Professional Documents
Culture Documents
My thanks to:
Bob Kane and Joan Abshire for
their assistance
And Special Thanks to
Kathleen Lizotte Lynde for her
frequent contributions to my
research
By Paul Brodeur
By Paul Brodeur
Most of what we know of the origins of William Ward come from his biographer, Charles Martyn,
who did extensive research in England, but could find no proofs of his early life.
Nevertheless, it is believed that he was born about 1603, possibly in or near Yorkshire. We know
that he was married twice (from his will), but of his first wife's origin, name, or circumstances we
know nothing.
His second wife's name was Elizabeth. According to Torrey's New England Marriages prior to 1700
her last name may have been Storey, but there is a question mark after the name.
He almost certainly had 13 children, but it is uncertain how many were by his first wife and how
many by Elizabeth, although it is almost certain that Elizabeth had at least the last seven.
It is believed that William came to America in the large fleet of Puritan ships that arrived in the
spring of 1638. His name, however, could not be found on any existing manifest.
His name does not appear on the petition for the formation of Sudbury, but he was among those
who received an initial land grant.
This website contains Martyn's biography of William Ward and a database of the Ward
descendants.
http://www3.bc.sympatico.ca/robertkline/
This wiki website discusses the theories concerning the origins of William Ward:
http://www.werelate.org/wiki/Person_talk:William_Ward_%2817%29
Ward received a modest land grant in Sudbury, but within 15 years had substantial holdings.
He became a Freeman in 1643 giving him voting rights and governing responsibilities.
He became a friend and ally of John Ruddock and the two were involved in a number of
controversies in Sudbury that eventually led them, with others, to petition the colonial government
to establish a new settlement west of Sudbury originally called Whipsuffrage, but changed to
Marlborough after its namesake in England. John Ruddock was a native of Marlborough, England.
This satellite view locates William Ward's property in Old Sudbury (now
Wayland, MA). The red box is the general area described in Charles Martyn's
Genealogy of William Ward. The next slide shows the area close up.
The Tavern was first built in the early 1660's and experienced a number
of fires, the first during the siege of Marlborough by the Indians in King
Philip's War in 1676. George Washington visited and slept here in 1775.
His hosts were descendants of William Ward, as was General Artemas
Ward who Washington was heading to Boston to replace.
Daniel Gookin was the Administrator of Indian Affairs and knew both the town of
Marlborough and William Ward very well. Before the war he purchased the 150 acres of
Indian land in the center of town, so he was a landowner in Marlborough as well.
The building on the left is St. Matthias Church on Hemenway St. The
street to the right is Langelier Lane and the hill in the distance is
Mt.Ward. At the end of Langelier Lane is a small area to park and a trail
leads to the top of the hill. The following picture shows the position of
Mt. Ward in relation to Rt. 20. Just to its right is the Easterly Wastewater
Treatment Plant and Trash Recycling Center.
Spring Hill Cemetery is the grassy area in the top/right/center of this photo.
The Dairy Queen is the building with the red roof to the right, on E. Main St.
Access to the cemetery is gained by going north on Bolton St, taking the first
right onto High St. (in front of the Congregational Church), going to the end
of High St. and taking a u-turn to the left. There is a small area for parking.
Samuel 7th child of William Ward, responsible for care of his mother
Elizabeth and the Ward Homestead. Had 7 children.
Joseph: 2nd child of Samuel, inherited homestead. Had 7 children.
Daniel Sr.: eldest child of Joseph, inherited homestead. Died 1764.
Had 9 children. His second wife was Grace Newton.
Daniel Jr.: 7th child of Daniel Sr., inherited homestead. Died 1775 at
age of 33. His older sister Mary married Jonas Morse. He and his
wife Ann had six children.
William: 5th child of Daniel Jr. inherited homestead. Born 1772. His
fate is unknown.
In total, the first 5 Ward generations living at the Ward Homestead
had 44 children.
The above section of the 1803 map of Marlborough shows that Col. Luke
Drury was believed to be living at the Ward Homestead. The question
mark leaves some doubt. Note that Rev. Asa Packard's blacksmith shop is
the only other building on the property.
Mother died when he was young, and his father married Mary Ward of Marlborough
when he was about eight. She died when he was about sixteen or seventeen.
Served under General Artemas Ward and Lt. Col. Jonathan Ward at Bunker
Hill, continued in service for most of the Revolution.
