of the oldest settlements in this town, on one of which was the principal garrison house, used for many years as a defence against the lodians, and which stood on the farm of Mr. Gill Bartlett, then owned by Samuel Goodenow, Jr. The other two, were in the vicinity of this, and constitute in whole, or in part, the farms of Deac. Jonas • Bartlett and Mr. Stephen How. In the same year, a grant of land was made to John Rediet, "west of Assabeth River, northwest side of the Chauncey Great Pond, bounded on the east by a Spruce Swamp :" another tract on "the Nepmuck read, that formerly led toward Coneticoat."* The land of John Rediet, who was one of the first proprietors and greatest land holders of Marlborough, came into the possession of Nathaniel Oaks, who married his daughter, and who lived on the farm owned in succession by Rev. John Martyn and Rev. Peter Whitney, and now in the possession of Mr. Jacob Pierce. Capt. James Eager was another of the first settlers of this town. centre of the town on the farm now in the possession of Mr. John Fisk. His house was once used for a garrison, and was for many years occupied as a tavern, being the first that was opened in the place.‡ He lived near the "The Nepmuck Road, that formerly led toward Coneticoat," was the old Connecticut road that passed through the southeast part of this town, over Rock Hill, east of Great and Little Chauncey ponds, into Westborough and thence through Hassanamesit or Grafton. 1. Hist. Col. 1. p. 185 and 192. + Nathaniel Oaks came from England, married Mehitabel, daughter of John Rediet, who died Nov. 25th, 1702, without children. His second wife Mary, was a daughter of Adam Holloway, by whom he had the following children, viz.-Nathaniel, who lived at Bolton. William, burned to death at Shrewsbury in the house of Capt. Keyes. Hannah, married to Gersham Fay, Jr. died March 8, 1806, wanting but a few months of a century. She was the mother of the late Thaddeus Fay, who died, July 22, 1822, aged 91 years. Mary, married to Daniel Maynard, Marlborough. Ann, married to David Maynard, Westborough. John, built the house near Col. Crawford's, owned by Joel Gasset. Jonathan, removed to Harvard. George, lived near the house of Mr. Luther Hawse, and built a saw mill on the river Assabeth. Capt. James Eager was a native of Marlborough, born in 1685, died 1755, aged 70. He was one of the leading men of the place at the time that Northborough became a separate precinct. It is said that his house was the first that was built on the new Connecticut road, between the house of Samuel Goodenow and the town of Worcester. It is but little more than a hundred years, since there was not a human habitation on the road from Marlborough to Brookfield, west of the Goodenow farm, in the eastern part of this town, with the exception of a few log houses in that part of Worcester called Boggachoag. James Eager, Jr. a son of the above, was married to Mariam, daughter of Joseph Wheeler. Their daughter Zilpeh, was married to Michael, son of Rev. John Martyn through whom there are several persons in this town who trace their descent from the first minister of the place. Several other persons settled in what is now Marlborough, in the early part of the last century.* Soon after the commencement of the eighteenth century, the English settlers of Marlborough were again exposed to the horrors of Indian warfare. It will be difficult for us, who are permitted to dwell in security under the shelter of the domestic roof, to form an adequate idea of the perilous condition of our forefathers, at this gloomy period. "We have, indeed, heard within our ears, and our fathers have told" us the story of their dangers and sufferings"in the waste and howling wilderness." But how difficult to enter into the feelings of men, who were in constant peril for their lives; who, like the children of Israel in rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, repaired to their work with weapons in their hands, and who were liable to be waked from their midnight slumbers by the savage yells of a pitiless foe? In many instances were they *Simeon Howard was the father of Cornet Simeon Howard, and of Jonathan Howard, whose son, Gideon Howard, removed to Worthington, in this state, where his descendants, it is supposed, still live. Simon Howard, Senior, from Concord, was another of the first settlers. His house stood near the hearse house, on the land of Mr. Asa Fay. It is not known whether the Simeon Howard mentioned above, was related to Simeon Howard, D. D. late pastor of the west church in Boston. Adam Holloway, from Concord, (died in 1733, aged 80,) and his son Lieut. Wm. Holloway, (died Jan. 6, 1760, aged 71,) settled on the farm now owned by Stephen Williams, Esq. Lieut. Wm. Holloway, married Mary, (died March 9, 1788, aged 94,) a daughter of Simeon Howard, Senior, by whom he had two sons and four daughters. The sons died young. Of the daughters, Mary, married Jonathan Bartlett, died Dec. 22, 1821, aged 95.—Hannah, married Capt. James Stone, of Western.-Betty, married Daniel Wheeler, of Hardwick.