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Gc 974.402 N434c 1127418
M. L
GENEALOGY COLLECTION
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 01094 6132
THE LANDING-PLACE, PARKER RIVER.
"OULD NEWBURY":
HISTORICAL AND PIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
BY
JOHN J. CURRIER.
I
BOSTON : DAMRELL AND UPHAM. 1896.
COPYRIGHT, 1896, BY JOHN J. CURRIER.
GEO. H. ELLIS, PRINTER, 141 FRANKLIN STREET, BOSTON
1127418 PREFACE.
In this volume I have attempted to trace the history of some of the ancient houses and notable places within the limits of "Ould Newbury," and have also endeavored to embody in brief biographical sketches some of the facts and incidents connected with the mercantile, literary, and political life of the town. I have been compelled to leave unnoticed many buildings and places of historic interest, and have found it impossible to sketch, even briefly, the work and influence of the distinguished men and women of Newbury birth and parentage who are now living in this community, or elsewhere, without very materially increasing the size of this volume, which is already too large for convenient use. I trust, however, that a more comprehensive work, giving the history of Newbury, Newburyport, and West Newbury from their incorporation down to the present time, will soon be undertaken by some competent and careful writer, who will collect and preserve for future generations the names of the men that are necessarily excluded from these pages, with a full and detailed account of the important events in which they have participated.
The facts and incidents contained in these sketches have been gathered from every available source ; but my thanks are especially due to Sidney Perley, Esq., of Salem, Mass., and to John Ward Dean, A. M., librarian of the New Eng- land Historic-Genealogical Society of Boston, for valuable advice and assistance in preparing them for the press. I desire also to acknowledge my indebtedness to Abner C. Goodell, Jr., commissioner for the publication of the Acts and Resolves of the Province of Massachusetts Bay ; to Walter K. Watkins, secretary of the Massachusetts Society
4
PREFACE
of Colonial Wars, Boston, Mass. ; to William Little, Esq., president of the Historical Society of Old Newbury ; and to Messrs. Lothrop Withington, Isaac W. Little, Oliver B. Merrill, and many other citizens of Newburyport, for similar service in the examination of parish, town, and State records.
Great pains have been taken to verify every statement and to give the facts as they exist without exaggeration or embel- lishment. Many errors will undoubtedly be discovered in the text. In some instances names and dates will be found incorrect, owing to discrepancies between town and family records. The authorities that are relied upon to corroborate and support the conclusions reached in these sketches are mentioned, in order to facilitate investigation ; and the titles to estates can be verified by consulting the Essex registry of deeds, the book and page of reference being given.
Most of the topics selected for consideration in this volume are more or less intimately connected with the growth and development of the town, and have been arranged in chrono- logical order, so far as possible, beginning with the " Landing at Parker River" and ending with "Oak Hill Cemetery." There is necessarily some repetition of statement in these pages, inasmuch as each sketch is intended to be complete in itself, and in a measure independent of those that precede it.
The illustrations are from negatives taken by Messrs. Robert E. Mosely, Carl Meinerth, Hiram P. MacIntosh, Selwyn C. Reed, William C. Thompson, Edward E. Bartlett, and John Osgood. Some of these negatives were made expressly for this work, while others are more than thirty years old and represent views and scenes that cannot now be obtained by the use of the camera.
I have found the task of collecting the material and pre- paring this book for publication somewhat difficult and labori- ous, and have felt obliged to omit many topics that would naturally find a place in a work of this description ; but, notwithstanding its many imperfections and deficiencies, I venture to offer it to the public as my humble contribution to the history of my native town.
J. J. C.
NEWBURYPORT, December 10, 1896.
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
PAGE
THE LANDING AT PARKER RIVER 9 THE SETTLEMENT AT THE LOWER GREEN 13 THE SPENCER-PIERCE HOUSE 25 EDWARD RAWSON 43 THE FERRY AT CARR'S ISLAND 55
JOHN POORE, OF NEWBURY NECK
81
THOMAS HALE, OF NEWBURY NECK 85
"TRAYNEING GREEN " AND NEW POND
91
BURYING GROUND OF THE FIRST PARISH IN NEWBURY
WATTS' CELLAR AND FROG POND 120
TITLES TO LAND BETWEEN ORDWAY'S LANE AND CHANDLER'S LANE I39
WHARVES AND DOCKS 15I
THE NOYES HOUSE 165
THE COFFIN HOUSE 169 BLUE ANCHOR TAVERN ILSLEY HOUSE 189
175
THE FIRST TOWN AND COURT HOUSE IN NEWBURY 198 THORLAY'S BRIDGE OVER PARKER RIVER 20I
PLUM ISLAND .
