- Published on
Sudbury, MA - I braved the threat of the incoming “snowstorm of the season” this afternoon to go check out the Revolutionary War Cemetery in Sudbury, MA, established in 1716. It is the oldest cemetery of modern Sudbury and holds the remains of 47 soldiers who fought in the Revolutionary War. Also buried there are Revolutionary era leaders and historical figures, such as Colonel Ezekiel How, second innkeeper of the historic Wayside Inn. The oldest existing stone is from 1727 and if you are interested, a list of the names on the stone markers is available from the Historical Society.
My quest today was to move along the trail of John Brigham (1644-1728) in hopes of finding clues about his burial. My John Brigham, as I have learned, was not only the pioneer settler of what is now Northborough, MA but also a prominent settler of nearby towns Marlborough and Sudbury. When he died in 1728, he had been a long-time resident of Sudbury, but was also reported to have stayed with his daughter Mary (Brigham) Fay in Northborough. As none of the three towns has a burial record for our John Brigham, where did he go? His church membership and death were recorded in Sudbury, so that is where I headed to find a clue or two.
I located only two headstones in the burial ground for Brigham, neither of which was for John or one of his 3 (yes, 3) wives. Located at opposite ends of the property, they were possibly infant brother and adult sister. Curiously enough, the burial for the adult Mary Brigham is located at the end of a row that has a large gap between it and the next marker, a small footstone engraved “M.B.”
Now whether or not the little footstone belongs to Mary is difficult to tell, particularly as there is a relatively generic footstone already located behind her headstone, but no matter. What does matter is that this cemetery is arranged with many “family groups” where headstones with the same surname take up a row or two. In a small historic cemetery such as this, with closely placed burials in neatly arranged rows, any “empty” spaces are quite possibly unmarked graves where the stones fell and were buried under the sod over time. As serendipity would have it, the property has a Ground Penetrating Radar project planned for it this year and the goal will be to identify probable unmarked burials.
At the end of my visit, the snow started falling and my inked notes started to bleed…but before heading home, I felt I had discovered a possible burying place for members of the Brigham family that lived during the time of my John Brigham. That alone made it a good day at work.
You can find the photos and transcriptions of the Brigham headstones at www.billiongraves.com. A virtual tour of historic Sudbury is available on the town's Historical Society website.
You can find the photos and transcriptions of the Brigham headstones at www.billiongraves.com. A virtual tour of historic Sudbury is available on the town's Historical Society website.
Source:
Allen, Rev. Joseph. History of Northborough, Mass., in Various Publications and Discourses. Worcester: 1880.
Allen, Rev. Joseph. History of Northborough, Mass., in Various Publications and Discourses. Worcester: 1880.
- Published on
The History of Private Schools in Northborough, Massachusetts
Overview
The emergence of early private schools in Massachusetts may have been to address the concerns of ensuring education in communities experiencing difficulty in maintaining schools, or to offer advanced and focused curriculum for older children. The several private institutions in Northborough during the earlier centuries offered advanced or theological curriculum as an alternative to the required public schools:
The emergence of early private schools in Massachusetts may have been to address the concerns of ensuring education in communities experiencing difficulty in maintaining schools, or to offer advanced and focused curriculum for older children. The several private institutions in Northborough during the earlier centuries offered advanced or theological curriculum as an alternative to the required public schools:
The Northborough Seminary (1780 – abt 1788)
The year was 1780 and the Town of Northborough made it a priority to build dedicated schoolhouses in which to provide quality public education for all children in town. At that same time, 14 heads of families invested in The Northborough Seminary, the town’s first private institution. The individuals’ financial support of alternative education was notable for that era, considering that the American Revolution had taken a large toll on the local economy and its resources.
The Seminary was built at the junction of Pleasant and Church Streets, on the Meeting House Common. After the school ceased operation, the vacant building was sold and relocated to the corner of Rice and Whitney Streets as a private residence.
The year was 1780 and the Town of Northborough made it a priority to build dedicated schoolhouses in which to provide quality public education for all children in town. At that same time, 14 heads of families invested in The Northborough Seminary, the town’s first private institution. The individuals’ financial support of alternative education was notable for that era, considering that the American Revolution had taken a large toll on the local economy and its resources.
The Seminary was built at the junction of Pleasant and Church Streets, on the Meeting House Common. After the school ceased operation, the vacant building was sold and relocated to the corner of Rice and Whitney Streets as a private residence.
The Allen School
(1818 – 1852)
Reverend Joseph Allen (1790-1873) was installed as Town Minister in 1816 and shortly thereafter opened The Allen School to earn extra income and educate his own family of seven children at their home at 49 Church Street. It was a family school for boys, organized to prepare young men for college or the ministry, and also to provide classical instruction to a large number of private pupils preparing themselves for other professions. Because the minister’s household had strong religious principles and operated during the Temperance and Abolition Movements, the mission of the school was also “to influence young minds, and to instil (sic) into them such principles as may enable them to resist the temptations of life.” An example of how the boys implemented their skills for social justice and community improvement can be found in their short-lived, but well-respected, school paper titled The Meteor (1836-1837).
