William Washington – The First Free Black in Southborough

Since February is Black History Month, it seems appropriate to look at the life of William Washington who lived in Southborough over a century ago with his family.

In the midst of all the angst created by the “St. Mark’s Triangle” debacle, concern arose about how best to honor some of the marginalized people in early Southborough who might not have been buried within the walls of the Old Burial Ground. Of greatest concern was that all the tree removal and heavy construction work might have desecrated burials of the original inhabitants of the area, the Nipmucs. After much prodding. St. Mark’s School, the owners of the land, agreed to an archeological dig to discover whether there were any burials in the disturbed area. Around Labor Day, a limited dig was conducted. To the surprise of many, most of the dig took place on town owned land near the library rather than in the area owned by St. Mark’s that had been most disturbed, the site of possible native burials, and therefore of most concern. An important result of the dig is that some artifacts were uncovered as well as remnants of foundations of two buildings. After examining old maps and descriptions of the area, it seems probable that one of the foundations was a house owned by Joseph Burnett, located on what is now town library property. Further investigation revealed that house was once occupied by William E.J. Washington, the first free black man to live in Southborough.

The sections about the Washington family in Nick Noble’s Fences of Stone, A History of Southborough Massachusetts, paint a picture of a very industrious family that was integrated into the life of the community. Several of the Washington men were welcomed as members of St. Mark’s Church choir. The athletic talents of the oldest son, Edwin, were admired. We also learn that William, and then two of his sons, Edwin and Frederick, served as sextons at St. Mark’s Church. William worked at Deerfoot Farm before becoming steward at St. Mark’s School. After serving as William’s assistant for several years, Edwin replaced his father as steward when William moved back to Marlborough around 1904.

William became a bit of a legend at St Mark’s School when, in 1899, while on his rounds as night watchman, he noticed something strange about the lighting in the basement of the school room building. Investigating further, he discovered that there was a gas leak Unfortunately, when he opened the door to the basement, the lantern he was carrying set off an explosion and fire. Despite suffering serious burns, he alerted others to the fire and then tried to put it out with a hose he dragged to the cellar.  He had to be pulled out of the burning building by several St Mark’s students who then fought the fire until the fire department arrived. A grateful headmaster presented William with a check from the school to thank him for his heroic efforts.

It seems as if life in Southborough was quite good for the Washington family. St. Mark’s Church, St. Mark’s School and the Burnett family all played a role in making their lives in town pleasant. Their acceptance was certainly aided by the contributions the Washington family made to town life

Slavery was abolished in Massachusetts in 1783, so who was this man, William Washington, who after at least 110 years with no known blacks living in Southborough, moved with his family into a house in the heart of town? Where was he from and what happened to him and his family after they left Southborough?

William Everland Jacob Washington was born in 1859 in Newark, New Jersey to Thomas Washington and his wife, Martha King Washington. He had four younger sisters. Both of his parents were also born in New Jersey, in 1830. According to the 1860 federal census, Thomas was a steam engineer with a personal worth of $1000. The census also indicates that both of William’s parents could read and write. Records, with the notation “black” next to their names, indicate that Martha’s parents, Jacob King, a cooper, and his wife Mary Thompson, were married at the First Presbyterian Church of Newark in 1829.  Martha had six sisters. Both her parents were literate according to the census. Neither William nor his parents had ever been slaves. William was undoubtedly descended from slaves, but several generations back.

In 1879, William married Ella Mae Vanderzee in Kingston, New York. Ella was born in 1857 in Saugerties, New York to Thomas Vanderzee and his wife, Sarah Tuson. In the federal census, Thomas is listed as black and Sarah as mulatto. In another census, all the members of the family are listed as mulatto. Thomas was born in Green County, NY and Sarah was born in Dutchess County, NY. Ella was one of the younger of the 13 children in the Vanderzee family. Her father was a boatman on the Hudson River. In the 1870 federal census, she and her sisters are all listed as house servants while one of her brothers is a boatman.

