USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > Hanover > Historical sketch of the town of Hanover, Mass., with family genealogies, 1853 > Part 1
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LVX
OMNIVM
CIVIVM
MOGGE LXXVIII
--
BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY
NO.
PUBLIC LIBRARY
RESIDENCE OF THE LATE CAPT. JOSEPH J. WHITING.
A
HISTORICAL SKETCH
OF THE
TOWN OF HANOVER, MASS.,
WITH
FAMILY GENEALOGIES.
ACET.
.. BY JOHN S. BARRY,
AUTHOR OF " RECORDS OF THE SIETION FAMILY."
2
BOSTON:
PUBLISHED FOR THE AUTHOR BY SAMUEL, G. DRAKE, 15 BRATTLE ST BAZIN & CHANDLER, PRINTERS, 37 CORNHILL. ENGRAVINGS BY BAKER, SMITH AND ANDREW, 46 COURT ST. 1853. L
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2.
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3/7/40 KRP
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
BOSTON FUB., LIBRARY
CHAPTER I.
Early settlement of the territory, in connection with that of Scituate - In- corporation of the Town, and present boundaries - Remonstrance of Abington - Acquiescence of Scituate - Ancient boundaries - Family locations previous to the Revolution.
9-27
CHAPTER II. NATURAL HISTORY.
Geology of the Town - Forests, ancient and modern, with their products, value and uses - Herbaceous Plants - Birds, &c. - Laws for their des- truction, and argument for their preservation - Wild and Domestic Fruits - Ancient Sheep Husbandry, and the Culture of Flax, Wheat, &c. Materials for improving the soil - Indications of progress. 28-41
CHAPTER III. INDIANS.
Names of the seven principal tribes - Chikatabut's possessions - Indian Deed of Scituate - Manners and customs of the natives - Stature, clothing, money, weapons, dwellings, food, &c. - Dishes at the first meet- ing of the Old Colony Club - Philip's War - Reminiscenses of the In dians of Hanover - Changes which have taken place since those days. 42-53
CHAPTER IV. ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY.
Provisions for the support of Public worship - Erection of the first meeting house in Hanover - Its appearance - Gathering of the worshippers - Settlement of Mr. Bass - Seating the house - Communion service - Insubordination of the youth - Sternhold and Hopkins' Hymns - De- cease of Mr. Bass - His character - Settlement of Mr. Baldwin - Gift of a 'parsonage - Erection of the second meeting house - Its appearance - Decease of Mr. Baldwin - Sketch of his life - Attempt to settle Mr. Litchfield - Settlement of Mr. Mellen - First Bell - Painting the house, and other repairs - Withdrawal of Mr. Mellen - His decease - Sketch of his life, and list of his publications - Settlement of Mr. Chaddock - Withdrawal - Sketch of his life - Settlement of Mr. Chapin - Sketch of his life - Settlement of Mr. Smith - His life and writings - Erection of the third meeting house - Settlement of Mr. Duncan.
54-74
iv
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER V.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY CONTINUED.
Establishment of St. Andrew's Church in Scituate - First meeting house - Mr. Davenport's ministry - Mr. Brockwell's - Mr. Thompson's - Sketch of his descendants - Mr. Wheeler's ministry - Removal of the Church to Hanover - Erection of a New Meeting House - Rectorship of Messrs. Cooper, Wolcott, Appleton, Greenleaf, and Cutler - Establish- ment of a Socicty in the Northerly part of Hanover, and Westerly part of Scituate - Incorporation as a Universalist Society - Sketch of its history - History of the Baptist Society. 75-84
CHAPTER VI. EDUCATION.
Early laws for the support of education - Our Common School System - Schoolmasters - Schools established in Hanover - Mr. Fitzgerald - Jo- seph Cushing- Luke Stetson - Sketch from 1750 to 1840 - Table of appropriations - Academy. Mr. Chaddock's - Removal to the Four Corners - Second building - New Edifice, built in 1852 - Proprietors - Lawyers - Physicians - Graduates. 85-101
CHAPTER VII. MILITARY HISTORY.