The school record shows students attending as early as 1818 and as late as 1852. As there were few schools of this kind at that time, the number of pupils soon exceeded the plan and their home was enlarged to accommodate them. During that time, at most there were about twenty students in the parsonage, ranging in ages from six to twenty seven. Although the Allen family desired to close the school as the aging Mrs. Allen’s health began to fail, they kept on a few students during the years after 1852.
(1818 – 1852)
Reverend Joseph Allen (1790-1873) was installed as Town Minister in 1816 and shortly thereafter opened The Allen School to earn extra income and educate his own family of seven children at their home at 49 Church Street. It was a family school for boys, organized to prepare young men for college or the ministry, and also to provide classical instruction to a large number of private pupils preparing themselves for other professions. Because the minister’s household had strong religious principles and operated during the Temperance and Abolition Movements, the mission of the school was also “to influence young minds, and to instil (sic) into them such principles as may enable them to resist the temptations of life.” An example of how the boys implemented their skills for social justice and community improvement can be found in their short-lived, but well-respected, school paper titled The Meteor (1836-1837).
The school record shows students attending as early as 1818 and as late as 1852. As there were few schools of this kind at that time, the number of pupils soon exceeded the plan and their home was enlarged to accommodate them. During that time, at most there were about twenty students in the parsonage, ranging in ages from six to twenty seven. Although the Allen family desired to close the school as the aging Mrs. Allen’s health began to fail, they kept on a few students during the years after 1852.
The Valentine Boarding School (abt 1837 – 1865)
Educated in the public schools of Northborough and privately at The Allen School, Elmer Valentine (1795-1864) was one of five brothers who became eminent teachers. He taught both in Northborough and at his own private school in Boston. In 1837, he returned to Northborough and opened The Valentine Boarding School. He was considered not only a very successful teacher, but was also noted for his beautiful handwriting and published a manual on the art of penmanship. The school was originally conducted in the vestry of the Baptist Church at School and Summer Streets. The following year, he relocated to the farm at 50 Cherry Street, where the school continued until it closed in 1865.
Educated in the public schools of Northborough and privately at The Allen School, Elmer Valentine (1795-1864) was one of five brothers who became eminent teachers. He taught both in Northborough and at his own private school in Boston. In 1837, he returned to Northborough and opened The Valentine Boarding School. He was considered not only a very successful teacher, but was also noted for his beautiful handwriting and published a manual on the art of penmanship. The school was originally conducted in the vestry of the Baptist Church at School and Summer Streets. The following year, he relocated to the farm at 50 Cherry Street, where the school continued until it closed in 1865.
The Allen Home School (1882 – abt 1890)
The Allen Home School was conducted by the Rev. Joseph and Lucy Allen’s' son, Edward A. H. Allen (1828-1898). He was educated in Northborough schools, received advanced science degrees, and spent his career in academics. Having experience as a professor of physics and as principals of private schools elsewhere in Massachusetts, he returned to Northborough (at age 52) to establish a private preparatory school. In 1886, the school was advertised in a Chicago theological publication, Unity and the University, noting “special attention given to preparation for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the new scientific requirements at Harvard College.” Operating as late as 1890, the school was considered “a well-equipped institution of its class.”
The Allen Home School was conducted by the Rev. Joseph and Lucy Allen’s' son, Edward A. H. Allen (1828-1898). He was educated in Northborough schools, received advanced science degrees, and spent his career in academics. Having experience as a professor of physics and as principals of private schools elsewhere in Massachusetts, he returned to Northborough (at age 52) to establish a private preparatory school. In 1886, the school was advertised in a Chicago theological publication, Unity and the University, noting “special attention given to preparation for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the new scientific requirements at Harvard College.” Operating as late as 1890, the school was considered “a well-equipped institution of its class.”
SOURCES:
Allen, Elizabeth Waterhouse. Memorial of Joseph and Lucy Clark Allen. Boston: George H. Ellis, 1891.
Allen, Rev. Joseph. History of Northborough, Mass., in Various Publications and Discourses. Worcester: 1880.
Allen-Johnson Family, Papers, 1759-1992. Manuscript Collections. American Antiquarian Society, Worcester.
Kent, Josiah Coleman. Northborough History. Newton, Massachusetts: Garden City Press, 1921.
Nason, Rev. Elias. A Gazetteer of the State of Massachusetts. Boston; B.B. Russell, 1890.
New York, New York. The New York Times, 1898.
Unity and the University, Volumes 17-18. Chicago: Charles H. Kerr & Co., 1886.
Allen, Elizabeth Waterhouse. Memorial of Joseph and Lucy Clark Allen. Boston: George H. Ellis, 1891.
Allen, Rev. Joseph. History of Northborough, Mass., in Various Publications and Discourses. Worcester: 1880.
Allen-Johnson Family, Papers, 1759-1992. Manuscript Collections. American Antiquarian Society, Worcester.