After Ella’s marriage to William Washington, she worked for a short time as a servant for two white sisters, Eliza and Louisa Speer, in Newark, NJ. William and Ella’s first child, Edwin was born in Kingston, New York. They lived briefly in Brooklyn, NY before moving to Wellesley, Massachusetts where their second son, Frederick, was born in 1882.  Three daughters, Alma, Edith and Adaline followed in quick succession in 1884, 1885 and 1886 while they were still living in Wellesley. By February 1889 they had moved to Boston where their son Everland Beverly Washington was born. Their four-year old daughter Edith died in Boston in April of 1889 and five-year old Alma died a few months later.  Both girls died as the result of “weak hearts.”  By 1891, the Washington family had relocated to Marlborough where they welcomed another son, Leo, to the family. He died, of meningitis two years later. That same year, 1893, Ella gave birth to another daughter. Vera Louise in Marlborough.  In 1894, William and Ella, with their five surviving children, Edwin, Frederick, Adaline, Everland and Vera, moved into a house owned by Joseph Burnett, located on the grounds of the present-day library in Southborough.  At the end of 1894, twins, Amy Claire and Allan Gannett were born. In 1897, Esther Lucilla was born and the following year Victor Bexhill joined the family.

In 1900, Ella died delivering stillborn twins. She was 43 years old and was survived by 9 of the 14 children she had borne. She was buried in Marlborough alongside her son Leo and the stillborn twins. Within a few years of Ella’s death, William moved to a house on Hildreth Street in Marlborough with his five youngest children. His move was precipitated by the fact that the house in which they had been living in Southborough was being torn down to make way for the public library. In various documents William is listed as a stationery engraver or a watchman at a shoe factory while living in Marlborough.

The life of the Washington family in Marlborough took a tragic turn as the family was ravaged by tuberculosis. The first of the children to succumb to TB was nine-year old Amy Claire who died in December 1913. Seven months later, in June 1914, her twin brother Allan Gannett died at Lakeville Sanitorium. Seven-year old Esther Lucilla died in November 1914 at Boston City Hospital. Their father, William, who had gone to live in Everett with his married daughter Vera, died less than 3 months later, in February 1915, probably from TB, Victor Bexhill Washington was nine when he died in October 1915 at Lakeville Sanatorium.

William and Ella’s oldest son Edwin, who had married Frances Chestnut in 1905, also died at the Lakeville Sanitorium in 1916 at the age of 37, leaving his widow with three young daughters. His brother Everland died in October 1916, ten months after his marriage to Viola Jones.  He was 27.  Between December 1913 and October 1916, six of William’s children died from tuberculosis. Although William’s death certificate could not be located, it is probable that he also died of TB. During the same time frame that the Washington family lost six, possibly seven, members to TB, only five residents in the entire town of Southborough died of TB, one of them being Edwin Washington.

What became of William’s three surviving children and his three granddaughters, the children of his son Edwin?

William’s daughter Adaline moved to Boston where she became a nurse. She lived for many years in Boston and Malden. She never married. She died in 1970 and is buried in Everett alongside her father and her sister Vera.

Of the five youngest children who moved to Marlborough with their father after the death of their mother, Vera Louise is the only one who did not die from TB.  In 1914, she married Albert Lee Randolph at St. Mark’s Church in Southborough. She and Albert lived in Everett and Malden after their marriage. She had two sons and a daughter.  One of her sons died at age 11 when hit by a car. In the 1950 federal census, they had three wards of the state living with them. Vera died in 1985.

Frederick Tudor Washington. the one Washington son to survive the TB scourge, lived most of his adult life in Boston. He married Daisy Mainjoy in 1906. They had a son and a daughter. According to various federal censuses, he was a painter. Fences of Stone notes that for a while he had a band that played at some dance clubs.  The Echo of Their Voices, 150 Years of St. Mark’s School, says that he achieved his dream of becoming an Episcopal priest. He died in 1965.

