History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts - citizen hylbom blog

school during the remainder of the year. Leonard
Williams and Elijah Brown were school-teachers.
Of the grant of £41 for educational purposes,
made in September, £12 was for tlie women's
schools. The whole sum appropriated for town
affairs in this year was £161 -Is. lil.
In 1766, a dispute having arisen between Wes-
ton and Waltham in regard to the boundary line,
a committee was chosen to see the line rectified
and confirmed by the General Court. Elijah
Brown still continued to serve tlie town as a
schoolmaster, and iield the position until September,
1769. In December (28), 1767, tlie town
voted to adopt similar measures to those approved
by Boston, " to promote Industry, economy and
manufacturing." Numerous meetings wei-e held
during the year 1767, to take action in regard to
building a new meeting-house, and one was finally
contracted for, to cost £612 l;3-s. 4(7. In llarch,
1769, the workiiouse was, by vote of the town,
sold, the sum paid for it being £100 2*. %(l.
Jonas Dix's son Jonas was engaged to keep the
school beginning in September ; he held the posi-
tion of teacher of the grammar school until 1772,
when he resigned because of ill health. The town
voted at its September meeting to build a large
school-house near the old one, but> took no meas-
ures to carry out its vote. The year 1769 is
notable in the town's history for two occur-
rences: 1st, it was the last year (save in 17S1) in
which swine were permitted to run at large;
2d, the practice of warning out of town persons
who came without apjjarent means of support was
discontinued.
In March, 1770, the town granted money and
appointed a committee to carry out its vote of the
previous year in regard to the new school-house,
and also ordered the old one to be repaired.
Among the articles in the warrant for this meeting
was one " To know the mind of the town whether
they will concur with 'the respectable Towns of
Boston and Charlestown in refusing to purchase
any goods whatever of those persons who preferring
their own private Interest to that of the Pub-
lic still continuing to Import Goods from Brittain
contrary to the agreement of the Patriotic mer-
chants." No action was taken on this article. In
1771 a son of Josiah Brown was teacher of one of
the schools, of which there were four besides the
grammar school. During this year Newton-Street
bridge was rebuilt, and the committee, in rendering
its biU for services, items 113 mugs and 1 pitcher
WALTRAM. 415
of flip ; 10 cpiarts and 40 mugs of cider; 3 pints of
rum and 1 bowl of Toddy ; dinners, etc., — amount-
ing to £52 7*. Id (£6 19«. Id., lawful money).
In 1772 William Fisk was engaged to teach the
grammar school in place of Jonas Dix, Jr., resigned.
Miss Ruth Russell and Jonathan Ham-
mond's daughter were also of the number of
teachers.
We come now to the period when the seeds of
revolution, sowed by the framers of the Stamp Act
and its kindred impositions, are beginning to thrust
their shoots through the stratum of loyalty which
has hitherto held them in check, and from this
time the growth is rapid and fruition speedy and
complete. On the 25th of January, 1773, at a
meeting of the town, a letter was read from the
town of Boston to the selectmen complaining of the
grievances the colonists had suffered and were suf-
fering, particularly those of the Massachusetts Bay.
The letter also set forth the natural, civil, and
religious rights of the people. The town chose
Samuel Livennore, Esq., Jonas Dix, Esq., Captain
Abijah Brown, Leonard Williams, Esq., and Dea-
con Isaac Stearns a committee to draw up and
consider a vote in answer. At the May (10th)
meeting of the town a letter was read setting forth
the barbarous, unchristian, and inhuman practice
of African slavery. This matter was referred to
the representative, to act therein according to his
discretion. In March, 1774, the town voted to
buihl a new school-house near the meeting-house.
The committee to whom the details were intrusted
reported, in September, the work accomplished at
an expense of £81 5*. 'i>d. Jonas Dix was elected
representative in May, and Jacob Bigelow in Sep-
tember. The selectmen ordered four half-barrels
of powder, 450 weight of bullets, and 300 flints,
to complete the town's stock of ammunition. On
the 30th of September the town chose Captain
Abijah Brown, Leonard Williams, Esq., and Cap-
tain Jonathan Brewer a committee to draft in-
structions to their representative in regard to
what course he should pursue on the question of
the General Court's resolving itself into a provin-
cial congress. In the mean time a convention of
delegates from the towns of Middlesex County had
been held at Concord, and among other things recommended
the holding of ajjrovincial congress at
that town, and that each town should appoint a
committee of correspondence in order, as the war-
rant for the Waltham town-meeting said, "that
other Towns when thev send out on anv Emer-