Kent, Josiah Coleman. Northborough History. Newton, Massachusetts: Garden City Press, 1921.
Nason, Rev. Elias. A Gazetteer of the State of Massachusetts. Boston; B.B. Russell, 1890.
New York, New York. The New York Times, 1898.
Unity and the University, Volumes 17-18. Chicago: Charles H. Kerr & Co., 1886.
- Published on
Where the Streets Have No Name?
In 1830, a survey map of the town of Northborough was created by resident Gill Valentine. The historical significance of the rendering comprises the names of landowners, vital industries, and familiar topography of the town. Curiously, the streets are not labeled, although they were named at that time.
Today those are the same streets we drive on regularly, whose names are often too familiar to warrant a second thought. While many bear the names of old families, such as Brigham and Fay, others simply carry the ID of landmarks and land forms, such as Church and Stirrup Brook. Attractive and elegant new red street signs are a testimony as to the importance of street naming and I like how they show you both where to go as well as where we have come from.
As for those signs? My friend who lives on Valentine Road is used to her street sign disappearing every February, a la incurable romantics. My friend who lives on Tomahawk pretty much assumes that anything with the high school mascot's name on it won't last more than a week or two. So when Fox News showed up last week to cover the story that over 100 street signs in town have gone missing, I wasn't very surprised.
Today those are the same streets we drive on regularly, whose names are often too familiar to warrant a second thought. While many bear the names of old families, such as Brigham and Fay, others simply carry the ID of landmarks and land forms, such as Church and Stirrup Brook. Attractive and elegant new red street signs are a testimony as to the importance of street naming and I like how they show you both where to go as well as where we have come from.
As for those signs? My friend who lives on Valentine Road is used to her street sign disappearing every February, a la incurable romantics. My friend who lives on Tomahawk pretty much assumes that anything with the high school mascot's name on it won't last more than a week or two. So when Fox News showed up last week to cover the story that over 100 street signs in town have gone missing, I wasn't very surprised.
You may or may not have seen the coverage on the late evening news a few weeks back, but as my other friend, Serendipity, will tell you, always put on lipstick and style your hair before heading out to a baseball game near the center of any town. Yes, a few of the sound bites were ME (and my hand gestures) explaining what I have seen and heard about this local scandal.
The $15,000 price tag to replace those elegant new red signs is a serious matter, as are the safety and "getting lost in your own hometown" factors. Off camera, though, I'll admit that I joked that I was more concerned about the loss of visible reminders of Northborough's founding families' names.
Mapmaker Gill Valentine would certainly have gotten a huge chuckle out of this, considering he did not use the street names 1830 anyway, and that his namesake sign had nothing to do with a holiday!
The $15,000 price tag to replace those elegant new red signs is a serious matter, as are the safety and "getting lost in your own hometown" factors. Off camera, though, I'll admit that I joked that I was more concerned about the loss of visible reminders of Northborough's founding families' names.
Mapmaker Gill Valentine would certainly have gotten a huge chuckle out of this, considering he did not use the street names 1830 anyway, and that his namesake sign had nothing to do with a holiday!
SOURCE:
Map of Northborough, Surveyed by Gill Valentine. Northborough Historical Society, 1830.
Map of Northborough, Surveyed by Gill Valentine. Northborough Historical Society, 1830.
- Published on
"Who was the first settler in Northborough and what's his story?"
I located an interesting biographical sketch of the designated first settler of Northborough, Massachusetts while reading Northborough History by Josiah Coleman Kent (Garden City Press, 1921). While most of the other local histories I had located up to that point only gave a nod to John Brigham's title as "first settler," I really felt that there was more to learn about him, particularly as his family may have remained in the area to eventually play a part in the Brigham Street Burial research project.
Kent's biography and his additional notes about John Brigham's mill were the most detailed I had seen to date, but missing were additional events in his life that occurred in between what I felt were still very broad strokes. The research I conducted, although not complete by any means as I need to move on to the next step of the Brigham Street project, was able to fill in some of the gaps. My guess is that some enterprising student in need of a good history project can pick up where I necessarily had to leave off.
Below are the reprints from Northborough History about John Brigham. The additional research and documentation I completed in order to fill in the timeline was done on Ancestry.com, the summary of which can be found on John Brigham's profile page on that website. A reproduction of the profile page, as a biographical timeline, without full citations but with the list of sources used, is available by request. If you have the time, check out the Ancestry pages for John's parents, Thomas and Mercy, as their stories are equally as intriguing.
Excerpts from Northborough History by Josiah Coleman Kent (Garden City Press,1921)
P. 278
p. 157
p. 158
p. 159
SOURCES:
Abstract of Middlesex Court Files from 1649 [to 1675]. R. Stanton Avery Special Collections Department. New England Historic Genealogical Society. Boston. Handwritten transcription of original records: Vol. 1 1649-1664; Vol 2. 1664-1675.