Military training of our ancestors - Town's stock of powder, &c. - Expe- dition to the Spanish West Indies - Expedition to Cape Breton - French Neutrals - French War, with extracts from the Muster Rolls. 102-107
CHAPTER VIII.
INCIDENTS OF THE REVOLUTION.
Causes of the Revolution - Stamp Act - Convention in Boston - Ply- mouth County Convention - Provincial Congresses - Preparations for defence - Minute men - Provincial Treasurer chosen - Committees of Safety - Boston Port Bill - Tories, and the Ruggles Covenant - Bal- four's troops - Commencement of hostilities - Sea coast guards - Gen- eral Washington assumes the command of the Army - Station of the army - Operations for 1776 - Entrenchment on Dorchester heights - Evacuation of Boston - Alarm at Cohasset - Declaration of Independ- ence - Operations around Boston - Men for Triconderoga and for Rhode Island - Operations for 1777 - Committee of Safety - Prices for labor - Town's quota - Expedition to Rhode Island - Other mili- tary movements - Operations for 1778 - Quota of Shirts. &c. - State Constitution rejected - Enlistments for this year - Extracts from the Pay Rolls - Operations for 1779 - Committee of Safety. &c. - Enlistments - Committee of Safety for 1780- Military movements for the year - Depreciation of Currency - The dark hour - Movements for 1781 - In- cidents subsequent to the War. 108-130
CHAPTER IX.
MILITARY HISTORY CONTINUED.
Military Companies subsequent to the Revolution - Hanover Artillery Company - Hanover Light Infantry - Hanover Rifle Company - War of 1812 - List of Soldiers. 131-136
V
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER X.
MANUFACTURES AND TRADE.
History of Manufactures in the town - Forges and Furnaces - Bardin's, now the Curtis Forge - Barstow's, now Sylvester's Forge - Dyer's, now Perry's Tack Factory - Sketch of the Life of Col. Jesse Reed - The Drinkwater Works, now Bates and Holmes - Barker's Foundry - Sal- mond's Tack Works - Tolman's Mills - Saw and Grist Mills - Plough Manufacture, and Sketch of the Life of David Prouty - Other branches of Industry. 137-155
CHAPTER XI. SHIP BUILDING.
Former and present state of the art of Ship-building in America - Materi- als for the construction of vessels - Massachusetts Enterprise - Ship- building on the North River - Yards in Pembroke - Yards in Hanover - The Barstows. Sylvesters, Sampsons, Clarks, Perrys, Eells, Paiges, Baileys, Smiths, Kingmans, Wings, Stockbridges, &c. - Obstructions in the River - Petitions to Congress for their removal -Decline of the business - Present condition of the village. 156-165
CHAPTER XII.
PROVISIONS FOR THE POOR - TEMPERANCE CAUSE - SLAVERY - RESTING PLACES FOR THE DEAD - LONGEVITY.
Provisions for the Poor -Poor kept by Friends - Selectmen to provide for them - Put out at Auction - Establishment of an Alms-House - Temperance Cause - Excise Bill of 1751 - Rum Trade at that date - Extracts from the Church Records Relative to the Excise Bill - Tem- perance Society formed in 1816 - Later History of the Cause - Slavery in New England - Owners of Slaves, from the Church and Town Rec- ords - Touching Incident - Burial Ground near the Centre of the Town - Gifts of Land by David Stockbridge, Esq., and by John Barstow, Esq., - Burial Ground at Snappet - Table of Longevity. 166-180
CHAPTER XIII.
Highways- Streets -Bridges-Ponds - Streams-and Landmarks. 181-192
PART II.
FAMILY GENEALOGIES.
