Democracy, Genealogy, Eaton Families, &Thanksgiving

                                     Picture of Eunice Bigeows kitchen at the Morse House

                                               as it looked when the Motts lived in it.

More Genealogy...

We have been getting ready for our Colonial Holiday Celebration of Thanksgiving  this week... and I have been going through the genealogy of a number of the early settlers of the Town of Eaton and vicinity it is interesting to note how many of the early settlers could trace their bloodline back to members of the Mayflower.  Myles Standish III directly from Myles Standish  and who we honored this Memorial Day, is buried in the Eaton Cemetery. Patience Kent, who married Bigelow Morse, was related to three of them: the John Howland, the John Bilington, and the Isaac Allerton.  Some like Hanna Hall Clark were related to the first elected official, Governor Bradford.

Bradford was a very interesting person who was born in Austerfield, England, and who faced many hardships in his early life including the death of his mother and father.  William Bradford, who as a boy walked to a separatist Church in Babworth, broke at an early age with the Church of England.  This break eventually led him to Holland and on the venture of his lifetime with his fellow Pilgrims, to the New World.

Once here in America, Bradford was elected to office as Governor, a post he held for 36 years, the first ten of which he received no compensation for.

Bradford wrote a number of books of poetry and books on Congregationalism: his most important work, however, was a volume called Of Plimouth Plantation (Which we will talk about at a later date.)

Since the Plymouth Colony had no Royal Patent, they adopted their own system of government, a system that was drawn from their needs and from their faith.  It is this system that was set forth in the Mayflower Compact.

From The Mayflower Quarterly, the American historian Samuel Eliot Morrison says. “In 1636 the Pilgrims even created a Bill of Rights of their own.”

The article, written by J. Allyn Bradford, shows that in the rules they set forth which included that no laws would be made or taxes laid without the consent of the citizens (called Freemen), a free election of Governor and Assistants, the right to an impartial and equal justice, nobody was to be punished except by the law of the Colony, as well as a trial by jury, only called if there were two witnesses to the crime and or sufficient circumstantial evidence.

Between Bradford’s and the Colony’s reforms was the separation of Church and State, something we still employ today.

The key word in our pursuit of the history of the Pilgrim’s is DEMOCRACY.  Democracy, was the basis for the Pilgrim’s government, carried through both the church and the state.

     

The church of the Pilgrim’s was based on a primitive church discussed in the Bible in the Book of Acts.  In our Colonial terms it was called Congregationalism, a subject that Governor William Bradford discussed in full in one of his writings late in life called A Dialogue Between the Older and Younger Men.

The Pilgrims were actually pushed out of England because they believed that the King was not the head of the church, but that Jesus Christ was.  The church itself was democratic in all of its dealings, and it left marriage a civil, not spiritual, right.

     

   

 With the election of the President today in my thoughts,  William Bradford must have been  quite a leader as he was elected the Governor of Plymouth Colony 30 times.

 
So Happy Thanksgiving ... and pass on this bit of history.

Thanksgiving, Democracy, some of its Roots & Pie!

We have been getting ready for our Colonial Holiday Celebration this week... and I have been going through the genealogy of a number of the early settlers of the Town of Eaton and vicinity it is interesting to note how many of the early settlers could trace their bloodline back to members of the Mayflower.  Myles Standish III directly from Myles Standish is buried in the Eaton Cemetery.  Patience Kent, who married Bigelow Morse, was related to three of them: the John Howland, the John Bilington, and the Isaac Allerton.  Some like Hanna Hall Clark are related to the first elected official, Governor Bradford.

Bradford was a very interesting person who was born in Austerfield, England, and who faced many hardships in his early life including the death of his mother and father.  William Bradford, who as a boy walked to a separatist Church in Babworth, broke at an early age with the Church of England.  This break eventually led him to Holland and on the venture of his lifetime with his fellow Pilgrims, to the New World.

Once here in America, Bradford was elected to office as Governor, a post he held for 36 years, the first ten of which he received no compensation for.