William’s eldest son Edwin Washington, who had succeeded his father as steward at St. Mark’s School, died at age 37 leaving his widow Frances, and three young daughters. A fourth daughter had died in 1913 of whooping cough. Frances moved with her daughters to Westborough where she worked as a hairdresser. In 1929, she married Harry Elliot, a barber. He died three years later. Her oldest daughter Frances was married in 1928 to Raymond Neizer and moved to Salem. In a scenario eerily reminiscent of her mother’s life, Frances became a widow in 1932, left to raise three young children. Her sister, Ella V. Washington was married to Marceo Griffin in 1936. They moved to Florida where, in 1940, they divorced. She returned to Westborough, making it her home base as she traveled extensively throughout the world while working as an educator for organizations such as UNESCO. She died in 2003 at the age of 93. She is acknowledged by Nick Noble as a valuable source of information for his book, Fences of Stone. Edwin’s third daughter, Edith Marion never married. She died in 1978. Edwin, his wife Frances, and their daughters are all buried at Rural Cemetery in Southborough.

William and his family passed through Southborough’s history briefly, living here for just over a decade, more than a century ago. Their lives were beset by the deaths of children from childhood diseases, death in childbirth, and devastating losses from tuberculosis. Although these were not uncommon problems at that time, it seems as if the Washington family had more than their share of family misfortunes. We remember them as pioneers, the first free black family to live in town, but we also recognize them as survivors who continued to persevere and contribute to society even when the odds were against them.

 Some Sources:

 Fences of Stone by Nick Noble

The Echo of Their Voices, 150 Years of St. Mark’s School

United States Censuses\

Massachusetts State Censuses

Vital Records of Boston, Wellesley, Marlborough, and Southborough

 

 

 

 

 

Old Burial Ground Moves to the Top of Southborough’s Most Endangered List After Clear-cutting of Adjacent Parcel

 

The newly clearcut triangle between St. Mark’s Street at left and Marlborough Road at right, looking north. Click any picture to enlarge.

Dear Friends,

I would like to share with you a letter I wrote to the relevant Town Board and state agencies as Chair of the Historical Commission regarding the wholesale clear-cutting of the parcel adjacent to the Old Burial Ground. Though this parcel is entirely owned by St Mark’s, the town has apparently reached some license agreement—vetted by neither the Planning Board or the Historical Commission, to reroute St. Mark’s street in order to enhance the sports parking area for the school and create a pocket park. Apparently, the Town is using state funds to do this project, and St. Mark’s is paying for some?—though who is paying for what remains unclear at this point. Unfortunately, this ill-conceived project threatens to unearth human remains and has now destabilized the entire remaining Old Burial Ground tree cover.

 

The plan for the entire triangle. Click to enlarge.

To: Southborough Select Board; Southborough Planning Board; Southborough Open Space Commission; The Southborough Historical Commission; Mark Purple, Southborough Town Administrator; Brona Simon, Executive Director, Massachusetts Historical Commission and State Archeologist; Southborough Historical Society; Karen Galligan, Southborough Director of Public Works.

1 November 2021

As chair of the Historical Commission, I am writing to express extreme concern about the current road and park project along St. Mark’s street at the corner of Marlborough Road (Rte. 85).

 

Plans continue for a discontinued playground

Although the Southborough Historical Commission had seen some conceptual plans for a park and history-walk back in the spring, we had not heard about it since, and presumed the project dead. Suddenly last week, the entire triangle bordering the Old Burial Ground, Cordaville Road, and St. Mark’s Street was clear-cut over a period of two days, without consulting either the Historical Commission or seeking the required Planning Board site review and approval. After speaking with Karen Galligan, the DPW head, it now seems that the project is proceeding using only a conceptual plan, with major elements such as the history-walk and playground arbitrarily deleted. With the educational and entertainment features eliminated, what exactly is the point of this project except facilitating expanded parking for St. Marks School?

 

The plan showing the entire triangle, with park to the left and parking area to the right. Click to enlarge.

 

Had the Commission been consulted before construction began, we would have again warned the Board of Selectmen that previous ground radar surveys have indicated numerous colonial-era interments outside of the current Old Burial Ground (OBG) walls. Additionally, the wooded parcel that was cleared last week was also the most likely location of the original pre-contact Native American burial ground. Further soil disturbance so close to the OBG risks disinterment of human remains.

A man-made structure unearthed just outside the OBG walls. Crypt? Old Wall? Who knows without a proper archaeological inspection.

 

Equally critical, the clear-cutting of century-old woodland has now destroyed the windbreak for the trees in the Old Burial Ground, which were already in extremely precarious condition. With this protection removed, the OBG trees will now be highly susceptible to storm damage, which in turn risks the historic markers below.