RC FUBLIL IBRAR 193
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
1. Residence of the late Capt. Joseph J. Whiting,
(Frontispiece)
2. First Central Meeting House 57
3. Second, and Present Central Meeting Houses -
65
4. Old, and Present Episcopal Churches
77
5. Old, and Present Universalist Meeting Houses 6. Baptist Meeting House
81
7. Academy, at the Four Corners 93
139
9 and 10. Ancient and Modern Ploughs 148 and 149
11. Ancient Ship, of the days of the Pilgrims
156 158
12. Plan of the Ship yards
13. Bailey Coat of Arms, and Autographs 199 14. The Baldwin House 206
207
16. Barstow Coat of Arms
208
17. Residence of Col. John B. Barstow
227 244
18. Residence of Mr. Elisha Bass
245
20. Curtis Coat of Arms
272
21. Residence of Mr. George Curtis
286 290
23. Residence of Rev. Samuel Cutler
291
24. Residence of Capt. Nathan Dwelley
299
25. Residence of Mr. Charles Dyer
300
26. Residence of J. T. Gardner, Esq.
312
27. Residence of Dr. A. C. Garratt 28. Jacobs Coat of Arms
319
29. Josselyn Coat of Arms
335
30. Residence of Rev. R. L. Killam
348
31. Likeness of Col. Jesse Reed -
363
32. Stetson Coat of Arms
378
33. Residence of Martin W. Stetson
380
34. Stockbridge Coat of Arms
384
35. Studley Coat of Arms
392
36. Sylvester Coat of Arms
400
37. Residence of Mr. John Sylvester -
404
38. .6 Michael Sylvester
406
39. 66 " Robert Sylvester
J
407
40. Whiton Coat of Arms
-
419
83
8. The Curtis Forge -
15. Residence of Capt. Seth Barker
19. Bates Coat of Arms
22. The Judge Cushing House -
313
INTRODUCTION.
BOSTON FOBLIC LIBRA
In sending forth the following work, to be subjected to the inspection and criticism of the public, the author is aware, that he assumes a great respon- sibility, inasmuch as every historical work, is to effect, for good or ill, the reputation of those who are named in its pages. For the manner in which this difficult task has been executed in the present instance, it is hoped that but little cause of complaint will be found. Many thanks are due to those who have kindly aided my labors, and strenghtened my purposes.
Valuable assistance has been derived from the Library of the Mass., and New England Historical Societies, and that of the State, the Records of Plymouth and Suffolk Counties, and from many published histories, and private manuscripts. If the work meets the approbation of the public, and if it is found to contain a faithful and impartial record of facts, the author will feel that his labor has not been in vain. Every attempt, however hum- ble, to rescue from oblivion the fast fading mementos of the past, is laud- able, and valuable; and local histories, furnish the materials from which, hereafter, works of a more general character, will be written. That this work, imperfect as it is, may fill some niche in the "gallery of history," is all that the author can ask.
ERRATA.
A few errors have been discovered, in carrying the work through the press, the most important of which are here noted, for correction.
Page 10. The date of the incorporation of Scit., should be 1636, not 1642, and it was strictly the 2nd town incorporated, as well as the 2nd settled, in Plymouth Colony.
P. 14, line 7, read 42º 7', instead of 40° 7',
P. 18, line 3, read son of William, instead of grandson.
P. 19, line 16, read 1660, instead of 1690.
P. 27, last line, read gleanings instead of gleamings.
P. 33, note, read 20 ft., instead of thirty.
P. 50, line 21, read Winslow, instead of Winston.
P. 56, line 35, read Isaac Buck, instead of Bush.
P. 73, last line of the quotation, read frondes instead of fondes.
P. 264, last line, read records , instead of readers.
P. 271, last line but one, note, read 1648 instead of 1748.
P. 328, line 27, read p. 32, instead of 34.
P. 311. The dates of birth, &c., in the family of Mr. Hiram Gardner, should be as follows : (by 2nd,) Charlotte S., May 17, 1842 ; Anne R., Feb. 8, 1844 ; George, May 12, 1845 ; Curtis, Nov. 2, 1846, d. Sept. 24, 1848 ; and Sarah C., Mar. 29, 1852. So says the wife of Mr. G.
P. 374 The w. of Mr. Eben'r. Simmons, was of Little Compton, R. I., in- stead of Prov .; and Mr. S. was a Lt., in the war of 1812, under the U. S. Gov't. His son Perez, was a member of the " Suffrage Convention,' as it is called, whilst in R. I., and in consequence of difficulties growing out of his sympathy with Mr. Dorr, he left the State, and settled in his native town.
HISTORY OF HANOVER, MASS.
CHAPTER I.