Bradford wrote a number of books of poetry and books on Congregationalism: his most important work, however, was a volume called Of Plimouth Plantation (Which we will talk about at a later date.)

Since the Plymouth Colony had no Royal Patent, they adopted their own system of government, a system that was drawn from their needs and from their faith.  It is this system that was set forth in the Mayflower Compact.

From The Mayflower Quarterly, the American historian Samuel Eliot Morrison says. “In 1636 the Pilgrims even created a Bill of Rights of their own.”

The article, written by J. Allyn Bradford, shows that in the rules they set forth which included that no laws would be made or taxes laid without the consent of the citizens (called Freemen), a free election of Governor and Assistants, the right to an impartial and equal justice, nobody was to be punished except by the law of the Colony, as well as a trial by jury, only called if there were two witnesses to the crime and or sufficient circumstantial evidence.

Between Bradford’s and the Colony’s reforms was the separation of Church and State, something we still employ today.

The key word in our pursuit of the history of the Pilgrim’s is DEMOCRACY.  Democracy, is the basis for the
Pilgrim’s government, carried through both the church and the state.

     The church of the Pilgrim’s was based on a primitive church discussed in the Bible in the Book of Acts.  In our Colonial terms it was called Congregationalism, a subject that Governor William Bradford discussed in full in one of his writings late in life called A Dialogue Between the Older and Younger Men.

     The Pilgrims were actually pushed out of England because they believed that the King was not the head of the church, but that Jesus Christ was.  The church itself was democratic in all of its dealings, and it left marriage a civil, not spiritual, right.

     William Bradford must have been a shrewd and valued leader in all aspects of the unbelievable hardships faced by this group of religious rebels who crossed a raging sea and forged a home out of unfamiliar, hostile surroundings.  Bradford’s election 30 times to the post of Governor of the Plymouth (Plimouth) Colony certainly proves that.

Just a Reminder the Thanksgiving Pie Sale is on Saturday, Nov. 17th from 9 - 4 pm at the Old Auction Barn on Rt. 26.  Come down and support the Museum and pick up a pie or two for company!

Eaton's Annual Pie, Bake, & Gift Sale is coming!!

Michele Kelly and Barb Keough Have been workg on the apples for our sale.

The Annual Pie & Bake Good & Gift Sale is set for the Saturday before Thanksgiving…November 18^th from 10 until 2 pm or so and gives the museum an opportunity raise funds to keep it going.

The little museum has been striving for 19 years to preserve the history of this historic town. Eaton has its roots stepped in New England and the Mayflower and so I thought I would include a bit of history in our publicity to try and entice everyone to visit us or to support us on Facebook.

Few people realize The ties between the Stowe family, Harriet Beecher Stowe... and Eaton’s founders.  The museum helps preserve these links with displays and remembrances of the traditions from Natick … “Old Town” and Eaton.  From the book Old Town Folks by Harriet Beecher Stowe….

     On holiday food: “The pie is an English institution, which, planted on American soil, forthwith ran rampant and burst forth into an untold variety of species.  Not merely the old traditional mince pie, but a thousand strictly American seedlings from those main institutions to new uses.  Pumpkin pies, cranberry pies, peach pies, huckleberry pies, cherry pies, green-currant pies, pear pies, plum and custard pies, apple pies, Marlborough-pudding pies, pies of fanciful flutings and architectural strips laid across and around and otherwise varied, assisted the boundless fertility of the mind, when once let loose in a given direction.”

     The piece goes on to describe hundreds of pies put into an open back room that allowed them to freeze an be bought out throughout the holiday season and sometimes up until April.”

Sure enough we have tons of pie recipes here in Eaton and the museum put out a cookbook with tons of pie recipes and pictures from Eaton’s past that will be on sale from our Thanksgiving Pie Sale... along with pies of every variety that you can bring home and freeze today… in a modern freezer.  To give you a sample of old fashioned pies I thought I would include a recipe here….

