Named Entity Results
Medford Historical Society Papers, Volume 30.

rlestown, where, in a house at Symmes corner, later dwelt Caleb, grandson of the original of that name. Here, at the extreme of the grant to the first Thomas Brooks, was born in 1752, John Brooks, later Governor of the Commonwealth. His history has been written so many times that it is out of place to enter into it in detail. We note, however, that he attended the district school with his playmate, Benjamin Thompson, afterwards Count Rumford, and later became apprentice in Medford to Dr. Simon Tufts. He had settled down in Reading to practice medicine when the war intervened, and Captain John Brooks marched to Lexington, where he perhaps fought shoulder to shoulder with his relatives, Caleb and Edward and Thomas from Medford. He found the British already on the retreat before he could reach Concord, but placing his Reading men near the road between Concord and Lexington, he gave the British troops a volley as they passed. He then followed them, with his men harassing the enemy's

The Brooks Estates in Medford from 1660 to 1927. By Richard B. Coolidge. [Read before the Medford Historical Society, March 21, 1927. Acknowledgment is due Mrs. Shepherd Brooks, who generously made available her husband's manuscript referred to in the text, and to Mrs. Coolidge who compiled the material.] IT is one of the functions of a historical society to record history as it transpires. Here in Medford it is unfortunate that we have so few records of certain memorable periods of oMrs. Coolidge who compiled the material.] IT is one of the functions of a historical society to record history as it transpires. Here in Medford it is unfortunate that we have so few records of certain memorable periods of our past. In 1775 there was no historical society existing. Had there been, we might now read in the records of that day at what hour of the morning the Minute Men marched up the road toward Lexington, how far they advanced, and at what point they joined in the attack upon the British Regulars. Again we are unable to determine with certainty the builder of the famous Cradock house, or to demonstrate that Washington came to the Royall house. In later years there are like omissions. To preven

marks the place. When the aqueduct was removed the granite was used in building the farmhouse of the present estate on the west side of Grove street. With all this extensive property, Gorham Brooks clave to the simple house of his great-grandfather as a summer home. Like his father, Gorham Brooks took an intense interest in agriculture and in beautifying his own estate. Others of the thirteen children of Peter Chardon Brooks who may interest especially a Medford audience were Abigail Brown Brooks, who married Charles Francis Adams, minister to England in the Civil war, and Charlotte Gray Brooks, later the wife of Edward Everett, orator, governor of Massachusetts, and president of Harvard. A sister of Peter Chardon was Joanna Cotton Brooks, who married Nathaniel Hall of Medford and lived in the home later known as the Samuel C. Lawrence farmhouse. The grandson of this Joanna was Francis Parkman, the historian, and it was doubtless from this house that he tramped through the

the limits of a paper to deal in hardly more than skeleton outline, omitting much that might well be written in full. I do not represent that I am setting forth what is not already known and recorded. In fact, this paper is based in large part upon the work of Shepherd Brooks, now preserved in written form under the title History and Genealogy of the Brooks Family of Medford, Massachusetts, compiled chiefly from the researches of P. C. Brooks, senior, his son, Gorham, and his nephew, William G. Brooks, also from Charles Brooks's History of Medford, by Shepherd Brooks, Boston, 1885. That book forms an invaluable record. The house of Brooks in Medford reaches back, if not to the earliest years of the settlement, to the later decades of the sixteen hundreds. In all that time the Brooks family has been one of outstanding prominence and has imprinted itself upon the annals of the town and the city. In fact, so associated with the western part of Medford, in particular, has been the