-Jemima, married John Taylor, who died at St. Albans, Vt. John Taylor, was the father of Col. Holloway Taylor now of St. Albans and of John Taylor, Esq. an Attorney at law, at Northampton. He was Gershom Fay, Senior, was one of the first settlers of this town. the son of John Fay, of Marlborough, married Mary, a daughter of John Brigham, died in 1720. He lived at first in the easterly part of the town, afterwards, built a house on the Coram Farm, near the bend of the road, between the dwelling house of Capt. Hastings, and that of Stephen Williams, Esq. His children were Gershom, Mary, Susanna, Sarah, Silas, Timothy, and Paul. Thomas Ward, from Marlborough, was the first settler on the farm now in the possession of Asaph Rice; and Deac. Isaac Tomblin on the farm of the late Deac. Isaac Davis. Hezekiah Tomblin, lived first on Tomblin Hill, so called; Ephraim Beeman, on the farm of Samuel Dalrymple. Joseph Wheeler, (died in 1747, aged 56,) lived on the southern declivity of Ball's Hill, so called. Ephraim Allen, from Roxbury, purchased of an Eleazer How, a few acres of land, with a grist mill erected thereon, the site of the present mill, and Cotton Factory. This was the first, and for many years the only grist mill, in this town. compelled to desert their farms, leaving their lands untilled, while old and young, the strong and the feeble, flocked to the frail fortifications, denominated garrisons, as their only means of safety. These were usually nothing more than common dwelling houses, surrounded by palisades, and furnished with a supply of fire arms and ammunition. In the year 1711, there were no fewer than twenty six garrison houses within the limits of Marlborough, to each of which were assigned, on an average, five or six families, the whole number of families being one hundred and thirty seven.* "MARLBOROUGH, DECEMBER 11, 1711. "These several persons are allowed by the Captain Generall. "The persons assigned to each particular Garrison are as followeth : Ordered, by us the Subscribers, by the direction of an act of the Generall Court, entitled an act for the better security and defence of the fronteers. Capt. How's GARISON. Samuel Stevens Jonathan How Samuel Stow, Senior Mr. BRECK's* GARISON. Capt. KERLY'S GARISON. Nathaniel Johnson Thomas Amsden Simon Gates Joseph Johnson. Capt. BRIGHAM'S GARISON. ISAAC AMSDEN'S GARISON. Adam Martin Is. How's GARISON. John Newton Widdow Johnson Moses Newton, Jr. James Kady. Lieut. WILLIAMS' GARISON. Thomas Beman Peter Bent Richard Barns Edward Barns ENSIGN How's GARISON. Joseph Rice. SAMUEL MORRIL'S GARISON. Sergeant Barret Joshua Rice Thomas Martin Samuel Bush. THOMAS BRIGHAM'S GARISON. Jonathan Brigham Oliver Ward JOHN How's GARISON. Samuel Wheelock Obadiah Ward Thomas Axtel. SAMUEL GOODENOW's GARISON. Nathaniel Oakes *This undoubtedly was the Rev. Robert Breck, the second Minister of Marlborough. 155 For several of the preceding years, the inhabitants, especially such as lived in the borders of the town, had been kept in a state of constant anxiety and alarm, in consequence of the hostile attitude of the Indians. August 8th, 1704, a party of Indians, eight or ten in number, rushed suddenly from the woods, and fell upon a number of the inhabitants of what is now Westborough, while at work in the field; killed Nahor, a son of Mr. Edmund Rice, on the spot, seized and carried into captivity two other sons, Silas and Timothy; also Ashur and Adonijah, two sons of Mr. Thomas Rice. Ashur was redeemed by his father, and returned in about four years. He afterwards settled in Spencer. Adonijah remained in Canada, cultivated a farm in the vicinity of Montreal. His Indian name was Asaunaugooton. The other two lived among the Indians, married Indian. wives, acquired their habits, and lost all knowledge of the English language. The puritanical names of Silas and Timothy were changed into the heathenish, but not unmusical ones of Tookanowras and Oughtsorongoughton. The latter is said to have been the third of the six chiefs of the Cagnawaga tribe, and the one who made the speech to Gen. Gage, in behalf of his tribe, soon after the reduction of Montreal. This chief, in the year 1740, thirty six years after his captivity, visited his relations in Westborough, and retained, it is said, a distinct recollection of the circumstances of his captivity, and of several aged persons then living. Mr. Seth Rice, father of the late Deac. Seth Rice, and who died in 1796, aged 91, was a brother, and Thankful, wife of the late Mr. Josiah Rice, was a sister, of the above named Silas and Timothy. In the preceding month, (July) two of the inhabitants of Marlborough, viz. Abraham How and Benjamin Hutchins, were slain by the Indians at Lancaster. On the 15th of October, 1705, Mr. John Biglow, of Marlborough, being then at Lancaster, at the garrison house of Mr. Thomas Sawyer, was, with Mr. Sawyer and his son Elias, taken by the Indians, and conveyed to Canada. They obtained their release in the following manner: Both of them were ingenious mechanics, one, (Sawyer) a blacksmith, the other, (Biglow) a carpenter. While they were at Montreal, they proposed to the French Governor, who resided in that city, that, in case he would procure their ransom, they would erect for him a saw mill, there being none at that time in all Canada. The offer was readily accepted; they fulfilled their engagement, and, after some delays, were permitted to return to their friends, with whom they lived to a good old age. Mr. Biglow, in token of his gratitude for his remarkable deliverance from captivity, called his daughter, born soon after his return, "Freedom;" and a second, born some time afterwards, he called "Comfort," as expressive of the happiness and peace he then enjoyed, contrasted with the hardships and fears of a state of captivity. |