One of the few remaining street trees I have objected to removing. The decision now moves to the BOS meeting this Wednesday 11/3. Please attend if you can.

Following the Historic Commission’s stated objection about felling trees on scenic roads, I have formally objected to the removal of any further trees on the site, in particular those along Marlborough Road.

Additionally, I would strongly advise the Board of Selectmen to work with the Historical Commission to fund an emergency professional tree survey of the Old Burial Ground with the idea of assessing the state of the remaining specimens, and doing any required pruning or removal before the onset of the winter storm season, in order to mitigate further damage to the burial stones. Long-term, there needs to be a proactive tree and marker restoration plan with sufficient annual funding to preserve the integrity of our most precious historical asset. There should also be a permanent marker acknowledging the Native American presence in this area.

Called widow makers for a reason, large dead branches like this can easily damage the historic markers below.

Regarding the park itself, in my professional capacity as the head of a landscape architecture firm, I have reviewed the proposed planting plan and design, and found them extremely lacking. The plant selection is poor and makes no provision for climate change. Even more worrisome, the entire design was conceived around a central play area that has been eliminated, rendering the current layout useless.

The design for the dead tree berm.

In particular, the proposal to cut down three large trees and use them sideways as some sort of tree-sculpture-berm-structure borders on the absurd, as after only a short period of ground contact, these trees will rot and create a huge legal liability for the town should anyone climb on them. There is also the issue of the historic stone wall along Marlborough road that will be destroyed if the current plans are implemented, violating our own preservation bylaw.

A typical tree in the OBG. The right side hasn’t lost its leaves, it is dead.

I would urge the Select Board to halt this project immediately until it can be thoroughly reviewed and approved by the Town Boards which should have been consulted before construction began: namely, Planning, Historical and Open Space. It remains unclear how much—if any—use by town residents the current “park” would have on such an isolated site without any attraction. The entire concept should be thoroughly reconsidered. Whatever else may happen to this parcel in the future, it is critical the area bordering the Old Burial Ground not be further disturbed, the expansion of the St. Mark’s parking area be visually mitigated, plans be made to restore the tree cover along the boundaries of the triangle, and immediate steps taken to preserve the existing trees and markers in the OBG.

Hard to believe this massive stump was a 100′ living oak a week ago.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Historic Main Street Walking Tours 10/23 and 10/30

The Society is excited to announce two history walking tours on Main Street this October to celebrate our new Downtown National Register District!

The first, Model Farms and Country Seats, will explore the development of  West Main Street as an area of vast summer estates for Boston’s wealthy elite. Beginning at the museum, we’ll be taking in the history of Pilgrim Church, The Town House, St Marks, the Kidder, Choate and Sears Estates, as well as a special tour of the newly restored grounds at 84 Main Street, the Burnett Mansion.

Saturday 23 October at 1-3 PM
Limited to 30
Reserve your ticket HERE

 

 

The second tour, Merchants and Ministers, will head east from the museum to investigate the history of our main street from its origins as a native American trail to its development as a small commercial center. Stops will include most of the homes along Main Street, as well as the former sites of the railroad station, the Sealey Block, the Southborough Arms, and the second iteration of the Congregational Church. We’ll end up in the Old Burial Ground just in time for Halloween to hear some remarkable tales of those buried within.

Saturday 30 October at 1-3 PM
Limited to 30
Reserve Your Ticket HERE

Both tours will be led by SHS president Michael Weishan, and attendees will each receive an electronic headset to guarantee easy listening. Starting and ending point is the SHS Museum behind the town hall. While we will be on sidewalks most of the time, each tour is about 1.5 miles and encompasses hills, so comfortable clothes and shoes are a must. Rain dates are the following Sunday at 1 for each tour.

Tickets are free for Society members, $15 at the door for the general public. Advance reservations are required. Make your reservations soon as these will in fact sell out.

COVID restrictions: Age 12+ and full vaccination for all tour participants. Masks at your discretion.