" O dark the scene and dreary, When here they set them down,
Of storms and billows weary, And chilled with winter's frown. Deep moaned the forests to the wind, Loud howled the savage foe,
While here their evening prayer arose, Two hundred years ago." FLINT.
Early settlement of the territory, in connexion with that of Scituate - Incorpora- tion of the Town, and present boundaries - Remonstrance of Abington - Ac- quiescence of Scituate- Ancient boundaries- Family locations previous to the Revolution.
THE TOWN OF HANOVER, whose history we propose to sketch in the following pages, was incorporated as late as 1727, or more than one hundred years after the landing of the Pilgrims ; but its territory was actually settled as early as 1649, or less than thirty years after the landing. Although its municipal age, therefore, may not be so great as that of many other towns in the county, yet its history may properly date back a century at least previous to its incorporation.
The landing of the Pilgrims took place on Monday, December 11th, 1620, Old Style, or December 21st, New Style, on the ever memorable Rock at Plymouth : and this was the first suc- cessful settlement made in Massachusetts.1 It was not till twelve
1 Thacher's History of Plymouth, p. 21.
10
HISTORY OF HANOVER.
years after, or in 1632, that the first settlements were made in Duxbury,1 and this town, which was incorporated in 1637, then embraced within its limits the present towns of Marshfield, incor- porated in 1640 ; Bridgewater, incorporated in 1656, and cover- ing the territory included in North, East, West, and South Bridgewater, or Bridgewater proper ; 2 Abington, incorporated in 1712; 3 and Pembroke, also incorporated in 1712, from which, in 1820, the present town of Hanson was set off.
Less than eight years after the landing of the Pilgrims, how- ever, or in 1628, settlements were made in Scituate ; and although this town was not incorporated until 1642, or five years after Duxbury, and two after Marshfield, yet it properly ranks next to Plymouth in age, it having been the second town settled in the Plymouth Colony.
The greater part of the present territory of Hanover originally belonged to Scituate, and so remained, until its erection into a township by itself. The early history of the town, therefore, is identified with, and strictly belongs to, that of Scituate. But it will not be necessary to enter into many details relating to the latter town. The history of Scituate has been published to the world ; and had we the disposition, it is doubtful if we could add much to Deane's excellent narrative.
We shall content ourselves with a few brief notes ; and present these, more for the purpose of showing how, when, and by whom the territory and town of Hanover were first settled, than to re- write what has been once so ably written.
As we just remarked, the first settlements were made in Scitu- e eight years after the landing of the Pilgrims, or in 1628 ; and le names of these early settlers were William Gilson, Anthony innable, Thomas Bird, Nathaniel Tilden, Edward Foster, Henry Cowley, and others, called " Men of Kent," probably from their naving come from the County of Kent in England.4
The first lots cord, granted in Scituate in 1633, were in
1 Winsor's I ixbury, p. 9.
2 Mitchell's Bridgewater, p. 10.
2 Hobart's Abington, p. 35.
4The name of this ancient town is found on the map in " Wood's New England's Prospect," published in 1633, a copy of which is annexed to " Fowle's Outline Map of Massachusetts," hanging upon the walls of most of our school-rooms. Also in Young's Chronicles of Massachusetts, p. 389.
11
EARLY SETTLEMENT.
that part of the town called The Harbor, and on the second cliff. The third cliff had been previously appropriated and occupied. In August, 1633, the inhabitants proceeded to lay out a regular village, allowing to no man more than four acres for a house lot, the proposition being " to build a compact street for purpose of mutual defence." 1 This was called Kent Street, and led from the bridge at the harbor, easterly to the third cliff. Here houses were built ; and when, in 1634, the Rev. Mr. Lothrop, with thirty of his church, arrived from London, who were joined the same winter by others, some of whom were " Men of Kent," additional house lots were granted, and additional tenements reared. Deane suggests that these primitive houses were built of logs, and cover- ed with thatch cut from the sedges which grew profusely upon the neighboring marshes. But as it was " agreed upon by the whole Court, held the sixth of January, 1627, that from henceforward no dwelling-house was to be covered with any kind of thache, as straw, reed, &c., but with either board or pale, and the like to wit of all that were to be new built in the towne," we think it probable that most of the houses were covered with " board or pale."? True, the law applied to Plymouth only, when passed, but would be likely to be observed throughout the colony. And as the settlers of Scituate were many of them men of substance, they were not compelled by poverty to build their dwellings in the rudest form, though those of the poorer class may have been covered with thatch. Houses were built, however ; and here, for a series of years, dwelt in comparative seclusion, in their wilderness home, a race of men, many of whom had lived in far costlier habitations in the land of their nativity, and enjoyed advantages, for literary culture and social intercourse, far superior to what could be immediately ex pected in their new abode.