Held every important public post in Grafton. Had 9 children, legal guardian of 4
children. I have found no proof, but is it possible that two of these children were William
and Aaron Ward? His personal papers and letters are widely scattered in various
libraries and museums.
By Paul Brodeur
Biographical Sketch of
David (Bonney) Hayden
Son of Thomas and Mary Ball Hayden of Sudbury. Thomas died about
1768, left the family destitute.
Sons were sent to live with Thomas' brothers: Bonney (David) and Zely
(Bazeleel) to Daniel in Marlborough, Josiah to Samuel in Hollis, NH.
Daniel Sr. owned property in the northeast of Marlborough. His own
children owned other property on 1803 map, David is shown as owning
Daniel Sr.'s property.
Lived with his brother Zely his whole life. Neither married. Zely died
in 1827, age 62. David died in 1848, age 88. His stone has a
revolutionary marker. Appropriately enough, they were buried side by
side in the Old Common Cemetery. Slides of their gravestones follow.
Their nephew Daniel, from Hollis, NH, inherited the property.
Biographical Sketch of
Daniel Hayden
8000
7000
6000
5000
4000
3000
2000
1000
0
1660
1670
1680
1690
1700
1710
1720
1730
1740
1750
1760
1770
1780
1790
1800
1810
1820
1830
1840
1850
1860
1870
Biographical Sketch of
Daniel Hayden
In 1878, from his home farm, Daniel Hayden sold potatoes, cabbage,
onions, apples, vinegar, milk, eggs, tobacco, pork, firewood, sand, and
gravel.
He provided labor and equipment for the general public and the town.
When the daybook was filled, his wife used it as a scrapbook for news
clippings, including articles on his death, and the sale of much of his
estate. He died on 4th of July 1896, and parts of his estate were sold to
satisfy debt.
By Paul Brodeur
Samuel Boyd built this mansion on the top of Fairmount Hill. He had
purchased most of the property on Fairmount Hill from his brother-inlaw, Caleb Witherbee whose house was near the bottom of the hill. The
hill was then developed for house lots for managers of the shoe factories.
Biographical Sketch of
Samuel Boyd
Born in 1815, sixth of eleven children of John and Sophia Phelps Boyd.
Samuel Boyd
Boyd was involved with the start of the Gas Company, the First
National Bank, and the Savings Bank. He was involved with both
train companies and started the Marlborough Trolley system, one of
the very first in the country.
He had little interest in politics, but did serve as a representative and
a term as a selectman, being largely drafted into both positions.
He was the driving force behind the creation of upper South St. and
the present Maple St.
He was responsible for developing two areas of real estate, Fairmount
Hill and Chestnut Hill. Apart from the housing on both hills, he was
responsible for two parks, the one on his own land known as
Fairmount Park, and 40 acres he donated to the city on Chestnut Hill.
A photo of Fairmount Park follows.
This photo was shot in the 1880's from Mt. Pleasant. The steeple on the
Immaculate Conception church was built in 1886. When Daniel Hayden
came to town around 1835, there would have been very few buildings
apart from his own farm buildings in the center of the photo. This is the
city that men like Daniel Hayden and Samuel Boyd helped to build.
Hayden Meadow is not much more than a mud hole: wet, damp
and full of malaria and disease; has been shunned by man and beast
ever since the world was created; fit only for growing vegetation and
a natural sink for the surface wash of that section of the city. And I
do not wonder that those who are so unfortunate as to have this
unproductive and unsaleable land are anxious to unload it at a
fancy price
Winfield Temple (front page, center, Marlboro Daily
Enterprise, March 17, 1913)
Why a Park?
The lower box in red is the approximate area described as the location of
the original Prospect Park created in a field by the Marlborough
Fairmount baseball club. That section of Lincoln St. did not exist at the
time. The upper box delineates the new Prospect Park at the top of the
hill built in the 1880's and used well into the 20th century. Kelleher field
is at the left. It eventually replaced Prospect Park.
1902: No Park
In 1902, a plan had been devised to build a park on land at Lake
Williams. Since Lake Williams was a reservoir and under the jurisdiction
of the Water Commision, the plan was abandoned. The article in the
Marlborough Enterprise declared:
There are many who think that the stoppage of work at Lake Williams
will make Hayden Meadow the most eligible place for a park location
In 1908, Mayor Henry Parsons promoted the idea of purchasing Hayden
Meadow in his inaugural address, and numerous letters and articles
spoke in support over the next fifteen years. In 1913 much debate took
place culminating in Attorney Winfield Temple's loud and (apparently)
influential letter to the editor.