PORK APPLE PIE

 8 to 10 tart apples, peeled, cored and sliced

 20 pieces of fat salt pork, cut the size of pies

 3/4 cups sugar (maple sugar preferably)

 ½ teaspoon cinnamon

 ¼ teaspoon nutmeg

 ¼ teaspoon salt

     Fill a deep dish with apples.  Mix salt pork, sugar, spices and salt and sprinkle the mixture over the apples.  Cover with pie crust.  Cut slits for steam to escape.  Bake in a hot oven (450 degrees F.) for 10 minutes; then reduce heat to moderate (350 degrees F.) and bake 30 or 35 minutes longer.  If crust becomes brown, cover with foil so that it will remain a golden brown.     While pie is baking blend a package of cream cheese with 1 tablespoon thick cream and allow to become firm in refrigerator.  Serve pie warm with slice of cheese.

Seems Old-time New Englanders used salt pork from soup to dessert.  This recipe is said to have made first by an old fisherman who used dried apples, salt pork and molasses.  His wife improved upon it, using fresh apples and maple sugar.  It became a popular dish, often served in Vermont homes for the Sunday evening meal.  Calvin Coolidge, in the White House, extolled its goodness. Pork pie has a more succulent flavor than ordinary apple pie. So we may not have Pork Apple Pies but we do have local pies made with local apples calling them rightfully... “Heirloom Apple Pies”. So come down and buy one!!!

Our Historic Ties to the Mayflower, Fall Festival and More!

The Fall is coming on us quickly, and while getting ready stacking wood and thinking of our next museum event, " Fall Festival History Weekend" followed by our November Pie Sale...I dug this up and thought you might enjoy reading it again!

Many of our original settlers in Eaton date back to the Mayflower and the settlers of Natick especially the Morse, Leland, Kent and Stowe families.  Eaton followed much of the tradition of Natick so I thought I would include some wonderful history on Thanksgiving and Governor Bradford who Grandma Clark was a direct relative of. 

  The first Thanksgiving was truly different from what we see portrayed today on TV and in the movies.  In actuality, the Pilgrims who had invited the Indians over to thank them for their help in cultivating corn, in fishing and in hunting, and for basically keeping them alive for the first year, were stunned when the Indians arrived for the feast in numbers far beyond what the Pilgrim’s could feed.  So, the Indians left and hunted for deer and fowl and returned with the food necessary for the feast to last three days…yes, three days.

     This occasion was unusually frivolous for the stern Pilgrims and comprised of continuous eating, the marching of Myles Standish’s little band of soldiers, bow and arrow competition etc…  The feast meanwhile was tended to by five of the eighteen women who survived the first terrible winter.  Imagine trying to fix a feast for 140-150 people over an open fire, and then stretch it to three days.

     The great Governor Bradford delivered this prayer on the first Thanksgiving and I thought I would include it for us:

     Oh give thanks unto the Lord; sing unto him; sing praises unto him, for the precious things of heaven for the dew, and for the deep that couches beneath, and for the precious fruits brought forth from the sun, and for the precious things put forth by the moon, and for the chief things of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things of the everlasting hills, and for the precious things of the earth and its fullness.  Let everything that has breath praise the Lord, Praise ye the Lord.

     Of interest, I think, are a number of passages from “Of Plimouth Plantation” by Governor Bradford, which mention the colony’s success only by acts of what he referred to as “God’s divine providence”.

     Bradford mentions windfalls of corn from unexpected quarters, a mysterious voice that warned the colonials of a store-house fire, showers that came just in time to save the crops, even the turning back of a ship that would foreclose on the colony.  These quotes show the success of the colony having been squarely laid on the cornerstone of faith.

     This faith led Bradford to guide the colony through all of its terrible trials and gave him the moral capacity to do what was right for all without wish for personal gain.  From his first election in 1622 until 1639, he received nothing for dining the court during their monthly sessions.  One comment I received after the piece on the “Common Good” read “too bad things could not be like that today!”  To this I say, “Amen!”  The word “altruism” is too seldom used to describe our modern leaders.

     The key word in our pursuit of the history of the Pilgrim’s is DEMOCRACY.  Democracy, is the basis for the Pilgrim’s government, carried through both the church and the state, something we need to concentrate on today I think.

