History of Leominster

The Town of Leominster has very little Indian history, although for many years previous to its incorporation the parent town, Lancaster, suffered greatly from Indian depredations.
The whole territory of the town was at one time owned by Sholan, Sachem of the Nashuays, whose headquarters were at Waushacum in Sterling.

Very little is known of the occupation of the land comprising the town of Leominster by these Indians, the tribe having ceased to exist in an organized form, before the Lancaster New Grant was much settled by the white man, and there is no intimation that the settlers were ever molested; a state of things no doubt resulting form the fact that the courage and spirit of the tribe and its rulers was broken, and also that the land had been purchased of their chief, and paid for to his full satisfaction, thus giving no occasion for disputes or ill feeling.

The first agreement was made in 1701, and the following is a copy of the Indian deed of the new grant, the bargain with George Tahanto and other Indians, for lands purchased of them.

"Know all men by these presents, That I, George Tahanto, Indian Sagamore, for an in consideration of what money, namely, twelve pounds, was formerly paid to Sholan, my uncle, sometime Sagamore of Nashuah, for the purchase of said township, and also forty-six shillings formerly paid by Ensigne, John Moore and John Houghton of said Nashuah, to James Wiser, alias Quenepenett, now deceased, but especially, for and in consideration of eighteen pounds, paid part, and the rest secured to be paid, by John Houghton and Nathaniel Wilder, their heirs, executors and assigns forever, a certain tract of land on the west side of the westward line of Nashuah township, adjoining the said line, and butts southerly for the most part on the Nashuah river, bearing westerly towards Wachusett Hills and runs northerly as far as Nashuah township, and which lands and meadows, be it more or less, to be the said Insigne, John Moore, John Houghton and Nathaniel Wilder, their heirs and assigns, to have and to hold forever, and I, the said George Tahanto, do hereby promise and engage to procure and confirmation of the sale of said lands as aforesaid, and also that I will show and mark out the bounds of said land in convenient time, not exceeding four months, and also make such deeds and conveyances as may be necessary for the confirmation of the premises, and that also I, the said George Tahanto, do by these presents, fully notify and confirm, all and every, the said township of Nashuah, alias Lancaster, to the Inhabitants and proprietors thereof, according as it was formerly granted to them, or their ancestors, by uncle Sholan, and laid out to them by Ensign Thomas Noyes, and confirmed by the Hon. General Court. For the performance of all the above said, I, George Tahanto, have set my hand and seal this twenty-sixth day of June, in the thirteenth year of the reign of our Sovereign Lord, William the Third, over England and &c., King. Anno Domini, 1701.
Signed and sealed in the presence of
John Wonsqon (his mark) John Aquitticus (his mark)
George Tahanto (his mark) Peter Puckataugh (his mark)
Jonathan Wilder Mary Aunsocamong (her mark)
John Guild

The above is a copy of the deed as it stands on the Proprietor's records. The act of confirmation was passed by the "Great and General Court or assembly for her majesty's province of the Massachusetts Bay, in New England," in 1713, and in February 1814 "a committee was chosen to allot said land in lots of 40 acres to a share of the best land, and 40 acres for a minister in the most convenient place and if hey find or know of a convenient place for a clay ground that it be reserved for the whole. All lots not so good in quality to be more in quantity, so as to be equal to 40 acres of the best land. Among the principal proprietors were the Beamans, the Sawyers, the Houghtons, the Osgoods, the Carters, the Joslins, the Whites, and the Wilders.

As early as 1720 Gamaliel Beaman, Samuel Sawyer, Benjamin Houghton, David Osgood and Jonathan Osgood formed a settlement in that part of the grant which is now Sterling.

In 1725 the first actual settlers were Gershom Houghton in the south and soon after James Boutelle in the southwesterly part of what is not Leominster. Gershom Houghton built his house on the farm now owned by Mr. C. C. Boyden, his wife Tamar carrying in her apron the field stones used in the construction of the chimney. After the death of her husband in 1857 she married Mr. Daniel Knight, and after his death ten years later, erected in their memory the double stone now sitting in the northeast corner of the old burying ground. The cellar hole of the Houghton House still remains on Mr. Boyden's farm. Seven years afterward Jonathan White located in the northern part. Soon after Thomas Wilder and Nathaniel Carter and others located in different parts. It would seem that the northern part was not rapidly settled for we find in 1733 there were but five families in that section, but in a few years the number was considerably increased.

As early as 1733, the inhabitants became dissatisfied with their connection with Lancaster and, coming to the conclusion that they could conduct their own Parochial and Town affairs with less inconvenience and expense and that they could and would "Maintain a Godly Minister," they applied to the General Court and after persevering effort succeeded in securing an act of incorporation of the Town of Leominster which was passed on the 23d of June, O.S., 1740, the same as the 4th of July, N.S., and exactly thirty-six years before the birthday of the Nation.