212
DEER ISLAND .
221
BARTLETT'S COVE 230
SAMUEL SEWALL, CHIEF JUSTICE OF MASSACHUSETTS BAY 247
THE TOPPAN HOUSE 261
MILL AT THE MOUTH OF ARTICHOKE RIVER 269 OLD SHIP-YARDS . 275
INDIAN ATTACK ON THE FAMILY OF JOHN BROWN AT TURKEY HILL 287 BYFIELD PARISH . 291 HOMESTEAD OF BENJAMIN PEARSON 301
THE LONGFELLOW HOUSE, BYFIELD PARISH 305
DUMMER ACADEMY . 313
FATHERLAND FARM 327
THEOPHILUS PARSONS . 331
PIPE STAVE HILL
339
INDIAN HILL
347
6
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE
THE SAWYER HOUSE . 3.57
THE BURYING GROUND AT SAWYER'S HILL 363
QUEEN ANNE'S CHAPEL AND BELLEVILLE CEMETERY 368
MAP OF THE WEST PARISH 391
ST. PAUL'S CHURCH 396
THE DEVIL'S DEN 421
THE OLD ELM OF NEWBURY 425
THIRD PARISH IN NEWBURY 430
LOWELL HOUSE
449
OLD HILL BURYING GROUND 453
COLONEL MOSES TITCOMB 464
THE DALTON HOUSE 475
NATHANIEL KNAPP . 484
WOLFE TAVERN .
492
THE FIRST PRESBYTERIAN MEETING-HOUSE 508 REV. GEORGE WHITEFIELD . 526
PARKER RIVER BRIDGE
530
COLONEL MOSES LITTLE .
541
PATRICK TRACY
545
PUBLIC LIBRARY BUILDING .
DEXTER HOUSE .
577
NEWBURYPORT MARINE SOCIETY . 586
ESSEX-MERRIMACK BRIDGE . 593
NEW HILL BURYING GROUND 605
BARTLET MALL 611
MARKET SQUARE
622
MOSES BROWN 632
ABRAHAM WHEELWRIGHT 638 THE GREAT FIRE 646
WILLIAM WHEELWRIGHT
651
HANNAII F. GOULD
659
CALEB CUSHING . 664
CORNELIUS CONWAY FELTON 672
SAMUEL MORSE FELTON . 677
WILLIAM LLOYD GARRISON 68 I
JAMES PARTON 687
EBEN F. STONE 693
OAK HILL CEMETERY . 701
APPENDIX 709
INDEX
715
55I 564
LOWELL-JOHNSON HOUSE
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
The Landing-Place, Parker River. Frontispiece.
PAGE
PAGE
Plan of Settlement at Lower Green .
14
Flat-Iron Point. - " Joppa "
218
The Spencer-Pierce House . 26
Clam Houses .- " Joppa " 219 Plum Island River and Marshes 219
Plan showing Division of Spencer- Pierce Farm, 1778 . 39
Plum Island Beach 220
Deer Island . 224
Edward Rawson 42
Residence of Mrs. Harriet P. Spofford
226
Rebecca Rawson 46
Bartlett House at Bartlett's Cove . 234
Pillsbury House .
52
Carr's Island - Old House and Ferry Landing 56
Carr's Island, 1896 78
Homestead of John Poore
82
Hale House, Newbury Neck S4
" Trayneing Green " and New Pond . New Pond on "Trayneing Green " 96
Grave of Rev. Thomas Parker IIO
Map of a Portion of Newbury . 118, 119 The March-Haskell House . 124
March-Haskell House .- A Corner of the Living-room 126
March-Haskell House .- Fire-place in Southwest Chamber 126
House occupied by John Weed, 1700 136
View of Wharves in Newburyport 160
The Noyes House
164
The Coffin House
168
Dresser in Coffin House
174
The Ilsley House 1 90
Thorlay's Bridge 202
Milestone at "Trayneing Green " 209
Milestone at Four-rock Bridge .
