The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1905-01-06
Observation-Disclosures
Founded American Town
Especial Correspondence

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In the commonwealth of Massachu.
sets there is a prosperous town call.
ed Winthrop; in that domain of His
Majesty King Edward yclept England
there is snug little town called Gro.
ton. The two are closely related; in
fact, are mother and son, as are SO
many English and Massachusetts,
towns, but until recently the residents
of Winthrop did not know what a
quaint old mother they had. When
the library trustees of the Frost Pub
lie Library at Winthrop matured a
scheme for connecting the history of
their town with that Of old England,
from whence came its early settlers,
they wrote to the Rev. John w. Way
man, rector of the church at Groton,
requesting photographs of the old
church and Of other points of interest
in connection with the home of Deane
Winthrop, who settled at "Pullin
Poynte." as Winthrop was then called.
They received in the course of time
the following reply:
II fear you must think never re-
ceived your letter of 26th March last;
or having received it have forgotten
all about it. Such is not precisely the
case. My delay in replying to it has
been caused by the inability to get the
accompanying photos taken. This is a
very out Of the way place, and, though
photography is common enough; it is
only lately that a photographer has
taken up his temporary abode in the
neighboring parish Of Bedford, and
given me the opportunity of having
the Enclosed DONE"
From such town, hardly changed
at all in the intervening 255 years,
came Deane Winthrop, the sixth son
of Gov. John Winthrop, about the year
1649. He settled at "Pullin' Poynte,"
which in 1889 became Chelsea, a part
of North Chelsea in 1916, and was in
corporated as the town of Winthrop
In 1852. The old house in which he
lived is still standing.
Town OF Groton In 1847.
Robert C. Winthrop thus describes
the town of Groton as it was in 1847:
1T was one of cluster Of rural vii
lagos, five in number, which lie be-
tween the large towns of Hadleigh
and Sudbury, in the southwest corner
of that thriving agricultural country.
Tho 1ondcoopo oroupd +bo,o hos M
peculiar features either of beauty or
grandeur; but clothed as it was, in
the matchless verdure of an English |
summer, it presented a picture of |
quiet loneliness which one would not
willingly have lost. Little Walding-
field and Groton appear to have been
the least noted of the surrounding
villages, and even the name of the
latter would seem to have disappeared
of late years from more than one of
the Suffolk county maps, as if the
place had lost any Importance which
it ever possessed, and had become too
inconsiderable to be the subject of
particular designation.
"But the Groton of Suffolk county
In old England has by no means yet
lost it's local habitation or its ancient
landmarks. was there on Sunday
and went to the parish church in
which the Winthrops worshiped before
they came to America. The grand old
service of prayer and praise, in which
they had united so long ago within the
same sanctuary, had just commenced
when entered, and could almost i'm
agine, as I joined in the responses,
that the venerable walls gave back
an echo of welcome, as to not unrec.
ognized voice.
Everything concurred in awaken
Ing the memory of those who had
gone before me-the pulpit from
which they had listened to preachers
Of their own presentation, the font
at which so many of them had been
baptized, the chancel around which
they had knelt to receive the bread of
life. There on the browning pane of