The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-05-22

rivers. All these waters arc abundantly supplied
with fish, principally out, pickerel, and perch. To
the brethren OF the angle there can indeed be no
finer place than this. A gentleman told me that he
and friend, at the last fishing season. took on one
occasion over seven hundred trout, most of which
weighed from half pound TO two pounds each.
The pickerel are equally complainant.
The general appearance OF Pepperen is very plea
sing The scenery is more regular than at Groton
The farms all highly cultivated. Every one ia
tionaby they are So During the summer numerous
strangers visit the place. many OF whom remain
throughout the season, captivated by its attractions
and the facilities which it affords for an indulgence
| There is private lunatc asylum here, under the
| charge of DR.. J. S. N. Howe, who has been very
successful in his treatment of the mentally diseased
In politics, Pepperell is strongly democratic. In
ls4s like Of the Revolutionary towns Of Middle
sex county, she gave handsome plurality to Gen.
| Cas- and did comparatively better for Gea Pierce
last year. There are but ew,free soers IN the town,
which in this respect much resembles Groton ln
proportion to her population, Pepperell casts much
larger vote than some towns of larger political pre-.
| tensions
part toward sustaining the fame of Massachusetts.
Even before the town had corporate existence the
people of the parish showed interest in this sub
| ject. There are eight public school houses in
the town, and it is in contemplation to establish
| public high school. The Pepperell Academy was
incorporated in lS4l. 1t is now under the care Of
Mr.. Blood, who instructs forty pupils in the higher
branches of learning, and who has been very sue
cessful Mr. Perry has an academy, where he pre-
pares twenty young gentlemen annually for col.
| lege, imparts to them business education"
Mrs. Conants school for young ladies' is always full,
and has high character. The town is favorite
resort for the purpose Of obtaining education as
the climate is good, the terms OF living are very
reasonable, the teachers are persons Of response,
| bility, and the means OF communicating with all
/ parts of the country are ample.
| No other town in New England sends forth every
year SO large proportion OF its population to other
! places as Pepperell. Its most valuable export is
women-the next, men. The men OF Pepperen are
to be found in every part Of the Union. ] am as
| sured that of the Massachusettsborn business men
in New York, pepperell has produced larger mum
Der than any other one of our towns. The female
sex furnish school teachers who rank in intelligence
and ability second to none in New England which
is the very land OF school teachers and professors
poration, dates back just one hundred years. Ia
| l742 that part of Groton on the west OF
| Nashua river was set off and named "Groton West
! PARISH In this condition it remained for eleven
years, when, on the 18th of April, 1853, it was
erected into town. by the General Court and named
Pepperell. 1t was thus named in honor OF Sir Will
liam Pepperell, who, eight years before, had led
New England army to the capture Of Louisburg. The
minister of Groton West Parish, Mr.. Emerson, had
been chaplain in Sir Williams army, and the
towns name was probably suggested by the valiant
clergyman though there is tradition that the ia
nous Colonel William Prescott, (then mere youth,
and some say, a lieutenant in the conquering army)
had conversation with General Pepperell and sug-
S valiant Ks he eu Of p ss as
| always displayed fine military disposition. The
first minister, Mr. Emerson, always had Partially
for military pursuits after his return from Louisburg
In the old French war,.a company was raised at
Pepperell which suffered severely in contests with
the Indians In l775, the outbreak Of hostilities
with England, Pepperell was one Of the first towns
| that sent her men into the field. The Rev. Mr..
Emerson was Jealous patriot, and is said to
have made the first prayer that was offered up
in the army that drove the British out Of Boston.
He had large number of pensioners in that army,
women Of this part Of the country seventy-eight
years ago do not appear to have been much addicted
to talking about "woman's rights but they
knew how to discharge mems duties when occasion
departure Of the military under command of Col
Prescott, Mrs David Wright, Of Pepperell, Mrs Job
Shattuck, OF Groton, and the neighboring women,
collected at what is now called Jewetts Bridge,
over the Nassau, between Pepperell and Groton,
clothed in their absent husbands apparel and armed
with muskets, pitchforks and such other weapons
commander, resolutely determined that no foe to
freedom foreign domestic should pass that bridge
/ for rlInors were rife that the regulars were ap-
preaching, and ffightful stories Of slaughter flew
rapidly from place to place. and from house to house.
Soon there appeared one on horseback, supposed to
be reasonably engaged in conveying intelligence to
the enemy. BY the implicit command OF Sergeant
| Wright he is immediately arrested endorsed,
searched, and the reasonable correspondence
found concealed in his boots. He was de.
tanned prisoner and sent to Oliver Prescott,
sent to the Committee Of Safety. The person thus
arrested and searched by the women Leonard
Whiting, New Hampshire boy, who was carrying
dispatches from Canada to Boston. The Mrs. Shat
tuck who figures in this affair was wife Of the same
man who led the Middlesex insurgents in the Shays'
Rebellion. The Shattucks appear to have been al.
ways o spirited and sanguine race.
There were eight Pepperell men killed at Bunker
Il nd an mo mi ar fbo
maIder at the redoubt was Colonel Prescott, Pep
perel man, and as he was the only man who appears
to have had anything like q regular command in
that action, the people.of Pepperel feel as il they
had more than ordinary interest in that extraordi
nary affair.
This may not be an inappropriate place Tor
giving some account of the Prescott family, 50
famous in our annals, and distinguished for having
produced soldiers, jurists and scholars The founder
of the family in this country was native of Ian
cashire, England, who removed to Barbados in
| 1888. He is supposed to have come to Massachu-
setts about 1910, settling first at Watertown, and
| then at Nashua, in Worcester county, afterwards
called Lancaster, which name 1t now bears. He was
\ a blacksmith and mll-builder but as lie had in his
possession complete set of mail armor, it has been
coniectured that he or his ancestors must have had
/ some claim to military honors. The third son ofths
John Prescott. Jonas, was born in 164S, at Lancas
ter, and from him are descended the American Pres
colts. He married Mary LOCKER, of Sudbury. Con-
corning this pair there is enough of told to
furnish out half dozen tales OF modern times. The
course Of true love was as rugged in their case as
it has often been in that Of Others but the fact
that Mary LOCKER lived TO her descendants to the
number OF one hundred and seyenty-fve may nerve
young hearts to prove as true" as were those of
Mary and Jonas. He had large property in Gro
ton, while OF his eight daughters married The
second son of this Jonas, Benjamin Prescott, was
destined to keep up the family name. He was a
man Of remarkable ability, and filled great num-
Der OF civil and military Offices, though he died be-
fore he had completed his fortieth year. His eldest
son, James, inherited bis fathers talents, and was
q member of every branch OF the government of the
| province and State OF MISUNDERSTANDING ia the
militia in various grades, fourteen years a member
of the House of Representatives then member of
the Senate and Of the Executive Council of the Pro-
yincial Congress, and of the Board of War. After
the Revolution was over he was appointed
| First Sheriff OF Niddlesex and then Judge of tile
| Common Pleas Court. He died in 1900 But it
was reserved for William Prescott, younger brother
Of James, to win the highest place for the family