There are 6 churches, 2 Congregational, 2 Methodist, 1 Baptist, and 1 for Friends. Population, 1,713. Distance, 18 miles from Worcester, and 47 from Boston. In 1837 there were 2 cotton mills, 4,000 spindles; 1,000,000 of cotton goods were manufactured; value, $55,000; males employed, 65; females, 75. There were 2 axe manufactories; 121,400 axes and hatchets were manufactured; value, $116,400; hands employed, 79. DUDLEY. THIS township was originally granted to the Hon. Messrs. Paul and William Dudley of Roxbury, while yet in the possession of the aborigines, the tribe which was known by the name of the Pegan tribe. It was incorporated by the general court in 1731, and the name of Dudley was given to it as a token of respect to the abovementioned men, who were principal proprietors of the soil, and great benefactors to the first settlers in their infancy. The church was founded here in 1732, and the Rev. Perley Howe was ordained their first minister in 1735. He was dismissed in 1743, and the next year Rev. Charles Gleason was ordained, who continued the faithful minister till his death, in 1790. The Rev. Joshua Johnson was installed as successor to Mr. Gleason in 1790. His successors have been Rev. Abiel Williams, ordained in 1799, and Rev. James H. Francis, in 1831. The central part of Dudley is situated on a commanding eminence, called Dudley Hill. The village consists of two churches, an academy, and about twenty-five dwelling-houses. The view above, shows the appearance of the place as seen from a point about half a mile eastward, on the road to Webster. The Congregational church is seen in the central part of the engraving, before which is seen the road ascending the hill, which here descends with con 564 siderable abruptness. The Universalist church and the academy town. There are 3 churches, 1 Congregational, 1 Universalist, and 1 Methodist. Population, 1,415. Distance, 18 miles from Worcester, 6 from Southbridge, 45 from Hartford, (Conn.,) and about 60 from Boston. In 1837 there were 3 woollen mills, 11 sets of machinery; 196,653 yards of cloth were manufactured; value, $319,991; males employed, 101; females, 98. There were 27,740 pairs of shoes manufactured; value, $22,698; males employed, 26; females, 18. The following, respecting the Indians who lived in this town, is from Gookin's Collections. ; "About five miles distant from hence [Oxford] is a second town, called Chabanakongkomun. It hath its denomination from a very great pond, about five or six miles long, that borders upon the southward of it. This village is fifty-five miles south-west from Boston. There are about nine families and forty-five souls. The people are of sober deportment, and better instructed in the worship of God than any of the new praying towns. Their teacher's name is Joseph, who is one of the church of Hassanamessit; a sober, pious, and ingenious person, and speaks English well, and is well read in the scriptures. He was the first that settled this town, and got the people to him about two years since. It is a new plantation, and is well accommodated with At this place dwells an Indian called Black James, who about He is a person that uplands and meadows. a year since was constituted constable of all the praying towns. hath approved himself diligent and courageous, faithful and zealous to suppress sin and so he was confirmed in his office another year. Mr. Eliot preached unto this people, and we prayed and sung psalms with them, and we exhorted them to stand fast in the faith. A part of one night we spent in discoursing with them, and resolving a variety of questions propounded by them, touching matters of religion and civil order. The teacher Joseph and the constable James went with us unto the next town, which is called Maanexit, is a third village, and lieth about seven miles westerly from Chabanakongkomun. It is situated in a very fertile country, and near unto a fresh river, upon the west of it, called Mohegan river. It is distant from Boston about sixty miles west and by south. The inhabitants are about twenty families, as we compute one hundred souls. Mr. Eliot preached unto this people out of the 24th Psalm, seven to the end: Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in, &c. "After sermon was ended we presented unto them John Moqua, a pious and sober person there present, for their minister, which they thankfully accepted. Then their teacher named and set and rehearsed a suitable psalm, which being sung, and a conclusion with prayer, they were exhorted, both the teacher to be diligent and faithful, and to take care of the flock, whereof the Holy Ghost had made him overseer, and the people also to give obedience and subjection to him in the Lord." FITCHBURG. THIS town was originally a part of the town of Lunenburg, and wholly included in the grant made to the proprietors of Turkey Hill. It was incorporated a town in 1764. A part of Fitchburg, to the north, was cut off in the year 1767, to aid in forming the town of Ashby. What the Indian name given to this territory was, is not known; but the first name applied to it by white men was Turkey Hills, so called on account of the great number of wild turkeys which frequented the place for their favorite food of chesnuts and acorns there