Wayland Town Crier 1/10/11: 'Wayland A to Z': 'W' is for 'Wayland'!. In 1835, the town of East Sudbury voted to adopt the name "Wayland." Alfred S. Hudson drew from town records of that year some of the other names suggested – Clarence, Penrose, Fayette, Waybridge, Wadsworth, Elba, Waterville, Auburn, Keene and Lagrange. In her book "The Puritan Village Evolves," Helen Emery states, "Suffice it to say that no extant town record explains or even gives a clue to the reasons for the choice of the name. When in 1957 this writer undertook extensive research into the adoption of the name Wayland, no contemporary (1835) comment or explanation could be found." However, Judge Edward Mellen was a friend of the Rev. Francis Wayland, president of Brown University. It is suspected that in 1835, when East Sudbury proposed changing its name, Judge Mellen, who had long admired his friend, may have proposed the name "Wayland." Twelve years later, Dr. Wayland donated $500 to help establish a public library in town, perhaps because he had been previously honored.