Fall Festival will be the first weekend in October and will close for the season at the end of the month.

The Morse House today and before!

Ghost Stories & the Thanksgiving Pie Sale!

The Old Town of Eaton Museum is closed for the winter season...with a special "thank you" to those who turned out..I enjoyed seeing you.  Some fun visitors included relatives of the Morse-Motts.  Thank you Dan it was fun to talk and listen to the stories, Sad the way the old stone house is in such limbo!

Our members are gearing up for our Annual Pie & Bake Sale set for Saturday, the 18th of November from 10 am until 2 pm.  We hope you will come done and join us,,,pick up a pie or bake good to have on hand for the Thanksgiving Holiday.  The sale will be held at the Old Auction Barn next to the US Post Office on Rt. 26 in Eaton.  Thank You... Jim Monahan for the use of the neat little historic building. Lots of parking!

This year you can get update information from the Facebook page Friends of the Old Town of Eaton Museum.  Visit the page and friend us, leave a message, and look forward to a wonderful upcoming holiday!

I thought I would include a history story from my new book that with other gifts will be available on the Pie Sale Day!

As Halloween approaches stories of Ghosts, Ghouls, and Goblins make their way into the spotlight.  Eaton like any other old community has its share of ghoulish tales.  One such tale involves the Historic Eaton Cemetery.

Many years ago people were laid to rest with their jewelry and favorite personal belongings, this coupled with the common method of filling wealthy people’s teeth with gold made grave robbery a profitable thing.  A story of one such robbery is famous in the Eaton Hamlet.

Years ago a very famous Eaton minister was laid to rest in a well-attended service in the Eaton Cemetery.  This minister was renowned for his preaching and his assortment of gold teeth.  A few days after the service the Sutcliffe family of Landon Road went to call on the nearby Cary Road.  To the horror of the visitors and the chagrin of the host the Sutcliffe’s arrived and found hanging on the old woodshed a body that was being stripped of its flesh.  On a second look at the skull they saw a set of familiar shiny gold teeth.

The grave robbers explained that they were paid $100 dollars by a college in Syracuse for the skeleton, which they said was used by students to study anatomy.  The gold teeth were just a bonus!

The cagey thieves removed the bodies from the coffins by digging down, breaking the wooden lid, inserting a hook, and then pulling it out!

After that, to thwart their efforts, the equally cagey Eaton Cemetery sextant hauled huge slabs of stone off of a local farm and placed it over each coffin at burial, to prevent robbery using this method.

So truthfully, when writing stories about the Eaton Cemetery, I should say...“most likely buried in the Historic Eaton Cemetery.”  

Be sure to support our sale that the ladies work so hard at each year.

Thanksgiving and some Eaton History all rolled into one!

The original founding families of Eaton were from Natick, among them is the Morse  family.  Captain Joseph Morse was part of the original group of settlers.  His group of Militia men included whites, free blacks and Praying Indians  I thought I would do a piece on that and history of early settlement of Massachusetts . 
The date of May 26, 1637, a mere 17 years after the settlement of Plymouth, the tensions between the Puritans and the Native Americans had become strained.  The very people who they stole the corn from on their landing and who showed them how to plant corn and other crops. as well as how to fish and hunt, were being exterminated by the English and Puritans who had now flocked to the shores of New England. 

The most militant of the Native tribes the Pequot has started warring against the white settlers who were pushing them off of their land.  So Militia and English troops set up and ambush on May 26, 1637.  The surrounded the Pequot settlement and using surprise burned the native fort to the ground.  The women, children, sick and elderly hid in their teepees and thus were burned alive.

Governor Bradford is quoted as saying: “It was a fearful sight to see them thus frying in the fire and the streams of blood quenching the same, and horrible was the stink there of: but the victory seemed a sweet sacrifice, and they gave the praise there of to God, who had wrought so wonderfully for them, thus to enclose their enemies in their hands and give them such a speedy victory!’

The history Channel named this as one of the 10 days that unexpectedly changed history, for the attitude of removal or cleansing would be our policy.  We regarded all those Native Americans who would not become civilized - near white as Devils who must be killed or driven out.

