph Dakin, William Wilson, Samuel Fletcher, and Benjamin Whittemore were Selectmen. In Concord, William Wilson was Town Clerk. In Concord, John Heywood continued as Town Treasurer. In Concord, from 2 to 3 Horse-Officers or “persons to look after horses going at large on the common during Concord Court” would be chosen each year until 1802. From this year until 1718, William Wilson would be the Town Clerk. Benjamin Whittemore was Concord’s deputy and representative to the General Court. Concord needed a new, 3d, meetinghouse. In Concord, the timbers which had been cut for use in the town meetinghouse in 1667 were being re-used at this point for a law court building being constructed on the south side of the town common. (This law court building in turn when it got old would be moved to the back of Deacon John White’s home for use as that family’s barn, and then in 1850 the timbers would be recycled yet again by Daniel Shattuck to build an ell on the Lowell Road side of what is now the Colonial Inn, and a stable.) ESSENCES ARE FUZZY, GENERIC, CONCEPTUAL; ARISTOTLE WAS RIGHT WHEN HE INSISTED THAT ALL TRUTH IS SPECIFIC AND PARTICULAR (AND WRONG WHEN HE CHARACTERIZED TRUTH AS A GENERALIZATION).