History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts - citizen hylbom blog

222 HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY.
was absent in tlie war. Colonel Epliraim Jackson
also served as a lieutenant.
Colonel Ephraim Williams, bom in Newton,
February 24, 1715, was captain of a military com-
pany in the war. In a memorable battle fought
with the French and Indians near Lake George,
he was shot through the head. The name of this
Colonel Williams is honorably connected with the
cause of education in Massachusetts. In early life
he removed to the town of Stockbridge, and was
killed September 8, 1755, aged forty years. He
was never married. About seven weeks previous
to liis death he made a will, providing for some
small bequests to his friends and kindred, and then
appropriating the residue of his property to the
support of a free school in a township west of
Fort Massachusetts, " provided that the said town-
ship, when incorporated, shall be called Williams-
town." The fund gradually hicreased, and a free
school was erected in 1788, which in 1793 became
Williams College, — a living fountain of good to
the cause of religion and sound learning, and whose
influence has reached to every quarter of the globe.
As the city of Hartford traces its birth to tiie
original town of Newton, from which Hooker and
his company proceeded in 16.36 to found the
new colony in Connecticut, so Williams College,
where the great work of missions to the heatlien
from the American churches was nursed into life,
points to the same hills and vales in acknowl-
edjgment of its origin. Newton has thus been a
greater benediction to the world than many even
of her most intelligent children know. Cotton
Mather received a letter from Dr. Leusden, affirm-
ing that the example of New England in Cliris-
tianizing the Nonantum Indians of Newton, awak-
ened the Dutch to attempt the conversion of the
heatlien in Ceylon and their other East-Indian
possessions, and that multitudes had in conse-
quence been converted to Cliristianity.
The first cemetery in Newton was around tlie
First Churcli, on the east side of Centre Street. An
acre of land was given to the town for tlie meeting-
house and burial-place by Deacon Joiiii Jackson,
and afterwards enlarged by a gift from liis son,
Abraham Jackson. The requisite legal convey-
ance of this latter gift was never recorded, and tile
right of the town In its nwuerslii]) was contested
by Mr. Jackson's luirs. The land being in a low
is tlie rectangle of land bounded on the north and
east by the cemetery, south by Cotton Street, and
west by Centre Street. Tiie first tenants of the
cemetery, so far as is known, were the Eev. John
Eliot, Jr., the first pastor, and his first wife, — the
latter buried in June, 1665, the former in October,
1668. The marble tablet erected on the spot where
Mr. Eliot was buried took the place of the original
memorial. The cemetery was enlarged by subse-
quent purchases in 1802 and 1804. Near the
spot where the meeting-house of the First Church
originally stood, a marble pillar was erected Sep-
tember 1, 1852, at the expense of forty-two per-
sons, descendants of the first settlers, with appropriate
inscriptions on the four faces, commemorating
the first inhabitants of the town, and recording
their names. On the four sides of this monument
are the following inscriptions : —
On the north side :
" Dea. John Jaclisou gave one acre of land for this Burial
Place and First church which was erected upon this spot
in 1660. — Abraham Jackson, son of Dea. John, gave one
acre, which two acres form tlie old part of this Cemetery.
Died June 29, 1740. M. 75. — Edward Jackson gave
twenty acres for the Parsonage iu 1660, and 31 acres for
the Ministerial Wood Lot in 1681. His widow Elizabeth
died, September, 1709, M. 93."
On the east side :
" Rev. John Eliot, jr.. First Pastor of the First church,
ordained July 20, 1664. — His widow married Edmond
Quincy, of Braiutree. Died, 1700. — His only daughter
married John Bowles, Esq., of Roxbury, and died May 23,
1687. — His only sou John settled in Windsor, Connecti-
cut, where he died in 1733, leaving a sou John, a student
in Yale College Erected September 1, 1852. By
descendants of the First Settlers."
On the west side :
"John Jackson, 1639-1674. Samuel Hyde, 1640-
1089; 79. Edward Jackson, 1043-1081; 79. John
Fuller, 1644-1098; 87. John Parker, 1050-1686; 71.
Richard Park. 1047-1005. Jonathan Hyde, 1047-1711
85. Thoma'^ riviilHT, 1019-1710; 89. Viucent Druce,
1050-167S, TIkhiiiis Hammond, 1050-1675. John Ward,
1650-170^; s:i. Thninas Wiswall, 1654-1683. Thomas
Prnilicr. -inA. VM .laiiirs Prrnticc, 1050-1710; 81.
John Kciirirk. ICiaN ir.sii; ^-' Isaac Williams, 1661m^^.m.
AlH.ihain Williams 1662-1712; 84. James
; Tn.uhiiilsT. li-.Cl-in: Si. John Spring, 1664-1717;
S7. .Inlni Klinl, ICC, I -IOCS; 33 Fii'st Scttlcrs of
Ncwlim, Times uf (lu-ir Settlement and Deaths, with their
,^g(•s."
On the south side :
"Thomas Wiswall, ordained Ruling Elder, July 20,
situation, and the town having never used any ])art
of it as a place of burial, it was subsequently relin-
1604. His sons, —Enoch, of Dorchester, died Nov. 28,
1706, M. 73. — Rev. Tchabod, Minister of Dnxbury 30
(luished to tlie heirs of the orii,nnal owner. This vcars. Agent of Plymouth Colony iu England, 1690; died
;