Allen, Rev. Joseph. Topographical and Historical Sketches of the Town of Northborough, with the Early History of Marlborough, in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts: Furnished for the Worcester Magazine. Worcester: W. Lincoln & C. C. Baldwin, 1826.
Brigham, Emma Elisabeth. The History of the Brigham Family: Second Volume. Rutland, Vermont: The Tuttle Company, 1927.
Brigham, Willard Irving Tyler. The History of the Brigham Family: a Record of Several Thousand Descendants of Thomas Brigham the Emigrant, 1603-1653. New York: Grafton Press, 1907-1927.
Hudson, Charles. History of the Town of Marlborough, Middlesex County, Massachusetts: From its First Settlement in 1657 to 1861 : With a Brief Sketch of the Town of Northborough, a Genealogy of the Families in Marlborough to 1800, and an Account of the Celebration of the Two Hundredth Anniversary of the Incorporation of the Town. Boston: Press of T.R. Marvin & Son,1862.
Kent, Josiah Coleman. Northborough History. Newton, Massachusetts: Garden City Press, 1921.
Schutz, John A. Legislators of the Massachusetts General Court, 1691-1780: a Biographical Dictionary. Boston: Northeastern University Press, 1997.
Vital Records of Cambridge, Massachusetts, to the Year 1850: Volume 1. Births. Boston: The New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1914.
Vital Records of Sudbury, Massachusetts to the Year 1850. Boston: The New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1903.
Abstract of Middlesex Court Files from 1649 [to 1675]. R. Stanton Avery Special Collections Department. New England Historic Genealogical Society. Boston. Handwritten transcription of original records: Vol. 1 1649-1664; Vol 2. 1664-1675.
Allen, Rev. Joseph. Topographical and Historical Sketches of the Town of Northborough, with the Early History of Marlborough, in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts: Furnished for the Worcester Magazine. Worcester: W. Lincoln & C. C. Baldwin, 1826.
Brigham, Emma Elisabeth. The History of the Brigham Family: Second Volume. Rutland, Vermont: The Tuttle Company, 1927.
Brigham, Willard Irving Tyler. The History of the Brigham Family: a Record of Several Thousand Descendants of Thomas Brigham the Emigrant, 1603-1653. New York: Grafton Press, 1907-1927.
Hudson, Charles. History of the Town of Marlborough, Middlesex County, Massachusetts: From its First Settlement in 1657 to 1861 : With a Brief Sketch of the Town of Northborough, a Genealogy of the Families in Marlborough to 1800, and an Account of the Celebration of the Two Hundredth Anniversary of the Incorporation of the Town. Boston: Press of T.R. Marvin & Son,1862.
Kent, Josiah Coleman. Northborough History. Newton, Massachusetts: Garden City Press, 1921.
Schutz, John A. Legislators of the Massachusetts General Court, 1691-1780: a Biographical Dictionary. Boston: Northeastern University Press, 1997.
Vital Records of Cambridge, Massachusetts, to the Year 1850: Volume 1. Births. Boston: The New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1914.
Vital Records of Sudbury, Massachusetts to the Year 1850. Boston: The New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1903.
- Published on
RECORDS SEARCH IN PROGRESS...
"Who was the first settler in Northborough and what's his story?"
Clip of Ancestry.com profile page for John Brigham (1644-1728)
JOHN BRIGHAM (1644-1728): We know who the first settler was, both from tradition and court records, but I want to know more about the circumstances that brought him here and what happened to his family. One of the Town Proprietors in 1744 was a Brigham and a family relationship should be confirmed or ruled out. (HINT: There's not a direct line between John and Jesse, but they are actually related.)
BIOGRAPHICAL BACKGROUND: John Brigham's father Thomas came to Watertown from England when he was 34. He eventually settled in Cambridge, where all his children, including our John, were born. After Thomas' death, his widow married a Sudbury man who, with his new family, signed on to be one of those first settlers of the Marlborough Plantation. John grew up as a Marlborough man, had a well-respected career as a multi-tasking pioneer, and became the very first inhabitant on the land that became modern Northborough. His story is colorful enough that I have been purposely distracted from the Brigham Street to-do list. Truthfully, though, understanding John Brigham's life circumstances will give us insight into what happened to his family and what life was like for his descendants that stayed here. His daughters may be mothers of children buried at Brigham Street and their stories should be uncovered as well.
CURRENTLY READING: Every Day Life in the Massachusetts Bay Colony by George Francis Dow (Dover Publications, New York, 1988)
SOURCE:
Brigham, Willard Irving Tyler. The History of the Brigham Family : a Record of Several Thousand Descendants of Thomas Brigham the Emigrant, 1603-1653. New York: Grafton Press, 1907-1927.
