History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts - citizen hylbom blog

4G4 HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY.
ual home was near Grafton. The historian Hub-
bard speaks of him as " very familiar witli the
whites." He was an attendant on the ministry of
Mr. Browne, and was converted to a belief in the
Christian religion by his preaching. Pie joined the
Christian Indians at Natick, and became a promi-
nent leader there. When the Society for Propagat-
ing the Gospel in New England made arrangements
with schoolmaster Corlett of Cambridge to educate
Indian youths in preparation for college, a son of
Nataous was sent there for instruction. It appears
tiiat there were charges connected with the tuition
of this boy wliich the English society failed to pay;
and Mr. Corlett obtained leave of the General Court
" to purchase of Netus the Indian so much land
as the said A^etus is possessed of according to law
for the satisfaction of the debt." Tlie original
amount due was £ 4 10.s.; interest and cliarges raised
it to £7 10*. Under the court's order Edmund
Rice, Sr., and Thomas Noyes laid out to said Corlett,
from the lands of said Netus, a farm of 320
acres.
In 1674 Netus is described by Gookin as
"among the good men and prudent, wiio were
rulers at Natick." But a year after, on the break-
ing out of Philip's War, the Praying Indians were
treated by the provincial authorities as " treacher-
ous heathen " ; and some of them proved their
iniieritance in our common human nature by re-
turning to heathen customs. February 1, 1676,
Netus headed a party of savages who attacked and
destroyed the family of Thomas Eames of Framing-
ham. He was killed the 27th of March following,
at Marlborough, and soon after his scjuaw was sold
into slavery.
The tiiird Indian proprietorship was situated in
the soutluvesterly piirt of tlie town, mostly on the
"New Grants." It was held by Tantamous, alias
Jetliro, Jchojakcll, the Speene family, and otliers,
and was pureh.is(>il by the town in i684. for £12.
Tlie noted Indian Bridge, a landmark often re-
ferred to in the earlv records, wns situated at an
an-lc ill Wrst l',iook, noHhrrlv fnim I'l'lbnui's
Fond. There is ii.iw al \\w \)n\n\ n nmvcl b;ir,
which allonls a crossing-|il;Kv r„r Icanis. No de-
scription of tlu! i)ridge is cxtnnt.
The first grmit of lands, ml iirriil ((I .Suilbnrv, to
persons of ili^tiiirhdn, «;!; ni .V .Imi,. i;, i(;:lil,t(.
Mr.s.Eli/,:,l.rih(;h.v,r,ui,].,w
Thi^en.npn.c! ;, t:„>n „f MV
ifll'V. .In.srGj.urr.
limMliv,! acres, lying
in 1700 the northeasterly part of the farm fell
within the bounds of Wayland.
Pelham's farm comprised " the Island," and was
wholly within our town bounds. It was granted,
September 4, 1639, to Herbert Pelliam, Esq., who
put £100 into the common stock of the colony,
and was one of the assistants to the governor.
The farm was leased to tenants, and November 11,
1711, was sold by his heirs to Isaac Hunt and
Samuel Stone, Jr.
Dunster's farm — granted in 1640 to Henry
Dnnster, president of Harvard College — lay to
the south and east of Mrs. Glover's, and was wholly
within the present bounds of Wayland. June 24,
1059, Edmund Ptice and his son Benjamin bought
this farm of the executors of Mr. Dunster's will.
Jennison's farm, of two hundred acres, lay on
the south bounds of the town, extending from the
Dunster farm to Weston line. This was granted
in 1638 (laid out in 1646) to Captain William
Jennison of Watertown, for service in the Pequot
War. It was sold, April 8, 1657, to Edmund
Piice.
Second Mcclijiij-IIoiise. — In the summer of
1653 a new meeting-house was built on the old
spot. In size it was 40x25 feet, and 12 feet
high. It had gable-ends, two pinnacles, two
doors, four transom windows 6x5 feet, and a clear-
story window in each gable-end 4x3 feet. Tlie
outside was covered with clapboards four feet long.
The roof was covered with thatch. Inside it had
dorments across the house sufficient for galleries
if needed, " the two middle beams to be smoothed
on three sides, and the lower corners to be run
with a bowkell." The walls were cased with
smooth cedar boards up to the bottom of the win-
dows, and from here to the beams were plastered
with tempered clay. The seats were of white oak,
" both posts and rails and benches."
MllUary. — May 13, 1640, " Mr. Brian Pendle-
ton is desired to train the company at Sudbury,
and Mr. Peter Noycs is appointed surveyor of arms
there." The town's proportion of ])owder, " which
they are to buy and pay for, is one barrel." Sep-
tember 27, 1642, Ancient (Ensign) Cakebread is
appointed to lead the company. In 1648, and
ai,'aiu in 1652, it is ordered that the meeting-house
be used as a walrli-hniise. In lllliS tlie town sold
a pi.rc (if meadow n.^ar tlie bnek-kilii, and six
acres of upland to Katiiorn Read tor 1(1 in money,
" to buy silk for a suitable flight of colours for the
"«llhnul Ihr i),,inHN"„f 111 touii .111 the south;
ijiistnicnt of li Ih F ingham use of the military company."