f the second Samuel, behind the slave wall. Another son of this second Samuel was Edward Brooks, famous in local history. This Edward was graduated at Harvard in 1757 and served two years as college librarian. In 1764 he was ordained as minister in North Yarmouth, Maine. His connection with that church, however, brought him toil and trouble. His theology was of a more modern cast than that of his congregation, and he soon retreated to Medford, where he occasionally preached for the Rev. Ebenezer Turell. He also bought land in Medford of John Francis, Jr., on the west side of Grove street, and there occupied what may be called the fourth of the Brooks homesteads. This house stood just north of the later mansion built by his son, Peter C. Brooks, which in turn was torn down in 1915 to make way for the new development. The life of the Reverend Edward Brooks was characteristic of the period. The words of his son are well known, He was a high son of liberty and started off on horse

ilt for himself a large house, the fifth in the succession of the family homesteads, a few yards south of his father's, which was then taken down. Under his ownership the extent of the Brooks property was greatly increased. It included a lot lying north of his house, and all the land south of his house on the north side of High street between Grove street and the Mystic river, also a large tract of land lying east of the railroad called the Clewly land, which he bought from the heirs of John Clewly of Halifax. He also bought of Nathan Tufts the Tufts farm so called, lying south of High street, including all the land between that street and Mystic river and Harvard avenue, and somewhat more lying south of the latter. This property was intersected by the Middlesex canal, the land of which forms Boston avenue. Mr. Brooks always took great pride in his estate at Medford. It was one of the handsomest near Boston. To those who remember the old estate it would seem the typical estat

eeting of High and Grove streets, was laid out by the latter, and for many years after him the trees and shrubs were kept in order by his son and grandson. In the collection of silver belonging to the First Parish church are two silver flagons presented by him in 1823. It was the same benefactor who built in 1846 the granite wall along the east side of the old burying ground, where so many of his ancestors lie buried. In 1869, Mrs. Ellen Brooks, widow of Gorham Brooks, with her two sons, Shepherd and Peter C. the third, gave both land and church edifice to Grace Episcopal church. In 1897 the Commonwealth received from the latter a gift of forty acres of land once owned by the Middlesex Canal Corporation, now a part of the Mystic Valley parkway. The Whitmore brook reservation was created in 1901 out of land presented to the Commonwealth by Peter C. and Shepherd Brooks. Brooks road, on the east side of the South Winchester reservoir, owes its plan and construction to the gift of th

ford (and lands adjacent) & ye now mentioned place of Golden Moor containing by estimation, four hundred acres of land more or less according to a plat taken and bounds marked by Capt. Nicholas Shapley; excepting & only reserving unto ye said Edward Collins, his heirs or assigns ye wood and timber of sixteene acres of land anent ye Great Pond & not lying above one mile from ye aforenamed Dwelling house with free egress and regress for fetching ye same. Also two acres of Land adjoining to Thomas Eames clay land. Also to Golden Moor ye priviledge & right he hath therein by Lease signed by ye said Edwd Collins. Also six acres of meadow land Lying in ye Easterly part of ye Meadow yt Lyeth on ye West side of Meadford river, lately appertaining to Mr. Thomas Broughton, with one-fourth part of all ye appurtenances thereto appertaining, according to ye Deed of Conveyance passed upon record from ye said Broughton to ye said Collins. . . . And also ye said Edwd Collins doth covenant for himse

which in turn was torn down in 1915 to make way for the new development. The life of the Reverend Edward Brooks was characteristic of the period. The words of his son are well known, He was a high 3d.2. We have, then, in the one family, Capt. John Brooks, Lieut. Caleb, Thomas and the Reverend Edward Brooks all leaving hot-foot for Lexington. The diary of a British officer, MacKenzie, recent10 s 6d per Dozen, and his best old Stamp 12 s cheaper by the Dozen. As is well known, Rev. Edward Brooks died a sacrifice to his patriotism. While serving as chaplain on the American frigate Hao different members of the family and were probably unsettled and unused. At the death of Rev. Edward Brooks the land was appraised from seventy pounds an acre for that south of his house near the cose Episcopal clergymen. It was heroic and consecrated inheritance. The second son of the Rev. Edward Brooks was the well-known Peter Chardon Brooks. The era in which Mr. Brooks lived corresponded