BIOGRAPHICAL BACKGROUND: John Brigham's father Thomas came to Watertown from England when he was 34. He eventually settled in Cambridge, where all his children, including our John, were born. After Thomas' death, his widow married a Sudbury man who, with his new family, signed on to be one of those first settlers of the Marlborough Plantation. John grew up as a Marlborough man, had a well-respected career as a multi-tasking pioneer, and became the very first inhabitant on the land that became modern Northborough. His story is colorful enough that I have been purposely distracted from the Brigham Street to-do list. Truthfully, though, understanding John Brigham's life circumstances will give us insight into what happened to his family and what life was like for his descendants that stayed here. His daughters may be mothers of children buried at Brigham Street and their stories should be uncovered as well.
CURRENTLY READING: Every Day Life in the Massachusetts Bay Colony by George Francis Dow (Dover Publications, New York, 1988)
SOURCE:
Brigham, Willard Irving Tyler. The History of the Brigham Family : a Record of Several Thousand Descendants of Thomas Brigham the Emigrant, 1603-1653. New York: Grafton Press, 1907-1927.
- Published on
IN HONOR OF PATRIOT'S DAY (April 18, 2011)
No, you do not have to get up at the crack of dawn on Patriot's Day to drive up to Battle Road in Lexington, Massachusetts and witness the impressive events marking the beginnings of our new country. Instead, sleep in until noon, drive to the center of Northborough, gaze east along Main Street, and read the poem below.
Excerpt from Northborough History (p. 62):"In the spring of 1775, a company of minute-men was organized, who forthwith began to drill that they might be prepared for that eventuality. They did not have to wait long for that eventuality --- for on the nineteenth of April, at about noon, news of the Battle of Lexington arrived in town. Curiously enough, the minute-men were gathering at the time for the purpose of listening to a patriotic address by their minister, Parson Whitney, who, we shall show later, was in thorough sympathy with the spirit of the times. Instantly their minds were made up. They repaired to their homes, bade good-bye to their families, and assembled at the home of their captain, Samuel Wood. Here, their good parson commended them to the protection of God, in an earnest prayer; after which, to the sound of Joseph Sever's drum and Ebenezer Hudson's fife they started on their way to Boston. All this happened 'within three or four hours' of the arrival of the news from Lexington."
The New York Times also published the poem, as written by Wallace Rice in the Springfield Republican (29 April 1900).SOURCE:Kent, Josiah Coleman. Northborough History. Newton, Massachusetts: Garden City Press, 1921.
- Published on
REPOSITORY REPORT - AmericanAncestors.org
AMERICAN ANCESTORS (online website for the New England Historic Genealogical Society) has many searchable collections, a list of which is too long to detail here. For our purpose of pinning down death dates and locations of Northborough's founding fathers, I searched only the death and probate record indexes for the 39 "Heads of Families" previously documented as residing in the town in 1744. The reason for choosing those specific names and that particular year is to establish a baseline of which families were known to have lived there during our research period of 1727-1749. The plan is to subsequently identify their family members' death dates and locations during that period as well. Any deaths occurring during the research period will be evaluated as a possible burial at the Brigham Street Burial Ground.
Colonial records can be difficult to locate for a variety of reasons. First and foremost, it must be understood that the recording of deaths was customary but that many of the early paper records have since been lost to fire or neglect. Many of the death records found in the Massachusetts Town Records collection come from a variety of sources, including original town records, church records, and gravestone transcriptions. The NEHGS database is considered a finding aid, not a source, because the abstracted information given is only a summary taken from the original document [and not the information in its original form]. Therefore, for the wills and probate records, I still need to locate the originals and transcribe them before citing the evidence. As the Massachusetts Town Records collection can be viewed as PDFs (pictures), I considered viewing those images the same as reading the original books and will properly cite the evidence from them. [Although the records books are not defined as true original death records, they are likely to be the closest I get in some cases.]
Name variations, misspelling of names, and multiple relatives with the same name can all present challenges when trying to locate a correct record for a specific person. As I mentioned in my last post, the name "James Eager" was used over three generations in the same family, including siblings. A closer look at that family illustrates a common naming pattern for families, which is to reuse a name for a child born after a sibling with that name had died. My favorite name variation example is that of "Joshua Townsend," also known as "Joshua Dowsing." Put on your best colonial British accent, speak both surnames quickly, and you'll see why! Finally, phonetic spelling is very subjective and frequently resulted in records under different names for many of the people I researched.
For determining death dates, I was able to find most of the proprietors in the series of Massachusetts Town Vital Records compiled by Franklin Rice in the early 1900's. In other cases, the NEHGS index listed a will or probate record indicating an approximate year of death. When a probate court record was given, I made note of the record number for finding the original document at the Massachusetts State Archives. On Ancestry.com, I used the death records to source cite a proprietor's death and noted where original probate and will records existed and still need to be consulted before source citing.
A few of the men could not be located in either the Massachusetts Town Death Records or the Probate Record Index. For the purposes of this specific database search, I noted the results as having returned no information. However, on the Ancestry.com tree page for those men, there is evidence found in other sources providing clues as to where and when those men may have lived and died. None of the men in this category had an indicated death date during the research period.