Frank Rock and John Hayes were long time residents of the
neighborhood and partners in the liquor business. At some point they
ran separate establishments next to one another at Monument Sq. under
separate licenses. They used the Hayden barn as a warehouse.
When prohibition came in 1920, the value of the barn was greatly
diminished and the economic pressures may have created extra impetus
to sell property. Nevertheless, public pressure to purchase the Meadow
had to have been the greatest single influence.
This is a photo of the Rock building taken in the 1950's. The building,
now demolished, was at the Monument Sq. site of previous buildings
housing the Rock & Hayes liquor establishments. The building to its left
still stands.
On August 31, 1923, the City Council finally passed an order authorizing
$50,000 for the purchase and development of 19.1 acres of
Hayden Meadow.
August 8, 1925 was set aside as the date for Acceptance and Dedication of
the park. The park had been used extensively for certain activities in
1925, but the dedication didn't occur til August, probably for fear that a
large crowd would affect the grass (a common problem through the
years). The original construction did not include the tennis courts or
wading pool which were added around the same time as the construction
of the new Bigelow School in 1931.
This photo was taken in the 1930's (cars on the left verify this). The first
sets of tennis courts were built around 1931 and within a short time there
was an overwhelming demand for court time. Additional courts were
added in 1934 and nearly 3000 permits were requested that year.
The original plan was to put the wading pool and playground area on the
east end of the park, near Water Terrace. This may partially explain the
'dugout' that was a feature there for many years. It may have been the
presence of the new elementary Bigelow School that influenced the shift
to its present location. A gift of the Kiwanis Club explains the 'K' in the
center of this dedication photo in 1931.
The Gateway to the park was originally placed at the entrance to the
parking lot on Windsor St. (behind the Senior Center). It had to be
moved to accommodate Granger Blvd. The original Gateway had stone
seats and a stone area underfoot similar to the Soldier's Monument in
front of the Walker Building.
This plaque is on
the right side of the
previous marker.
Local American Legion Baseball teams played here for many years.
Marlboro's Drum and Bugle Corps practiced both at Ward Park and
Bigelow School. They had a huge local following, a welcome diversion
from the challenges of the depression. Local contributions were needed
to send the team to as far away as California for the national
championship. Their first national title was in Chicago in 1933.
They repeated in Miami in 1934. Competition for space at the park must
have been intense. There were about 20 baseball teams looking to play
games at the same time. With hundreds of tennis players, children at the
wading pool, and spectators for various events, Ward Park must have
seemed like a beehive.
In 1936, they won their fifth straight State Championship. Since their
victories at the state level had become a foregone conclusion, other teams
began to pass on the state championship. In deference to the
competition, Marlboro stopped participating at the state level.
Marlboro Shamrocks
Football
The Shamrocks practiced at Ward Park and played their home games at
Kelleher Field. Their dynastic record compares with any team sport at
any level in any country. All the more amazing considering that they
played a sport where turnover due to injury is so high.
During their glory years starting in 1983, they won the Eastern Football
League Championship in 17 of 20 years.
When National Championships began in the early 1990's, they won
Championships in 7 out of 10 years from 1993 to 2002.
The following slides show their National Championships. They show an
increasing disinterest in the press, going from the Front Page with large
pictures to low position on the Sports Page with no photo. National
Championships ceased to be compelling news.
Bibliography
The History of Artemas Ward Park
Available on the Web
Bibliography (cont)
Other Books
Puritan Village by Sumner Chilton Powell (about the Sudbury settlement)
The King's Best Highway by Eric Jaffe (about the Boston Post Rd)
Bibliography (cont)
Websites of Interest
John Buczek's Marlborough Website (tons of stuff on Marlboro's History)
http://freepages.history.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~historyofmarlborough/contents.htm#CONTENTS
Website devoted to the family of Josiah Hayden with much general Hayden family info.
Bibliography (cont)
Resources at the Marlborough Historical Society
Daniel Hayden's Daybook by Daniel and Hannah Hayden
Papers from the Estate of Luke Drury (there are also papers at the Umass
Library, Amherst and at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem)
Paul Harrington has written a history of the American Legion Drum and
Bugle Corps
Photographs of Marlborough
Any Questions or Requests feel free to call me. Paul Brodeur 508-485-1995
Please consider becoming members of the Marlborough Historical Society