209
Milestone at Corner of the Boston and Middle Roads 210
Milestone at Dummer Academy
210
Plum Island Light-house
216
'lum Island Hotel
217
Ben : Perley Poore .
352
House at Indian Hill
354
The Sawyer House
358
Burying Ground at Sawyer's Hill . 362
Belleville Cemetery
388
A Plan of the West Parish of New-
bury, New Town
392
Plan of Proposed Ferry Route 238 Gravestone of Henry Sewall 249
Samuel Sewall 256
The Toppan House 260ยท
Mill at the Mouth of Artichoke River 268 John Currier, Jr.'s Ship-yard, 1857 282
John Currier, Jr. 284
Scene of the Indian Depredations at Turkey Hill 286
Old Parsonage House, Byfield Parish, built in 1703 292
Homestead of Benjamin Pearson . 302
The Longfellow House
306
Dummer Academy
314
Dummer Mansion
318
Lieutenant-Governor Dummer .
320
Katherine (Dudley) Dummer
321
Fatherland Farm
326
Theophilus Parsons
332
The Theophilus Parsons House, 1850 334
Merrimack River from Pipe Stave Hill 340
90
Rear of Spencer-Pierce House . 40
8
ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE
St. Paul's Church, built in ISoo 412
Interior of St. Paul's Church 415 The Devil's Den 420
Old Elm of Newbury .
424
Interior of Meeting-house, First Re- ligious Society, Newburyport 444
Spire of Meeting-house built in 1801 447
Lowell House 448
Old Hill Burying Ground 454
Gravestones of Timothy Dexter and
Wife . 456
Gravestone in Old Hill Burying
Ground .
460
Colonel Moses Titcomb
466
Residence of Colonel Moses Titcomb 472
The Dalton House
474
Dalton House
476
Dalton House Stable .
477
Tristram Dalton
478
Hall and Staircase, Dalton House 48 1
Corner of Middle and Independent Streets, Newburyport 490
Wolfe Tavern 502
First
Presbyterian Meeting-house,
built in 1756 .
519
Pulpit in First Presbyterian Meeting- house 521
Cenotaph in First Presbyterian Meet-
ing-house
522
House on School Street where Rev. George Whitefield died 528
Parker River Bridge
532
House built by Colonel Moses Little 540
Patrick Tracy
546
House built by Patrick Tracy in 1771 552
Nathaniel Tracy
554
Advertisement of Sun Hotel 559 James Parton 690
Public Library Building
562
Jonathan Jackson .
566
Eben F. Stone
696
Hannah (Tracy) Jackson
567
Dexter House
574
Lowell-Johnson House
580
Hall and Staircase
582
PAGE
Hall of Newburyport Marine Society 590 Map showing Location of Essex- Merrimack Bridge 595 Bridge erected from Plans furnished by Timothy Palmer 596
Long Arch of Essex-Merrimack Bridge 598
Essex-Merrimack Bridge, from Laurel Hill 600 Essex-Merrimack Bridge . 602
Grave of Caleb Cushing, New Hill Burying Ground . 606
Land and Buildings in the Vicinity of Frog Pond . 610
School-house at Northwesterly end of Bartlet Mall 615
High School Building at Southeast- erly End of Bartlet Mall 617
Bartlet Mall, 1800 . 618 Northerly Side of Market Square . 626 Southeasterly Side of Market Square 630
Brown Square 634
House built by Abraham Wheel- wright in 1806 642
Abraham Wheelwright 6.44
Map showing the Extent of the
" Great Fire " of 18II 648
William Wheelwright . 653
Home for Aged Females . 656 Residence of Hannah F. Gould 660
Caleb Cushing 666
Residence of Caleb Cushing 670
Birthplace of Cornelius Felton 674 Birthplace of Samuel Morse Felton 678 682 688 Birthplace of William Lloyd Garrison Residence of James Parton
Residence of Hon. Eben F. Stone 694
Gateway to Oak Hill Cemetery - Gift of John S. Tappan 700 Gateway to Oak Hill Cemetery - Gift of John T. Brown 702
THE LANDING AT PARKER RIVER.