A Leisurely Day in the Life of Southborough, May 1, 1897

(click to enlarge)

Working with a collection as rich and diverse as the Society’s has constant rewards. Take this letter for instance, written to Susie R. Ingalls, of Cambridge Massachusetts, by her daughter Mabel. It records an idyllic May Day long ago, in an age long past.

Southborough  May 1, 1897

My dear Mamma

We arrived here Friday morning as half past eight after a very tiresome night. The boat arrived at New London at twelve o’clock but the train did not go until five minutes after four — arriving at Worcester at 6:55. We had no trouble at all changing cars as someone would show us right to the car even offering to carry our bundles.  I like it here very much. Mr. Burnett’s house is very much after the style of Mr. Beecher’s house at Peekskill. Auntie was very excited when we came, rushing to the door and losing her cap as I have often heard you tell of. Friday afternoon I went for a drive with Mary and Charlie Jimmerson and we were caught in a heavy thunder shower and the horse was afraid so we drove into a barn and stayed about an hour; we had a box of candy and had a real nice time. Mary’s father has given them a row boat which was a great surprise so we thought that would be an idea for a name, so it will be named “The Surprise.” We are going out in it every day and yesterday I tried rowing. Saturday afternoon Susie Sawin and her cousin George came; you  certainly would not take him for a teacher. He is an awful one to carry on — he plagues Auntie so gets she real angry in a good-natured way. He put the clock back and it got into about the shape our back parlor clock used to be and [he] did not get up until we were all through breakfast, so we put cayenne pepper in his oysters and coffee. Susie and Mary are both splendid, and so is Cousin Charlie’s wife; she looks young, not much over thirty, and goes around rowing and makes it just as pleasant as she can for everyone and she does not do any work except cooking; she calls Auntie “mother” and they all just love her. Last night we all went to an entertainment at the town hall. It was singers and a short play in which Mary was ‘Bridget’ and Mrs. Sawin took part. This is an awful place for clothes — the dog will run to meet us and jump up and get his dirty paws all over you. Alice stays at the mill all day and goes to ride with Harry a great deal. The Burnett’s were expecting the Vanderbilts but we did not see them come. Alice, Harry, Susie, Mary and I have just come home from church. George stayed home to shave. Alice and I sleep together in the front room. Mrs. Sawin is going to show us her room and all the things she got as presents. Auntie say she will be terribly disappointed if you do not come up and that we have to got to make a long visit at Riverside. She is going to give Alice money for a canary bird, and Susie Sawin has got a pair of shoes 4 1/2 and she wears a 5 so I guess that Auntie will send them to you. I guess I most close now as the table is set for dinner. So goodbye with much love to all, your loving daughter, Mabel

PS We are going to hang George a May basket tonight.

 

There are so many fascinating hints and clues about the times in this letter! The reference to taking the boat to New London, for instance, recalls an age when it was easier and far more comfortable to get to central Massachusetts from New York City by taking the night ferry than by taking the hodgepodge of competing rail lines. (The famed Boston consist of the 20th Century Limited wouldn’t arrive until 1902, for example.) And where precisely is Mabel staying? Obviously at one of the Burnett Houses, but which — the Burnett Mansion, or Edward Burnett’s house across Stony Brook?  That would tell us who Auntie is.

And then there is that fascinating reference to “Mr. Beecher’s House in Peekskill.” It turns out Henry Ward Beecher, the famous abolitionist, had a summer house in Peekskill, New York, which was a famous stop on the underground railroad. The house, which was described in a 2001 New York Times article when the building was proposed for a museum, still exists, though the museum project never went forward.  Take a look for yourself: it does rather look like a mini- Burnett mansion.

(NOTE 9.21/17  One of our board members, Deborah Costine, pointed out this probably wasn’t the house Mabel was referring too, but rather THIS ONE  which makes more sense, due to its country setting and resemblance to the now destroyed Edward Burnett House.)

The Sawin’s are now more of a known quantity, of course, since our recent discovery of their historic family documents.  But oysters for breakfast? It seems so: check out this recipe for Oysters a la Thorndike, listed in the 1896 edition of the Boston Cooking School Cookbook.

All in all, Mabel’s letter is wonderful reminder of an age long lost, when Southborough was not only a bucolic farming community, but also a summer retreat of the New York and Boston elite.