Name variations, misspelling of names, and multiple relatives with the same name can all present challenges when trying to locate a correct record for a specific person. As I mentioned in my last post, the name "James Eager" was used over three generations in the same family, including siblings. A closer look at that family illustrates a common naming pattern for families, which is to reuse a name for a child born after a sibling with that name had died. My favorite name variation example is that of "Joshua Townsend," also known as "Joshua Dowsing." Put on your best colonial British accent, speak both surnames quickly, and you'll see why! Finally, phonetic spelling is very subjective and frequently resulted in records under different names for many of the people I researched.
For determining death dates, I was able to find most of the proprietors in the series of Massachusetts Town Vital Records compiled by Franklin Rice in the early 1900's. In other cases, the NEHGS index listed a will or probate record indicating an approximate year of death. When a probate court record was given, I made note of the record number for finding the original document at the Massachusetts State Archives. On Ancestry.com, I used the death records to source cite a proprietor's death and noted where original probate and will records existed and still need to be consulted before source citing.
A few of the men could not be located in either the Massachusetts Town Death Records or the Probate Record Index. For the purposes of this specific database search, I noted the results as having returned no information. However, on the Ancestry.com tree page for those men, there is evidence found in other sources providing clues as to where and when those men may have lived and died. None of the men in this category had an indicated death date during the research period.
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS
PROPRIETORS WHO DIED DURING THE RESEARCH PERIOD 1727-1749
After performing record searches in the American Ancestors database for probate and death records for each of the 39 original town proprietors of 1744, it was found that only 3 died during the research period. Of these, Joseph Wheeler has already been documented as a burial at the Brigham Street Burial Ground. The Tomlin family members, father and son, both died before or near the time that the Brigham site was closed.
FURTHER RESEARCH
Additional information about where the 2 Tomlin proprietors were buried may be found in the Westborough and Northborough church records. Copies of the Westborough Church records are at the Westborough Public Library and the First Church of Northborough records are in the archives of the American Antiquarian Society. Gravestone transcriptions for the 2 towns' colonial burial grounds need to be located.
Original probate and will records are archived at the Massachusetts State Archives. Names of living family members, inventory of estate, and personal information (including burial directions) may be found in the documents.
Reverend Parkman's diary entries may also provide information about the men's last days.
After performing record searches in the American Ancestors database for probate and death records for each of the 39 original town proprietors of 1744, it was found that only 3 died during the research period. Of these, Joseph Wheeler has already been documented as a burial at the Brigham Street Burial Ground. The Tomlin family members, father and son, both died before or near the time that the Brigham site was closed.
FURTHER RESEARCH
Additional information about where the 2 Tomlin proprietors were buried may be found in the Westborough and Northborough church records. Copies of the Westborough Church records are at the Westborough Public Library and the First Church of Northborough records are in the archives of the American Antiquarian Society. Gravestone transcriptions for the 2 towns' colonial burial grounds need to be located.
Original probate and will records are archived at the Massachusetts State Archives. Names of living family members, inventory of estate, and personal information (including burial directions) may be found in the documents.
Reverend Parkman's diary entries may also provide information about the men's last days.
FINDING AID:
American Ancestors (website for the New England Historic Genealogical Society), www.americanancestors.org.
SOURCES:
Kent, Josiah Coleman. Northborough History. Newton, Massachusetts: Garden City Press, 1921.
Vital Records of Westborough, Massachusetts, to the End of the Year 1849. Worcester, Mass.: Franklin P. Rice. 1903.
American Ancestors (website for the New England Historic Genealogical Society), www.americanancestors.org.
SOURCES:
Kent, Josiah Coleman. Northborough History. Newton, Massachusetts: Garden City Press, 1921.
Vital Records of Westborough, Massachusetts, to the End of the Year 1849. Worcester, Mass.: Franklin P. Rice. 1903.
- Published on
SITE VISIT IMPRESSIONS
Today's weather? No snow on the ground, ground dry, skies sunny...a perfect day to walk the Brigham Street Burial Ground since beginning this project. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to visit the site, armed with a sketch of its history and of who may be interred there. With the objectivity of a researcher, but my personal curiosity of getting a new impression of the place, I headed over and started walking a grid.
And that is where the experience got tricky.
Having read about burial customs of the times, having found a witness's documentation of more burials in addition to the 4 still there, and understanding the family and neighbor relationships that existed about 1730, I "saw" so much more in that patch of land than I ever would have thought.
The parcel was cleaned up and cleared before the winter, so the ground was completely exposed and easily walked. The Holloway/Wheeler family members are still where I remembered, of course. Each of the parallel and west-facing graves is still well-marked with head and footstone, the roughly 5ft by 2ft mound between the stones smattered with large rocks among the moss. This time, however, I stood back away from that small section in order to really observe the larger area nearby with a new perspective. And that is when it struck me. There are even more groupings of parallel patches of stones, some mounded and some sunken. There are even a few parallel sunken spots near the rear of the parcel. All these are not news, of course, as the observations have been made by others in the past. For me, however, to have a researched to date a count of close to 20 possible burials and to be able to count at least that number of visible marked spots left me stunned, frankly. I was also saddened by the understanding that they have been long since forgotten, except by those who maintain the property to keep it clean and mowed.