The Wampanoag’s and their famous Chief Massasoit, who were friends with Bradford and the Plymouth settlement, began to complain about the white settlers freely taking the crops and invading their land. In 1622 a militia Captain killed 8 friendly natives and impaled their sachem’s head on a pole in Plymouth.  Hostilities had begun and as the colony encroached more and more on their land, New England became a battleground.  The Wampanoag’s thought they could coexist with the whites but by the 1670’s Massasoit’s grandson Metacom, known to the English as King Phillip, began what would become known as King Phillip’s War. 

Metacom noted that The Wampanoag “had bine the first in doing good to the English and the English the first in doing rong.”

Metacom claimed that phony contracts were used to take large tracts of land from Indians who had been made drunk.

When a praying Indian who helped set up the Praying Indian Village of Natick was found murdered, three of Metacom’s followers were accused, found guilty and executed.  King Philips war was on…settlements, major towns and villages were burned and sacked until finally on August 12, 1676 he was killed…thus ending the King Phillip’s War. 

*It is noted that in Plymouth for that Thanksgiving they bought his head back and paraded it around town.  They Puritans thought it a sign from God of their righteous ownership of this new land...they the chosen people!

* Today Natick has a National Day of Mourning instead of Thanksgiving.  A monument was placed marking the genocide that took place at that time! 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving, West Eaton Cemetery and a piece of history on the Larchmont Shipwreck!

Quite a week here in Eaton as a warm spell brought out people scurrying around outdoors to do the jobs they missed earlier.  Thanksgiving proved to be a beautiful day, warm and balmy, a wonderful boon to the local travelers.

The old house in Eaton housed a small Thanksgiving gathering for museum members those who wanted a place to gather, eat and enjoy each other’s company.  Myself I was happy to have the company and it seemed we all shared the duty of cooking, cleaning and of course, there was too much food.

After a walk on Friday a few of us visited the West Eaton Cemetery so Barbara could visit her husband’s and his families graves, and it was there I spotted a cemetery stone that interested me.  The stone read that the person laying beneath the sod and died in the sinking of the Larchmont.  This as usual peeked my curiosity and I was off on a “History Quest”!

It seems the Larchmont disaster of February 11, 1907, was considered by many to be the Titanic of the eastern seaboard as the steam driven side paddle wheeler sank in 15 to 20 minutes taking over 150 people to their frozen watery deaths.

The 23-year-old Larchmont was a wooden, side-wheel steamship that was 252 feet long by 37 feet wide and was painted white with two tall black smokestacks. It left Providence, Rhode Island at 7 o’clock en-route for New York when a terrible winter storm soon struck causing waves of over 20 feet high and reduced visibility. The Larchmont and coal schooner the Harry P. Knowlton collided in this blizzard only three miles from Watch Hill, Rhode Island.  It was reported that the two ships maneuvered to avoid collision but maneuvered the in the same way causing the Knowlton to strikes with such speed and force that the Larchmont’s fate was sealed.

The collision occurred just after the Captain of the Lachmont (who was only 27) had left his post to retire for the night, Since the passengers were in nightclothes, many in their cabins below deck, they had little hope of surviving temperatures that were zero and below with up to 60 mile per hour winds.

The Captain of the Henry Knowlton who separated from the Larchmont saw no lights and assumed the ship had sailed away for help, he himself attempted a run for the Block Island beach to beach the craft which eventually happened causing the Knowlton to be dashed and splintered by the ferocious waves.

There were approximately 150 passengers and crewmembers on board although the exact number and names will never be known since the passenger list went down with the ship.  Of that number only 17 people survived. Seventy-four ice-encrusted bodies were washed up on the beaches of Block Island and were shipped home for burial including obviously, Mr. Wightman. The remainder either went down with the ship or drifted out to sea in lifeboats, never to be seen again.

I guess Mr. Wightman had become somewhat famous for being onboard the “Titanic of the East” and so because of this it was noted on his gravestone. 

Another piece of local history and lore, interesting history brought out by a stroll through a cemetery.  An unusual way to learn it!