But though the act of their coming here was to some ex- tent voluntary, yet it must have been with feelings of lone- liness and depression, in their thoughtf: 37.goods, that they looked out upon that broad ocean, stretching before them, not whitened as now with the sails of every clime, but expand- ing, a gulf of three thousand miles between them and their
1 Deane's Scituate, p. 8.
2 Plymouth Colony Laws, p. 29.
12
HISTORY OF HANOVER.
former home ; its waves, in the storm, lashing with fury the rock- bound coast, and striking terror to the mother's heart ; or in its milder moods, laving the shore with quiet murmurings, the more calculated to awaken in the saddened spirit emotions which find vent chiefly in sighs. Or as they looked behind, upon that broad forest, clothing plain and hill, where wild beasts prowled, and the Indian roamed, and not a sign or a token of civilized life appeared, and as they felt their exposure to the deadly incursions of these hostile foes, iron wills must have been possessed by the men, and iron nerves have braced the gentler sex, else could they never have passed through the perils which surrounded them, and the dangers of their earlier days, with that calm composure and un- wavering trust which they ever displayed.
But a life of privation, and hardship and toil, was encountered with cheerfulness, and endured without murmuring, for the praise- worthy object of permanently securing for themselves and their posterity, what they had never fully enjoyed on English soil,-a diffusive civil, and an enlightened religious liberty. Animated by this purpose, they moved steadily on, " fainting not for weakness, faltering not for pain," their tears and their blood watering the soil, and their lives yielded a willing sacrifice to the cause of free- dom !
The boundaries of Scituate remained unsettled for some years. It was the practice of the Colony Court to make grants, from time to time, to new planters, as they requested it ; waiting until each settlement should become of sufficient magnitude to require cor- porate powers, before conferring the same. The " Conihasset Grant " was made in 1633, to four gentlemen, usually called " Merchant Adventurers of London ; " 1 and in 1637, the tract called " The Two Miles," now a part of Marshfield, was granted on the application of Mr. Timothy Hatherly, and the Rev. Mr. Lothrop, accompanied by a Committee of fifteen of the principal planters. 2
Finally, in 1642, by order of the Court, the general bounds of the town were fixed " on the westerly side up the Indian Head River, to the Pond, which is the head of said River; and from
1 Deane's Scituate, p. 4.
2 Ibid, p. 7.
13
EARLY SETTLEMENT.
thence to Accord Pond; and from thence to the sea, by the line that is the bound between Massachusetts and Plymouth." 1
Upon this territory, which included the most of Hanover, the first settlers, with their descendants, and those who subsequently joined them, took up their abode, and spent their days, in the peaceful pursuit of agriculture, manufactures, and commerce, in- terrupted only by occasional periods of Indian warfare, during which, and especially in that bloody and protracted campaign which signalized Philip's war in 1676, much suffering was en- dured, many of their houses were destroyed, and many precious and valuable lives were lost. But of these matters we shall have occasion to speak more at large hereafter.