There have been several efforts in the past to identify those buried there. My very non-scientific hope is that the advances made in technology over the last several decades, coupled with the advances of the information age, can shed new light on just what the story is in this interesting old place. And which of the brave founding families should be remembered and honored.
And that is where the experience got tricky.
Having read about burial customs of the times, having found a witness's documentation of more burials in addition to the 4 still there, and understanding the family and neighbor relationships that existed about 1730, I "saw" so much more in that patch of land than I ever would have thought.
The parcel was cleaned up and cleared before the winter, so the ground was completely exposed and easily walked. The Holloway/Wheeler family members are still where I remembered, of course. Each of the parallel and west-facing graves is still well-marked with head and footstone, the roughly 5ft by 2ft mound between the stones smattered with large rocks among the moss. This time, however, I stood back away from that small section in order to really observe the larger area nearby with a new perspective. And that is when it struck me. There are even more groupings of parallel patches of stones, some mounded and some sunken. There are even a few parallel sunken spots near the rear of the parcel. All these are not news, of course, as the observations have been made by others in the past. For me, however, to have a researched to date a count of close to 20 possible burials and to be able to count at least that number of visible marked spots left me stunned, frankly. I was also saddened by the understanding that they have been long since forgotten, except by those who maintain the property to keep it clean and mowed.
There have been several efforts in the past to identify those buried there. My very non-scientific hope is that the advances made in technology over the last several decades, coupled with the advances of the information age, can shed new light on just what the story is in this interesting old place. And which of the brave founding families should be remembered and honored.
- Published on
ONLINE FAMILY TREE (Ancestry.com)
(Revised 4/1/2011)
As I discover the possible burials at Brigham Street Burial Ground, I post the working research notes (complete with documentation and notations) on Ancestry.com. For subscribers to the site, the tree to view is listed as Early Northborough, MA Settlers. My notations are fairly clear and if any life events do not have attached citations, it means that I have either yet to locate a source or the event is irrelevant to my project. Finding aids and online databases are not cited as sources, but the clues they provide are detailed under the appropriate event in a profile's timeline; the original records will be located and transcribed during future research.
Please bear in mind that I am primarily adding events from online sources to the Ancestry tree, partially due to the accuracy and convenience of copy-and-paste. Offline, I am keeping additional notes and copies of records that may not make it to the public tree, at least for the time being. Conflicting evidence for events are noted and will be resolved during future research.
As the focus of the research is to establish whether or not a particular person died during the period 1727-1750, the biographical information I post to the tree is only that which I evaluated as part of determining a person's date of death during those years. (There are many more stories and details about the settlers and I hope to include them at a later date.) Those persons who are "known" burials at Brigham Street can be quickly identified on the "List of All People" page with their names in all CAPS (example: "ADAM HOLLOWAY"). The "probable" names will have capitilized surnames only (example: "Hannah OAKE"). "Possible" names will be noted on their individual profile pages. Those settlers found to have died before 1727 or after 1750 will have either a recorded death date or a note that they died outside the research period (example: "died after 1757 when last child was born.")
Finally, the town of record in any event closely follows the historical timeline of how the land was known at that time. In other words, if a person lived in what is Northborough today their life events will be recorded on the tree as:
- Marlborough (1660-1717)
- Westborough (1717-1744)
- Westborough Precinct 2 (1744-1766)
- Northborough (after 1766)
As I discover the possible burials at Brigham Street Burial Ground, I post the working research notes (complete with documentation and notations) on Ancestry.com. For subscribers to the site, the tree to view is listed as Early Northborough, MA Settlers. My notations are fairly clear and if any life events do not have attached citations, it means that I have either yet to locate a source or the event is irrelevant to my project. Finding aids and online databases are not cited as sources, but the clues they provide are detailed under the appropriate event in a profile's timeline; the original records will be located and transcribed during future research.
Please bear in mind that I am primarily adding events from online sources to the Ancestry tree, partially due to the accuracy and convenience of copy-and-paste. Offline, I am keeping additional notes and copies of records that may not make it to the public tree, at least for the time being. Conflicting evidence for events are noted and will be resolved during future research.
As the focus of the research is to establish whether or not a particular person died during the period 1727-1750, the biographical information I post to the tree is only that which I evaluated as part of determining a person's date of death during those years. (There are many more stories and details about the settlers and I hope to include them at a later date.) Those persons who are "known" burials at Brigham Street can be quickly identified on the "List of All People" page with their names in all CAPS (example: "ADAM HOLLOWAY"). The "probable" names will have capitilized surnames only (example: "Hannah OAKE"). "Possible" names will be noted on their individual profile pages. Those settlers found to have died before 1727 or after 1750 will have either a recorded death date or a note that they died outside the research period (example: "died after 1757 when last child was born.")
