The Dolores star., 1905-08-04

the town Of Groton. Mass. Its
2soth anniversary. 1t has been
the home Of many well-krown
Massachusetts families. and Is still
the abode Of some Of them. The
town is full of history and romance.
rs Is the case of most Of what were
once the old frontier" towns Of the
growing settlements Of the last years
OF the seventeenth century.
The earliest reference to the town
on any map is on that in the Rev.
William Hubbards book on the In
dian troubles. published in Boston in
1877, the nrst map cut in New Eng
land. and necessarily crude AFFAIR.
| There were two petitions for the
plantation OF Groton, one headed by
Deane Winthrop and the other by
Lieut.. William Martin. The grant was
made on May 25. 1855. This Deane
Winthrop was a younger son Of Gov.
John Winthrop. In compliment to the
family, the town was named after
Groton. Eng. their former home.
Records Of the very early days Of
Groton are rare, but it is safe to say
they would tell. II they could be found,
the invariable story of hard work, pri.
walton and Indian hostility This must
have been the case, for the record of
Groton in the Revolution and the men
she has given the country all attest
| the training that came from the strug-
| gle for life under the adverse condi-
tions surrounding the founding of the
! Bay State.
Tho NV hn IN,
1855 was not completed till 1868. and
was made by Jonathan Danforth.
There were fifty original proprietors.
whose land rights were sixty acres
| down to FIVE. taking in all 755 acres.
Many Of these names are familiar to-
| day, and many hold titles descended
directly in the families ever since.
Parker. Blood, Allen. Lawrence, Green.
Prescott. and Willard are some OF
these.
The old records abound with votes
that seem strange nowadays. There
is one wherein Is noted that Dec. 10.
1883. Joseph Lawrence agreed to
sweep the meeting house, hang out
the nag and carry water for baptizing
children, for one year. for twenty-six
shillings.
The original grant of Groton In
cluded 40.960 acres, but in 1874 there
began to be settings OF for other
towns, and Harvard, Westford, Pep
perell. Shirley and Dunstable had par.
cells given them, and the New Hamp-
shire boundary was run, also taking
parcel.
Houses Burned by Indians.
The town suffered severely in the
Indian wars under King Philip. On
March 2, 1767, the first assault was
made. and the Indians burned all the
houses in the settlement save four,
which were garrisoned. Other at
tacks occurred March and 13, the
last being the most serious. for they
burned the town and killed several
people.
In 1859 King Williams war began,
and was short repetition of the pre-
vious experiences. and in 1892 assign
ment of garrisons was made In pre-
caution for future trouble. But this
effort did not avail to protect wholly,
for Cotton Mather has left narrative
Of the slaughter by the Indians OF viii
liam Longley, his wife, four of their
five children, and two children of
neighbor. The son who escaped,
John, was taken to Canada, and lived
with his captors five years. His rela.
tives later ransomed him, but he had
become SO enamored Of the wild, out.
door life that his people were obliged
to use force to get him to return to
them. He became q good citizen and
heli ofices in the town and church,
and went to the general court.
Occasional raids followed as late as
1709, and people were killed each
time. In 1922 townsmen participated
in the raids after the Indians, induced
by bounty Of a100 for each red
scalp. and in the so-called Lovell's