In February, 1633-4, the Council for New England, assembled at Whitehall, England, adopted an order placing certain restrictions on the transportation of passengers and merchandise to the colony of Massachusetts Bay ; and before the ship "Mary and John" and eight other vessels, then lying in the river Thames, were allowed to sail, instructions were issued expressly providing that the captains in command of these vessels "shall cause the Prayers contained in the Book of Common Prayers, established in the Church of England, to be said daily at the usual hours of Morning and Evening Prayers, and that they cause all Persons on board said ships to be present at the same."
In the ship "Mary and John" came Thomas Parker, James Noyes, John Spencer, Henry Short, Henry Lunt, John Bartlett, and many others, who ultimately settled in Newbury. Upon their arrival in New England most of these passengers went to Agawam, now Ipswich, Mass., where they remained until the spring of 1635.
Meanwhile Sir Richard Saltonstall, Henry Sewall, Richard and Stephen Dummer, with others from Wiltshire, England, had organized a company for the purpose of stock-raising at a time when the prices for cattle, horses, and sheep were at their highest. They added to their own domestic herds some imported Flemish stock, and persuaded John Spencer, Henry Short, Richard Kent, Thomas Parker, and others to join them in the enterprise, and establish a settlement on the river Quascacunquen, now Parker River.
Sept. 3, 1633, the General Court granted "John Win- throp, junior, and his assignes " permission to set up a " trucking" or trading house on the Merrimack River (see
10
OULD NEWBURY
Colonial Records, book I, page 108) ; and under date of May 6, 1635, the House of Deputies passed the following order : -
Quascacunquen is allowed by the court to be a plantation, and it is referred to Mr. (John) Humphrey, Mr. (John) Endicott, Captain (Na- thaniel) Turner, and Captain (William) Trask, or any three of them, to set out the bounds of Ipswich and Quascacunquen, or so much thereof as they can; and the name of said plantation shall be changed, and shall hereafter be called Newberry.
Further, it is ordered that it shall be in the power of the court to take order that the said plantation shall receive a sufficient company to make a competent towne.
Previous to this date, undoubtedly, a few venturesome fishermen had built temporary residences on the banks of the Merrimack and Quascacunquen rivers ; but they were looked upon as trespassers and intruders, for the General Court had forbidden all persons from settling within their jurisdiction without leave.
Rev. Thomas Parker and those associated with him, having obtained permission to begin a plantation "to be called New- berry," made preparations to remove from Ipswich early in the spring. There were no roads through the trackless forest, and the transportation of women and children and household goods overland was impracticable. Tradition asserts that they came by the way of Plum Island Sound, in open boats, and landed, in the month of May or June, 1635, on the north shore of what is now the river Parker, in a little cove about one hundred rods below the bridge ; Nicholas Noyes, the brother of Rev. James Noyes, being the first to leap ashore.
Near this secluded spot a number of summer cottages have recently been erected, giving to the place a pleasant, home-like look ; but two centuries and a half ago the pros- pect was less agreeable and inviting.
... Eastward, cold, wide marshes stretched away, Dull, dreary flats without a bush or tree,
O'ercrossed by winding creeks, where twice a day Gurgled the waters of the moon-struck sea ; And faint with distance came the stifled roar, The melancholy lapse of waves on the low shore."
.
II
THE LANDING AT PARKER RIVER
Inland hills rising above hills stood like sentinels over the almost unbroken wilderness. Centuries before this mem- orable landing Indians had hunted in these forests and fished in the placid stream that ebbs and flows to the falls of New- bury ; but only a few of that race remained to resist the encroachments of the white-faced strangers. Dismal and gloomy must have been the outlook as these brave pioneers gathered together at the close of the first day, and contem- plated the prospect before them. They knew that wild beasts were roaming through the forests, and whether the red men would welcome them as friends or foes was as yet uncertain.
" Their descendants can have but a faint idea of the difficulties they encountered, and of the dangers that continually hung over their heads, threatening every moment to overwhelm them like a torrent, and sweep them, with those whom they dearly loved, to the silent tomb."