Finally, the town of record in any event closely follows the historical timeline of how the land was known at that time. In other words, if a person lived in what is Northborough today their life events will be recorded on the tree as:
- Marlborough (1660-1717)
- Westborough (1717-1744)
- Westborough Precinct 2 (1744-1766)
- Northborough (after 1766)
ONLINE SOURCES
During the curent stage of the Brigham Street Burial Ground project, the publications and records I am researching are also available online through a variety of sites:
(1) Ancestry.com has digitized histories and vital record compilations.
(2) American Ancestors (NEHGS site) has digital publications and records, in addition to those on Ancestry.com.
(3) Google Books has many of the same digital publications as Ancestry.com, as well as other rare and limited release books.
(4) The Library of Congress has a selection of its holdings accessible online (see also The Internet Archive).
(5) The Internet Archive has digital book uploads, comparable to Google Books, from a variety of institutions and users.
I use a combination of the above, along with hardcopies of the publications not available digitally, to document the evidence for the research. Ideally, the original copies of any of the works and documents should be located and cited. If you are interested in any of the sources I have accessed to date, they are listed on my SOURCES page. Hardcopies can be ordered online through sites such as Amazon.com and rare/used booksellers.
(2) American Ancestors (NEHGS site) has digital publications and records, in addition to those on Ancestry.com.
(3) Google Books has many of the same digital publications as Ancestry.com, as well as other rare and limited release books.
(4) The Library of Congress has a selection of its holdings accessible online (see also The Internet Archive).
(5) The Internet Archive has digital book uploads, comparable to Google Books, from a variety of institutions and users.
I use a combination of the above, along with hardcopies of the publications not available digitally, to document the evidence for the research. Ideally, the original copies of any of the works and documents should be located and cited. If you are interested in any of the sources I have accessed to date, they are listed on my SOURCES page. Hardcopies can be ordered online through sites such as Amazon.com and rare/used booksellers.
WORDS OF CAUTION
I have found that some uploaded digital books are of poor image quality or are simply OCR versions of scanned originals. In both instances, material is either missing or illegible. Therefore, I do not use anything except "exact copies" of the original texts as to stay true in my documentation. (Note: In the illustration to the right, the company that published this OCR copy sells a digital [PDF] exact copy of the original book for a fee and can be bought from them directly.)
When using the search function to locate names in digital books (basically PDF files), a problem arises when two or more people have the same name. For example, "James Eager" of colonial Westborough is actually 4 different people. Only by reading texts thoroughly and in chronological order can the confusion be avoided. Additionally, using the history books in conjuction with vital records is imperative to evaluate a person's age and circumstance (living, married, or dead) at the time of a given event and whether or not it makes sense.
Note that not all information in history books and family genealogies is documented and should be used with discretion. Family lore and local stories are often passed down through the ages like the "telephone game", where details get modified or added as the story gets retold. Therefore, my goal is to find more than one independent and reliable source of evidence before classifying an event as probable. Furthermore, known will be a very rare label, used only when an event is reported by an eyewitness.
A final note of advice for using any publication (print or electronic) is you should read the work in its entirety before using its information for research. Footnotes, endnotes, and appendices can contain corrections or clarifications to the text and must be considered before citing the evidence. In my case, it wasn't until I reached the end of the Topographical and Historical Sketches of the Town of Northborough (Allen, 1826) that I found his "Errata" containing corrections to names, dates, and places. Any information I cite will be noted as the corrected version.
- Published on
Excerpt from Northborough History (Kent, 1921. p. 3-6)
"In 1744 there were thirty-seven families in the north part; and being situated at a distance of several miles from the main part of the town [of Westborough], they thought that they could get along much better if they should be permitted to manage their own affairs. So, remembering what the west part of Marlborough [i.e. Westborough] had done in 1717, they drew up a petition, went down to Boston, and presented it to the Great and General Court. This petition asked that the north part of Westborough be made into a "distinct and separate precinct" of the town. The petition was granted on October 20, 1744.
"In 1744 there were thirty-seven families in the north part; and being situated at a distance of several miles from the main part of the town [of Westborough], they thought that they could get along much better if they should be permitted to manage their own affairs. So, remembering what the west part of Marlborough [i.e. Westborough] had done in 1717, they drew up a petition, went down to Boston, and presented it to the Great and General Court. This petition asked that the north part of Westborough be made into a "distinct and separate precinct" of the town. The petition was granted on October 20, 1744.
...Having gained the objects of their desire, steps were immediately taken for the perfecting of a government for the new precinct. Accordingly, all the inhabitants of the district were duly and legally warned to meet on the 15th day of November for that purpose.
This first precinct meeting was held at the home of Colonel William Holloway...This meeting was for purely organization purposes; and...marks the beginning of our town government.
This first precinct meeting was held at the home of Colonel William Holloway...This meeting was for purely organization purposes; and...marks the beginning of our town government.
...We have stated above that there were thirty-seven families in the north precinct at the time of its separation from the mother town...The list includes ...two young men who were not married at the time, but who were married shortly afterwards."
