History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts - citizen hylbom blog

of §7,000 was raised by subscription to purcliase
and equip a house of mercy for liomeless and vi-
cious girls under twelve years of age, received from
the courts, or rescued from the haunts of vice in
the neighboring city of Boston. Tlie iiouse jiur-
chased for this use was the boarding-house origi-
nally erected in connection with the academy at
Newton Centre, on Centre Street, opposite the es-
tate formerly of Dr. Jonathan Homer, later of
Mayor Speare. Here the girls were instructed in
the usual branches of a common-school education,
and also in needlework and houseliold duties.
The home was sujjported by the contributions of
five denominations of Christians. The first admis-
sion was N'ovember 1-2, lS6ti, and before tlu- dedi-
cation on Christmas Day, one inonth later, eiglit or
nine more were admitted. The matron was Mrs.
Eebecca 13. Pomroy, well known for her faithful
and efficient services in the hospitals of Washing-
ton and in the family of Abraham Lincoln during
the war. Tlie Home prospered until the summer
of 1868, when the building was set on fire by one
of the inmates, and totally consumed. The school
was then removed to the estate formerly of Mr.
Ephraim Jackson, southeast of the Theological In-
stitution. The jiumber of girls in the Home in
June, 1872, was twenty-two. But the necessity
for such an institution seeming to be less apparent
than in the beginning, it was suspended, and other
provision was made for the inmates. One or two
little waifs, however, remained, for whose disposi-
tion there was no immediate opening. Tiiese became
the nucleus of a new institution, — the
Orphan Girls' Home, — since located at Newton,
in the house on Hovey Street which was formerly
the Episcopal parsonage, and from the commencement
has been in charge of Mrs. Pomroy.
To the War of 1812 belongs the name of General
William Hull, a distinguished citizen of Newton,
who married Sarah, daughter of Judge
Abraham Fuller, and resided for many years on
the estate of her father, afterwards the property of
ex-Governor Claflin, at Newtonville. General Hull
built the brick portion of the Nonantum House at
Newton. The house formerly standing on the old
site, which was Judge Fuller's, was removed nearer
the railroad, and is now occupied by J. L. Roberts,
Esq. The services of General Hull during the Revolutionary
War are said to have been constant and
valuable. At the beginning of the War of 1812
he was appointed commander of the northwestern
army for the conquest of Canada, and in an evil
NEM'TON. 253
hour surrendered his army to General Brock. Gen-
eral PIull claimed that he was not adequately sus-
tained by the government; he published a d(?fence of
his conduct, and his grandson. Rev. James Freeman
Clarke, also prejiared a pamphlet ui which he exon-
erates him from blame. On his returu to Boston,
a public dinner was tendered to him by a number
of the best citizens of the town, as an indication of
their estimation of his worth. The venerable Seth
Davis, now a nonagenarian, has such a conviction
of his innocence and uprightness, that he sedulously
carries flowers every year, on the appointed decora-
tion day, to strew iu his honor on his grave.
In the War of the Rebellion, 1S61-186.5, New-
ton, which had so distinguished herself in the days
of the Revolution, fully and honorably maintained
her patriotic character. In the progress of tlie war
the town freely voted large amounts of money to
meet the accruing expenses: November 4', 1862,
850,000; August 7, 1863, $5,000; AprU 3,
1864., §23,000; August 5, 1864, $20,000, — in
all, $98,000, of which $92,621 were actually ex-
pended. The wliole number of men required to
fill the quota of Newton under the calls for volun-
teers was 1,067 ;
the number actually furnished by
the town was 1,129. The number of volunteers
mustered into service for three years who belonged
to the town of Newton was 323. This is exclu-
sive of those who served iu the navy, and of others,
natives of the town, but who were, at the date of
their enlistment, citizens of other places.
The town of Newton furnished thirty-six com-
missioned officers and two general officers, General
A. B. Underwood and General J. Gushing Edmands.
The whole number of Massachusettts regiments con-
taining one or more Newton men was thirty ;
and
in no less than seventy-five fields did the men of
Newton imperil their lives for their country. Be-
sides these, thirty-four men, at that time or for-
merly connected with the Newton Theological
Institution, served in various cajjacities in the
army. Some of them suffered in prisons or on
battle-fields, and brought back oidy mutilated forms
for the service of the church. The amount paid
by the town and by individuals for military pur-
poses, from the beginning of the war to February,
1865, near the close, was $138,457. Of this
sum, $46,918.92 were afterwards refunded to the
town by act of the legislature. In a thousand
ways probably as much more was contributed, of
which no record was ever kept and of which no
adequate account can be rendered.