Undismayed by these difficulties and dangers, the new settlers instinctively turned their attention to the cultivation of the soil and the development of the resources of nature. Here and there along the winding river they appropriated the few clear spots where the natives had formerly planted corn, and promptly took possession of the neighboring marshes where the growing crop of salt grass promised an abundant harvest. There was no lack of work ; no room for idle dreamers. Houses had to be built, land ploughed and tilled, and sheds erected for the protection of cattle before winter set in. House lots, planting lots, and meadow lots were laid out and granted to individual members of the community, and the original entries, giving names and dates, can still be seen on the old records of the town; but how many houses were erected or how many families settled in Newbury during the first year of its existence it is impossible to state with exactness.
Governor Winthrop, in his History of New England, under date of June 3, 1635, records the arrival of two ships with Dutch cattle; and the same day the ship " James " arrived from Southampton, bringing, among other passengers, John
I2
OULD NEWBURY
Pike, father of the famous Robert Pike, of Salisbury, and one Thomas Coleman, who had been employed by the projectors of the stock-raising company to provide food for the cattle and take care of them for a specified term of years.
In the Massachusetts Colony Records, under date of July 8,1635 :-
It is ordered that there shall be a convenient quantity of land sett out by Mr. Dumer and Mr. Bartholemewe, within the bounds of New- bury, for the keeping of the sheepe and cattell that came over in the Dutch shipps this yeare, and to belong to the owners of said cattell.
Evidently, those who were engaged in this new enterprise intended to utilize the vacant lands and at the same time establish a safe and profitable business for themselves ; but Coleman, becoming dissatisfied, declined to carry out his part of the contract, and the General Court finally ordered a division of the grain that had been imported, and instructed each owner to take care of his own cattle.
.
THE SETTLEMENT AT THE LOWER GREEN.
The early records of the town of Newbury have been sadly neglected and abused. The first volume now contains less than one-half the entries originally recorded there. The pages upon which important events were carefully inscribed have been lost or stolen. For several successive years all the entries are missing, except a few scattering reports that have escaped the ravages of time and the cupidity of reckless historical investigators.
The value and importance of these old records cannot be overestimated. They are of vital interest to all who are in search of genealogical or historical information ; and, if lost or destroyed, they cannot be duplicated or replaced. Some action should be taken to provide against this possible con- tingency before it is too late, and special efforts should be made to preserve and protect these valuable memorials of the past. The work of repairing and rebinding the torn and mutilated volumes, and providing a larger and more com- modious safe for their accommodation, has recently been urged upon the proper authorities with some degree of success.
Newbury, Newburyport, and West Newbury - all within the territorial limits of the old town incorporated in 1635 - are particularly interested in its past history, and by united action and hearty co-operation could provide for the publica- tion of all manuscript papers and documents of importance, including births, deaths, and marriages, from 1635 down to the year 1819, when West Newbury became a separate and independent town, and practically make the records acces- sible to every citizen, while at the same time the original books and papers would be placed beyond the danger of
CALF COMMON.
RO'S'T PIKE.
GEO. KING, PAqe 17
THOS. COLEMAN, PAGE 6.
THOS. BROWN, PAGE 18.
J. PIKE, JR., PAGE 7
WINDOW ROSS, PAGE 14
A. WOODMAN, PAGE 19
NICH. HOLT, PAGE 19
JAMES BROWN, PAGE 20
GEO. BROWN, PAGE 20
RICHARD KNIGHT.
STEPH. KENT, PAGE 21
JOHN KNIGHT, PAGE 21
EDW. WOODMAN, PAGE 22
ANTH'Y MORSE, PADE 23
WM. MORSE, PAGE 2.5
HENRY ROLF,
MERRIMACK STREET.
F. PLUMMER, Pq. 8-9
N. BATT. . 8
MUSSIL WAIT, , 18
R.FIELDING . B
J.PIKE, JR., " 7
HIGH STREET.
THOS. COLEMAN 16
HIGHWAY.
R. KENT, JR.
PAGE 17
MEETING HOUSE
J. EMERY PAGE 28
THOS. PARKER
PAGE 12
R.BROWN
# 16
ANT. SHORT
โ 29
W. MOODY
J. CHENEY
117
HENRY SHORT 15
E.GREENLEAF # 3
N.EASTON # 13
ABR. TOPPAN " 2
E.WOODMAN
FRANKLIN #
1 22.
SPENDER
1
R.KENT . 9.
STREET.
KENT'S ISLAND.
GREAT RIVER
OR
PARKER RIVER.