As we have already observed, the first settlements in Scituate proper, were at the harbor. But as years rolled on, and the country around was explored, and the population continued to in- crease, by internal growth and external additions, lands farther back from the shore began to be improved, and settlers pushed their way along up the windings of the North River, dotting its banks here and there with their simple dwellings, and spacious farms ; - occasionally varying the scene by the establishment of a ship-yard ; - and thence up the Indian Head, where forges and furnaces were erected from 1704 to 1710 ; and so back towards the colony line, and in the vicinity of the third Herring Brook, where were saw and grist-mills, and farms of considerable extent ; until eventually, towards the close of the seventeenth century, a respectable number of busy and enterprising men were resident upon the territory now included in Hanover ; and during the first quarter of the eighteenth century, that number was so much en- larged, (the population amounting to nearly three hundred souls,) that the inhabitants began to think of petitioning to be incorpora- ted into a town by themselves ; and in 1727, their petition having been presented and carefully considered, their wishes were grati- fied, the new town took its place among the municipalities of the county, and received its name of HANOVER, probably in compli- ment to the DUKE OF HANOVER, who had lately been called to the English throne under the title of GEORGE THE FIRST.
At present, the town is bounded on the North by Abington and
1 Deane's Scituate, p. 1.
-
14
HISTORY OF HANOVER.
South Scituate ; on the East by South Scituate ; on the South by Pembroke and Hanson ; and on the West by Abington. Its area is fifteen and one half square miles, or nearly ten thousand acres. The latitude of the centre-meeting house, from the State Trigono- metrical Survey, is 42º 06' 49", and lon. 70° 49' 13", and of the Town Hall, as laid down on the map published by Mr. Whiting, the lat. is 40° 7', and the lon. 70° 50' 58". Distance from Bos- ton to the Four Corners, twenty-two miles ; from thence to Ply- mouth, fourteen miles. This was the thirteenth town established within the limits of the county ; and according to the census of 1850, is the fourteenth in point of population, and the fifteenth on the valuation list. Being principally a farming town, and possess- ing but few external advantages, its growth has not been so rapid as that of some other towns, perhaps more recently incorporated. Still, industry and frugality have ever characterized the people ; and steadiness in business, and general intelligence, have proved the sure elements of rational prosperity.
As might well be supposed, the new town was not incorporated without some opposition on the part of its neighbors. Scituate, which was to be most seriously affected, sent no remonstrance to the General Court which remains on file, and voted at a meet- ing held in 1726 not to oppose its incorporation ; but Abington, which was then less thickly settled than Scituate, though now hav- ing nearly double the population, and which was struggling to maintain its own existence, complained that the change contem- plated would not only considerably diminish its territory, but se- riously weaken and cripple its resources.
In the latter town, in September, 1726, Lieutenant William Reed, Matthew Pratt, Edward Bates, and Samuel Noyes, were chosen a committee "to draw up objections in answer to the Drinkwater people's petition to draw off from them," and it was voted, " that Matthew Pratt and Samuel Noyes should carry the answer to the Court." 1 This remonstrance was presented April 19, 1727, and the reasons assigned in it why the inhabitants of Abington opposed the petitioners prayer are, -"1. Because of the fewness of our families in number, which is but about fifty-
1 Hobart's History of Abington, p. 131.
15
REMONSTRANCE OF ABINGTON.
three, including the eight desiring to be set off; and of these five are newly married, and have neither house nor home, but as they sojourn under the roofs of others ; and of the rest, six are widows, whose husbands have of late deceased, leaving their fam- ilies much broken, and under low circumstances ; which nineteen, taken from fifty-three, leaves but thirty-four ; - and even of these some are so poor that they are left out of the rates, and have need of support from the town ; - so that there will be but thirty families left to bear the public charges. 2. The part of the town petitioning to be set off, contains eleven polls, and above one- fifth of the rateable estate ; and although there will still be left to Abington a considerable tract of land, yet but little part of it is capable of settlement, except the easterly part, which is chiefly in gentlemen proprietors hands, who do neither sell nor settle their lands, they living in other towns, and improving the same only as timber lots ; and the inhabitants petitioning to be set off dwell on the easterly part of these great lots, which run westerly nearly to the centre of Abington, which will hence be exempt from taxa- tion here for the support of the ministry. And, 3. That the eight petitioners for the separation, viz. : Elijah Cushing, Jeremiah Hatch, Nathaniel Davis, Joseph Bryant, Nehemiah Cushing, Benjamin Loring, and Isaac Hatch, though they urged their dis- tance from public worship, were but four miles from the meeting house, and that if it was objected that the way was difficult and impassable, yet several responsible men had offered to make it good and passable, for man and horse, for £5 charge." 1
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