History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts - citizen hylbom blog

whicli should need it came again. At a crowded
meeting of the citizens April ^0, 1861, it was
" Resoloed, Tliat^we believe it to be the duty of every
lover of his country and his race to assist iu crushing out
the rebelhon and treason now existing in the Southern
States.
" Resoloed, Tliat the town of Maiden, true to its ancient
liistory, v/ill furnish the men and the means to the extent
of iier abihty for tliis object ; and we recommend the im-
mediate formation of a company of volunteer imlitia to aid
in preserving the government of these United States."
An enrolment of volunteers for three years was
at once commenced, and a liberal subscription
made for equipments and supplies ; and tlie town,
a few days later, authorized the expenditure of ten
thousand dollars "for the comfort and support of
the families of tiiose who have been or may be
called into the naval or military service of the
United States, and who shall be inhabitants of
Maiden."
Tiiereafter tiie town in its corporate capacity,
and the people, botli in organizations and as indi-
viduals, labored to the utmost in the spirit of their
resolves. The volunteers were formed into a com-
pany, under Captain Joseph E. Simonds and Lieu-
tenant Ivory N. Richardson, and drilled in the
town-hall until Jidy 10, when, as Company K,
17tli Regiment, they went into camp at Lynnfield.
Of this company, which was mostly composed of
citizens of Maiden, and which saw much hard ser-
vice in North Carolina during the war. Sergeant
Henry Foskett, Corporal James R. Gilchrist, and
privates Charles M. Eagan, Oscar Biebier, Tiiomas
H. Speed, Albert W. Crockett, and James M.
Powers perislied in rebel prisons. The first Mai-
den citizen who was slain in the war was Sergeant
Gordon Forrest, a member of the 1st regiment,
who fell at Blackburn's Ford, July 18, 1861, in
one of the skirmishes which preceded the battle of
Bull Run.
The six hundred men who were sent by Maiden
into the service upheld her honor through many
scenes of trial and danger, and bore their part man-
fully on land and sea. It is to be regretted that
no steps have been taken to preserve their names
from the common lot of man, and that much in
relation to them has already passed beyond the
MALDEX. 135
public meetings and by organizations of the citi-
zens for the various purposes of recruiting and
relief.
Since the close of the war, and during the great
business prosperity which preceded the panic of
1873, the town has received its largest growth.
In 1865 the population was 6,840, and the valua-
tion $3,733,993. This was not a large gain over
the statistics of 1860, but the increase had just
begun.
By an act of the legislature, March 9, 1870, the
southern portion of Maiden, with 2,200 iidiabi-
tants, was allowed to become a seimrate town, by
the name of Everett. The territory thus taken
comprised all that which had been gained from
Charlestown in 1726, with the southeastern portion
of the original town, and was substantially that
which had formed the Second Precinct. The in-
habitants of this section had never been quite easy
as citizens of a town in which the will of a minor-
ity was subordinate to that of the whole ; and complaints
of injustice, which are natural to a growing
community, jealous of its rights, were often made.
For near a quarter of a century they had agitated
the question of a separate township, and had made
six ineffectual endeavors to obtain an act of incor-
poration. The division was stoutly opposed by the
town ; and the meetings in which the question was
considered, and where the rival sections met, were
as stormy as declamation could make them. What-
ever may have been the short-comings of tiie peo-
ple of South Maiden in the days of their real or
fancied wrongs, as citizens of Everett they have
managed their affairs with judgment, and have re-
joiced in a common prosperity with their brethren
of tlie elder town.
The division of the town left Maiden with 7,370.
inhabitants, and a valuation of §4,999,272, which
has now increased to 10,831 souls, and a valuation
of $10,138,800. In 1870 the water-works con-
necting the town with Spot Pond were completed,
and a copious supply of pure water was introduced.
This measure, which was subjected to a strong
opposition in its earlier stages, has proved to be
of great advantage and a real benefit to the com-
munity. Daring this period a remarkable rise in
reach of him who -would gather it up.
real estate occurred, and a corresponding activity
The town expended in war charges the sum of in building operations was observed ; and several
$60,000, which was exclusive of $33,000 which flourishing villages, as at Faulkner's and at Lin-
was disbursed as state aid and was refunded by den, sprung up with great rapidity. Though much
the commonwealth ; and a large sum, supposed to of this increase was fictitious, and has disappeared
have been not less than §25,000, was raised at imder the pressure of the times, it added to the