It has been quite conclusively settled that the original proprietors were not the actual settlers of the new grant, but that their sons took up the inheritance of the fathers and entered upon the work of subduing the forest and making homes for themselves. They were doubtless young or middle aged men, intelligent and industrious farmers, and were possessed of the requisite energy which enabled them to succeed in any difficult undertaking.

In the report of the committee sent out to examine the Lancaster "New Grant," it was described as "rocky and mountainous, and poorly accommodated with meadow." This was, however, found to be hardly a fair estimate of the Leominster section, for if we except the small portion which is abrupt and mountainous, and the 2000 acre "No-town" tract added in 1838, the land is, as a rule, very productive, and capable of producing a great variety of crops. It required only the removal of the forests to reveal the rich plains underneath the growth of large white and pitch pines, the true alluvial meadows occupied by the rock maples, the buttonwood and elm, and the rich, strong soil of the uplands covered with oak, chestnut and walnut. On the site of these ancient forests are the fouling farms of to-day, adapted to the various agricultural and horticultural productions, including all the different kinds of grain, vegetables and fruit. For several years large crops of grain were raised. A considerable portion of the soil was natural to wheat, and wheat flour and Indian meal were raised and taken to the Boston market. Flax was also raised by nearly every farmer in town, and many had flax to sell. The wives and daughters made cloth of it for the family, the latter going into the field to help pull it, and the boys learned to brake and swing it.

Very little manufacturing was carried on in town previous to the Revolution. The few instances we find on record were as follows: the manufacture of potash, which was undertaken by Thomas Wilder, Esq., one of the first settlers and continued some years afterwards by this son Thomas; Jonas Kendall also manufactured the article, and also pearlash, for a number of years and his wife made gingerbread to sell. The first tannery was built by Joshua Smith about this time.
In 1763 Mark Lincoln came to town and set up the business of clothier, constructing a dam and erecting a fulling mill, where the dressing of home-made cloth was carried on to great perfection.
The comb business, which has been a important industry in Leominster, was commenced about 1770 by Mr. Obadiah Hills, from Newbury.

The first oil mill in town was erected previous to 1790, probably about 1875. It was owned by Hon. Jonas Kendall, and located on the Monoosnock Brook, near the Fitchburg line.

About the year 1787 Mr. Ephraim Eager from Sterling commenced the manufacture of saddles, but failed to carry it on successfully. Asa Kendall, an apprentice to Eager, succeeded his master and met with great success, continuing in business for fifteen years.

The first paper mill was erected by Wm. Nichols and Jonas Kendall in 1796.

Coopering was a profitable business as far back as 1800, many large loads of barrels being sent weekly to the Boston market. A large quantity of bricks were also made at that time. The manufacture of tin ware, stoves, metal pumps, wooden plows, baskets, brooms, straw bonnets and hair sieves was carried on quite extensively, but has since been discontinued. In 1811 Luke Wilder built trip hammer works and for several years made axes, scythes and other edged tools and sent them abroad, in every direction, especially to the West.

In the manufacture of boots and shoes but very little had been done previous to 1800, except custom work. It was not unusual, in the early days of the town, for the village shoemaker who made and mended the custom shoes, to pack up his "kit" of tools and go from house to house making up the shoes for the entire family for the year. The first regular manufacture was Joseph Conant, who, in 1810 began the manufacture of ladies morocco shoes, selling something like $800 worth annually.
The increase in the population of Leominster has been very largely dependent upon the condition of its mechanical industries, there being only a very gradual increase in the number of farm dwellings in the past hundred years. The town has suffered from fires several times, the most destructive of which were the burning of the Union Comb shop, the Steinway Piano Factory, the Harwood Leatherboard Mill, the Lockey Shot, the Hotel and Arlington Piano Factory, etc., (in the great fire of 1873.)

The loss occasioned by this latter fire was fully $100,000.00, and so severely was it felt that the town has not, until within two or three years, entirely recovered from the shock, the following statistics indicate the growth of the town form its settlement down to the present time. In 1725 there were but two families; in 1733 there were five; in 1765 the population was 743; in 1776, 975; in 1790, 1189; in 1800, 1486; in 1810, 1584; in 1820, 1790; in 1830, 1861; in 1840, 2069; in 1850, 3121; in 1860, 3522; 1870. 3894; in 1875, 5201; in 1880, 5772; in 1885, 5297 in 1888, estimated about 7000.

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Source:
Title: Leominster, Massachusetts: historical and picturesque
Chapter: 2 pages 23-29
Authors: Emerson, William A.
City of Publication: Gardner, Mass.
Publisher: Lithotype Pub. Co.
Date: 1888
Page Count: 404
Notes: "Illustrated." Ill., maps, ports.
Transcribed by Pat Hardenstine