History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts - citizen hylbom blog

ehind a log, and not caring to unnecessarily expose
his person, he kept iiiniself under cover, and
extended his hat in sucli a manner as to draw the
fire of the unwary savage, and the next instant the
ball had whizzed from his unerring musket with
fatal effect. Fearing the vengeance of the tribe
should they discover the dead body, he buried it in
his own cellar. By family tradition it iias been
handed down that this man died as a soldier in
1690, when returning home from the expedition of
Sir William Phi])s to Canada. From then till
now his name has been borne by numerous de-
scendants who have always been among the chief
men of the town of wiiicii he was one of the first
settlers. I refer to Thom'as Gerry."
Tlie tradition connected with the settlement of
the first person by the name of Hadley is as fol-
lows : One morning, during the early settlement
of the town, a man named Gould, living near the
residence of Pliilander Ames, formerly that of
Thomas Gould, being at his barn at a very early,
hour, saw a man destitute of clothing approach-
ing him, who said that lie had deserted from a
vessel tlie previous night, and being fearful that
his clothes miglit retard his escape, had divested
liimself of them. He also stated that if Gould
would provide him with clothing, and keep him
secreted until after the vessel had left Boston, he
would work a sufficient length of time to compen-
sate Gould for all the trouble and expense incurred.
Hadley's Christian name is supposed to have
been Anthony ; the records, however, do not con-
firm this. But as he is said to have married a
daughter of Richard Holden, and the marriage of
Anthony Hadley to Abigail Green, November 15,
17-i4, is registered, and the birth of Abigail Had-
ley, a daughter of Anthony Hadley, Jr., and Abi-
gail, recorded July 5, 11 -il, there can be little
doubt as to his Christian name.
In a few years after Richard Holden's purchase
he disposed of a considerable portion of his land
to Ebenezer Parker, Jacob How, Spring, and
Anthony Hadley ; a piece of it still retains the
name of Spring Pasture. Among tlie first settlers
were John Vinton and Jonathan Green, at the
southeasterly part of tiie town ; the lands then belonging
to John "Vinton, and in later years owned
by several of the same name, as well as lands
owned by persons by the name of Green, being
STOXEHAM.
I Stoneham
at the present time included within the limits of the the place of Public Worship, &c. And have there-
town of Melrose. The house of Jonatliau Green upon made their application to the said Town of
was built about the year 1700, and is still standing Charlestown, and have likewise addressed this Court
341
on the westerly side of Green Lane. When first
occupied, the east part of the house was used for
a stable, thereby exhibiting the kindness of the
occupant for his horse as well as for the members
of his family. Green was a member of the Troop
Company, and often went to Groton and vicinity,
as that appears to have been a noted place of resort
for the destruction of the Indians. Jonathan
Green, a descendant in the fifth generation, is still
an owner and occupant of the premises. John
Gould, Thomas Cutler, and William Rogers are
said to have been numbered with the first settlers
at the northeasterly part of the town, and although
the names of John Gould and William Rogers do
not appear in the records of births, marriages, or
deaths, the births of Sarah Gould, born August 29,
1706, and Daniel Gould, born June 10, 1709, son
and daughter of Daniel and Sarah, are found the
first births occurring in Stoneham that are entered
upon the records.
Of those early days Mr. W. B. Stevens says
in his oration: "Prior to 16S5, when two of the
first highways were built, — one from that part
of Reading which now constitutes Wakefield, to
Woburn, and the other to Charlestown, — and the
communication had been by means of bridle-ways
and circuitous cart-paths cut through the wilder-
ness, you will be able to form an idea of the rude
life wJiich must have been led by our early ances-
tors. During these years our pious forefathers,
not numerous enougli to support a minister them-
selves, with the musket in one hand and the Bible
in the other, travelled on Sunday to the meeting-
house in Reading, and there mingled their prayers
with the people of a neighboring town."
Stoneham remained for a long period a part of
Charlestown, notwithstanding the early dates of the
incorporation of the town of Medford, Septem-
ber 2S, 16:30 ; Woburn, May 18, 1643 ; Reading,
May 29, 104-4, and Maiden, May 2, 1649. Stoneham
was made a town December 17, 172.5. The
following is a part of the act of incorporation : —
" An act for dividing the Town of Charlestown
and enacting a new Town there by the name of
—
:
" Whereas the Northerly part of the Town of
Charlestown, within the County of IMiildlesex, is
competently filled with Inhabitants who labor
under great difficulties by their remoteness from