abounding. When the order or grant of the general court_passed, in 1719, there was but one family residing in the territory of Turkey Hills. The head of this family was Samuel Page, universally designated by the honorable title of "old Governor Page." When the general court's committee (as they were styled) first visited the place, in Dec. 1719, in the performance of their duty, they found Governor Page, whose faithful subjects were composed of his wife Martha and several promising children, oocupying a comfortable habitation on the southerly side of Clark's Hill, a few rods to the rear of the barn belonging to the farm of Micah Marshall. It is directly opposite to the principal grave-yard, little more than one mile in a south-easterly direction from the meeting-house. Old Governor Page exercised not a little taste in the selection of his place of abode. He had, however, no title to the land which he was cultivating, for it was then public domain, and belonged to his majesty's province of the Massachusetts Bay. David Page was undoubtedly among the earliest, perhaps the first, of the settlers in Fitchburg. The birth of his eldest child is dated Oct., 1735. Some of the aged people of this town think that the first settlement was on the place now owned by James L. Haynes, and that the occupant was sometimes called Governor Page. Others say that David Page lived there, but from how early a period they cannot tell. As to the residence of old Governor Page near the center of Lunenburg, there can be but little doubt; for the land on which the first pound was built was purchased of him, and the governor himself was elevated to the office of pound-keeper. The house occupied by one Page, near James L. Haynes', was "garrisoned," that is, sticks of timber, hewn on two sides to the thickness of six inches, were firmly driven into the ground so near together as to touch. They extended around the house at the distance of about ten feet from it. Port-holes were made through this of sufficient dimensions to allow the fire of musketry. The condition of the highways, in the early history of the town, can hardly be imagined at the present time. For the most part they were merely "bridle paths," winding through the woods, over one hill after another, increasing the distance double to what it is at the present time. Wheel carriages had not then been introduced. Travelling was performed on horseback. In order that people might not lose their direction, trees were marked on one side of the path. A few roads, which would soon prove the destruction of one of our modern carriages, were laid out at an early season near to the center of the town; but in that part of the town which is now Fitchburg there was nothing of the kind till, in 1743, a committee was chosen "to lay out and mark a way to the west line of the town, in order to answer the request of the Hon. Thomas Berry, Esq. in behalf of Ipswich Canada, (Winchendon,) and to accommodate Dorchester Canada, (Ashburnham,) and the new towns above us." The two most important roads, which led from this part of the town to the center, were the one by David Page's, (J. L. Haynes',) and corresponding nearly with what is now denominated the old road, and the one by David Goodridge's, who lived in the place now occupied by W. Bemis, near the brick factory, at South Fitchburg. What little communication there was between Lunenburg and "the new towns above," was principally made through the road by David Page's, already mentioned. This road, probably, passed the village of Fitchburg, nearly in the same place with the present travelled way. It then wound up the hill, by Enoch Caldwell's, over flat rock, through the land lately owned by Sylvanus Lapham, and thence to what was then Lunenburg west line, and into Dorchester Canada. John Scott had been for a long time desirous of a more direct route to the center of Lunenburg; but the town would not accede to his wishes. He accordingly procured a court's committee, who laid the present Scott road, "to the great satisfac 566 tion of Mr. John Scott," as the records say. This road passed from the middle of Lu- For several years previous to the incorporation of the town, says Mr. Torrey, "the inhabitants of the westerly part of Lunenburg began to have shrewd suspicions that they were able to walk alone-that they were sufficient in knowledge and numbers to manage their own affairs-and that it was an unnecessary burden upon them to be compelled to travel the distance of five or ten miles to attend divine service, and transact the ordinary business of town affairs. It will be seen, upon an inspection of the case, that there was a pretty good foundation for these opinions. By an examination of the records, it will be seen that a very fair proportion of those who were selected to manage the most important affairs of the town, was taken from among those afterwards belonging to It ought, furthermore, to be considered that a ride of ten miles then was quite a different affair Fitchburg. from a ride of that distance now. Of the roads at that period mention has already been made. They were but little better than cow-paths. When this town was incorporated, there were no wheel carriages here of A spruce young gentleman, in treating a higher rank than ox