History of Fitchburg Part 37 Rufus Torrey 1st printed 1836

(The Revolution is over, Rufus Torrey focuses for a bit on
who lived where and when they moved.  Problem is he refers
to these houses by their present occupants in 1836.  Next he
gives the feelings that led to Shay's Rebellion as we now
know it.)

David Gibson, son of Isaac Gibson of Pearl Hill, having
learned the baker's trade, turned his eyes westward of the
Old City, and in a daring moment, reckless of a rough soil
and its rougher productions -- such as pine stubs,
hard-hack, grape-vines, etc. built a bakery on the spot now
occupied by the dwelling house of E. Torrey.  and located
his dwelling house directly opposite to it.  This was the
first house built in what is now called the Village --
unless the house of Benjamin Danforth which stood nearby
where S.M. Dole's house now stands, preceded it.

Gibson went to Vermont in 1792, and Dr. Peter Snow, who
succeeded Dr.  McCarty in the practice of medicine in the
town, moved into this house, and occupied it several years.

Not far from the time when Gibson's house was built,
Benjamin Kemp built a house where Jonas Marshall's brick
house now stands.  But this was so far west that it was not
then considered as forming a component part of the "middle
of the town."

Joseph Fenno, lived in a log house a few steps beyond the
brick-yard brook -- and nearly in front of Josiah Sheldon's
present dwelling house.  He afterwards built and occupied a
house where Dea. Abel Downe now lives.

Capt. William Brown built the present dwelling house of
Ca[pt. Z Sheldon, in the year 1783 or '4.  He owned the
mills and clothier's works in the Old City.  He occupied
this as his dwellihng house at first, and afterwards as a
tavern.

The houses built by David Gibson, by Benjamin Danforth, and
by Capt. William BRown, were the only ones properly in the
limits of the Village when the first Parish Meeting-house
was built, in the year 1796.

In August, 1784, Dea. Kendall Boutelle and Thomas Stearns
attended as delegates from this town, a Convention At
Westminster, holden for the purpose of dividing the County
of Worcester, or for devising means for that purpose; and in
the following May, Drs. Jonas Marshall, Capt Thomas Cowdin
and Elijah Garfield attended a Convention at Lunenburg, for
the same purpose.  This has been, for a long time, a
favorite object with the people in this town, but their
efforts have never been crowned with the least success.
They will probably be doomed for a long time to live at the
distance of twenty-five miles from a court house and jail.

After the declaration of peace, in 1783, a general
stagnation of all kinds of business, as is usual in such
cases, ensued.  The United Colonies were burdened with a
debt of forty millions of dollars, without any means of
paying it.  Congress, under the Confederation, had power
only to advise the several states to adopt certain measures
to meet the wants of the times.

But the states, actuated by a spirit of commercial rivalry
and jealousy, would agree upon no uniform system.  So far
then from any measures being adopted to pay the public debt,
even the interest of it remained unpaid.

The whole body of the people became alarmed, and all
confidence was destroyed.  Certificates of public debt lost
their credit, and many officers and soldiers of the late
army, who were poor, were compelled to sell these
certificates at excessive reductions.  They had fondly hoped
that if they could establish their independence, and a
government of their won chosing, public and private
prosperity would everywhere abound, and that things would go
on delightfully.  bitter, now was their disappointment.  Of
money, there was next to none.  The introduction of the
precious metals had been prevented by the war and its
attendant evils, and the paper money in circulation was
worth about two shillings on the pound.  Creditors became
alarmed, and used every means in their power to secure their
debts.  Business was at a stand -- men "failed," -- and
lawyers were overwhelmed with employment.  Never was the
labor of the profession in greater demand, and never were
Courts of Justice filled with more business.  Massachusetts,
for the purpose of maintaining her credit, loaded the people
with excessive taxes.  It was impossible for them to meet
the demands made upon them.  They knew not the origin of the
evils, but supposed that there was some defect in the laws
-- that there were either too many, or not enough.  Petiions
were poured in upon the Legislature from all quarters -- but
the Legislature, like all deliverative bodies, moved slow.
The patience of the people was entirely exhaused in seeing
their property seized on "executions' issuing from these
authoritive Courts, and as petitions, remonstrances and mild
measures had failed to work out a remedy for their
grievances, they determined to put down "WORCESTER,SS., In
the name of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts," etc. by
force of arms. Thus much it has been necessary to premise,
to account for the orgin of "Shays' Insurrection."

(to be continued)

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