by George Adams Parkhurst
The Parkhurst sword is an
excellent example of a presentation sword manufactured by C. Roby &
Company in West Chelmsford, Massachusetts in the mid 1800s. The village
originally know as Farwell Village and later as Scythe Factory Village,
later became known as West Chelmsford, the name it bears today.
Deacon John Farwell moved
from Fitchburg, Massachusetts to what would later become West Chelmsford
in 1820, where he built a factory on Stony Brook and began the
manufacture of scythes. About twenty-five years later, he sold out to
Lincoln Drake, who later sold to F.T. Sawyer and Christopher Roby. They
ran the business under the name, Roby, Sawyer & Company for several
years. With the retirement of Mr. Sawyer in 1853, Christopher Roby
renamed the company C. Roby & Company and continued the manufacture of
scythes.
The market for these goods was largely in the southern and border
states, and when the Civil War broke out in 1861, the company found its
trade destroyed and, in addition to that, suffered the loss of most o
goods shipped during the previous winter. Because of this, the company
converted to the manufacture of swords and sabers, items that were
similar to scythe blades. They continued until 1865, when the company
closed up its affairs.
In 1864, Christopher Roby applied to the Adjutant-General of
Massachusetts for permission to organize a troop of cavalry to be
prepared to suppress any anticipated raids from the Canadian border by
sympathizers with the Southern Confederacy.
Permission was granted and the troop was raised at Chelmsford center in
September of 1864 with squadrons in Chelmsford, Carlisle, Billerica and
Westford.
Christopher Roby was chosen Captain and Edgar Sewall Parkhurst was
chosen 1st. Lieutenant. Edgar S. Parkhurst resigned in 1866
and moved from the area. Obviously, the Parkhurst sword must date back
to the period of 1864 when the cavalry unit was organized and 1866 when
Lt. Parkhurst resigned.
The troop became a part of
the Massachusetts Volunteer Militia (hence the letters, M.V.M. on the
sword blade.) At their first encampment in Westford in 1865, the Troop
was presented with a stand of colors by Col. Clark's H. Dalton a
grandson of Capt. Noah Spalding of Chelmsford, who in olden times
commanded a company of troopers in Chelmsford. The Troop adopted the
name of "Spalding Light Cavalry." The name Spalding is spelled
with a "u" by some branches of the family and appears on the Parkhurst
sword as "Spaulding."
The shiny blade of the Parkhurst sword is engraved with a fancy floral
pattern and on one side, bears the words, "Co. F, Spaulding Light
Cavalry M.V.M."; on the other side, the name "Parkhurst." The
manufacturer's name is just below the hilt of the sword: "C. Roby &
Co., W. Chelmsford, Mass."
C. Roby & Co. sold several
thousand swords to the U. S. government during the Civil War, as well as
those used by the Spaulding Light Cavalry, but only a small number have
been uncovered in recent years. As a result, they have become
collectors' items and the Parkhurst sword, whose owner requests
anonymity, is one of the better examples.