carts. Any vehicle of lighter construction would have soon gone to destruction over such roads. Journeys were then made on horseback, or on foot. the mistress of his affections to a ride, or the sober-minded husband, in carrying the partner of his life to church, brings the sure-paced animal to the horse-block, and mounts, the lady places herself on the pillion behind him. The horse starts off on a walk-the greatest speed at which it would be considered safe to drive him, through roads so rough. They thus pursue their journey, winding along up one hill and then another. The horse leaps over the smaller streams, for fear of wetting his feet, and wades boldly through the larger ones, even to endangering the feet of his riders. Now the gentleman dismounts to let down" the bars, and then proceeds along, dodging under the boughs, twigs, and limbs of trees. He must start very early, or arrive at his journey's end very late. It is, therefore, not to be wondered at, that the early settlers of this town began, so early as they did, to desire a separation from the parent stock, that they might be nearer in the performance of their public duties, whether they were such as they owed to the community or to their Maker. The long-sought-for object of the people of the westerly part of Lunenburg having been obtained, a committee, consisting of Messrs. John Fitch, Amos Kimball, Samuel Hunt, Ephraim Whitney, and Jonathan Wood, was chosen to procure the act of incorporation; which was obtained in Feb. 1764. At this time the whole number of inhabitants did not exceed 250. The following individuals and their families composed the population of Fitchburg at the time it was incorporated: Ephraim Kimball, Solomon Steward, Samuel Poole, Kendall Boutelle, Wm. Henderson, Thomas Gerry, Ezra Whitney, Jesse French, Phineas Goodell, *The author is almost entirely indebted for the history of this town to the History of the Town of Fitchburg, by Mr. Rufus E. Torrey, a pamphlet of upwards of 100 octavo pages, printed and published at Fitchburg, in 1836. "The personal prowess of these Gibsons was quite proverbial. On one occasion Isaac Gibson, in his rambles on Pearl hill, found a bear's cub, which he immediately seized as his legitimate prize. The mother of the cub came to the rescue of her offspring. Gibson retreated, and the bear attacked him in the rear, to the manifest detriment of his pantaloons. This finally compelled him to face his unwelcome antagonist, and they closed in a more than fraternal embrace. Gibson, being the more skilful wrestler of the two, 'threw' Bruin, and they came to the ground together. Without relinquishing the hug, both man and beast now rolled over each other to a considerable distance down the hill, receiving sundry bruises by the When they reached the bottom, both were willing to relinquish the contest without any further exway. perience of each other's prowess. It was a draw game, the bear losing her cub and Gibson his pantaloons."-Torrey's History. The above is a southern view in the central part of Fitchburg. The village, which is large and flourishing, lies in a narrow valley on the north-eastern bank of a branch of the Nashua river. There are 8 mercantile and 2 book stores, a printing-office, where a newspaper is published, two large hotels, a bank, "The Fitchburg Bank," which was incorporated in 1832, with a capital of $100,000. This place is 24 miles from Worcester, 30 from Lowell, and 47 from Boston. The general surface of the town is extremely uneven, consisting almost entirely of hills, some of which are very abrupt, and of considerable magnitude. Rollstone, a hill lying immediately south-west of the village, rises abruptly 300 feet above the bed of the stream which flows at its base; and there are other summits which rise still higher. The soil when properly subdued produces heavy crops, and abounds with excellent pasturage lands. Population, 2,662. There are 5 churches, 2 Congregational, (1 of which is Unitarian,) 2 Baptist, and 1 Methodist. In 1837, there were 4 cotton mills, 3,880 spindles; 699,700 yards of cotton goods were manufactured; value, $62,700; males employed, 27; females, 62; there were 3 woollen mills, 10 sets of machinery; 294,500 yards of cloth were manufactured; value, $274,500; males employed, 88; females, 64. Two paper-mills; 175 tons of stock were manufactured; value of paper, $20,000; two scythe manufactories; 31,200 scythes were manufactured; value, $23,000. The first church in Fitchburg was formed in 1764, and Rev. John Payson was ordained pastor. Rev. Samuel Worcester, his successor, was ordained in 1797, and continued here about five years, when he resigned, and was installed pastor of a church in Salem. Dr. Worcester entered zealously into the cause of missions. He died at Brainerd, a missionary station among the Cherokees, June 7th, 1821. The successor of Dr. Worcester was Rev. Titus T. Barton, who was installed pastor in 1804; he was succeeded by Rev. William Bascom, in 1805. Rev. William Eaton, the next minister, was ordained in 1815. Rev. Rufus A. Putnam, the successor of Mr. Eaton, was or dained in 1824, and was succeeded by Rev. John A. Albro, who was installed in 1832. Rev. Joshua Emery, the next pastor, was ordained in 1835. Rev. Calvin Lincoln was |