1755 September 3 (Wednesday). The ministers (most of us) went to Mount Wachusett. Mrs. Mellen and her Sister Robbins with us and Mrs. Mellen had a Fall from her Horse but recover’d. We refresh’d ourselves on the Top of the Mount, Having carry’d up Bacon, Bread and Cheese, Rum. In Descending from the Summitt we stop’d a little and Sang a Stanza to the Praise of the Great Creator. N.B. A great multitude of persons happen’d to go up to the Mount to Day. We saw many Horses at the Bottom, and at Mr. Keys’s. N.B. I went to Mr. Jonathan Wilders enquiring after my Young Cattle which have stray’d but Mr. Wilder was not at home. When I return’d to Mr. Mellens he came to me, and told me my Cattle he believ’d were at his Neighbours and promis’d he would take Care of them. N.B. my Mare was very lame by reason of her loosing one of her fore shooes, which exceedingly incommoded me, and retarded the whole Company. This Man had such Benevolence, Compassion and Generosity that he took off one of his own Horse’s shooes, and sav’d and Straiten’d the Nails to put them into mine, which he so fasten’d on that it held me till I got to Westborough: a nobleness that was notic’d by all, and may he be suitably rewarded for it! A Number of us in returning homeward visited the Mine[1] — digging by Mr. Christian Angel — a German from Ypres a Town on the River Rhine. Messrs. Cushing, Martyn, Stone and I lodg’d at Mr. Morse’s:[2] but I was greatly fatigu’d and had but little Sleep.
[1]It was at about this time that various shafts were sunk into a hill in Sterling in anticipation of finding some mineral of value. A Brief History of Sterling (n.p., 1931), pp. 60-61, comments: “. . . Christian Angel a miner from Sweden was the principal workman.” Specimens of ore were found to be without value and the mine was abandoned. Fragments found in the twentieth century include plumbago, nickel, sulphates of copper and iron, garnets and carbonite of iron.
[2]The Reverend Ebenezer Morse of Boyslton.