PLAN OF LOTS LAID-OUT TO THE FIRST SETTLERS
OF NEWBURY, OLDTOWN ~1635.
FROM SAN ORIGINAL DRAWING MADE BY DANIEL DOLE IN 1828.
PAGE 17
PAGE 12
R KENT, JR., PAGE 17
RICH'D BROWN, PAGE 16
ANTHONY SHORT, PAGE 29.
PAGE 15
PAGE 14
PAGE 13
CALF COMMON.
JOHN CHENRY,
T. PARKER,
HIGHWAY.
HENRY SHORT,
R DUMMER ,
N. EASTON,
J. NOYES ,
R DUMMEA
, 14
N.EASTON . 13
JAS. NOYES
1. 12
WEST GUTTER.
OLDTOWN GREEN.
ST GUTTER.
T.SMITH
T. PARKER . 12
J.PIKE. SA. # 5
HIGHWAY
THOS HALE โ 35
H. TRAVERS . 18
at 12
PADE 34
H.LUNT.
PAGE 24
LITTLE RIVER
I5
THE SETTLEMENT AT THE LOWER GREEN
wear and tear from constant daily use. Boston, Braintree, Dedham, and other towns and cities have already led the way by publications of a similar character ; and, certainly, the records of the town of Newbury are of sufficient impor- tance to warrant their preservation in the form and shape suggested.
Although defective and incomplete, yet the scattered en- tries that remain upon the slowly fading pages disclose many interesting facts relating to the settlement of the "old town" at the Lower Green. At first all public business was trans- acted in committee of the whole. Later the General Court authorized the election of prudential men, not exceeding seven, "to order the affairs of the towne." John Wood- bridge was the first clerk. His term of service extended from May, 1635, to October, 1638. His handwriting is fine and woman-like in appearance, yet perfectly plain and legible. Edward Rawson was the second town clerk. He served until April, 1646, when he was chosen one of the deputies to the General Court, and afterward secretary of the colony of Massachusetts Bay. His records are written in a scrawly, cramped hand, and are very difficult to decipher. John Lowell was the next clerk, but he died a few months after his election. Only a few brief entries are to be found in his handwriting. Anthony Somerby was the fourth clerk, and served until October, 1680, when the first volume closes. Henry Short was his successor. Previous to this time the . transactions of the town and of the selectmen were en- tered in the same volume, without method or classification ; but from and after this date they were recorded in separate books.
A full and complete record of the lots laid out and granted from the early settlement of the town has been made up and incorporated in the Proprietors' Book. These records were originally entered, with other proceedings of the town and of the selectmen, in the only volume then in use ; but, during the clerkship of the methodical and careful Henry Short, they were copied into a separate book, which includes grants subsequently made, and they are now in a good state of preservation and of great historical value.
16
OULD NEWBURY
From these records it appears that house lots were laid out and surveyed on both sides of the river Parker, at Kent's Island, and on the banks of Little River ; but the principal settlement was in the immediate vicinity of the Lower Green where the meeting-house was located.
The plan on page 14 is taken from a drawing made by Daniel Dole in 1828, and, though not strictly accurate in all its details, it gives a fairly correct idea of the size and locality of the house lots assigned to the first settlers. The names of the original grantees will be found on the plan, with page references to the town records where the grants are recorded ; but farm lots, planting lots, and meadow lots, beyond the prescribed limit of half a mile from the meeting- house, are omitted for want of room.
Tradition asserts that the Rev. Thomas Parker preached his first sermon under the branches of a majestic oak on the northern bank of the river Parker, about one hundred yards below where the bridge now stands ; and at the close of the sermon a church covenant was agreed upon, and the Rev. Thomas Parker was chosen pastor. The sworn testimony of John Pike, Robert Pike, John Emery, and others, given at the court in Ipswich in 1669, corroborates and confirms the report that the first meeting was held "on the Sabbath, in the open air under a tree."
Whether the meeting-house was built upon the Green, as indicated in the drawing made by Mr. Daniel Dole, or whether it was located on a lot farther to the north, near the old burying-ground, cannot be determined now with abso- lute certainty. But, wherever located, it was probably a rude structure built of logs, with the intervening cracks and crevices filled with clay to keep out the cold.
Fearing a sudden attack from the Indians during service- time, it was provided that all able-bodied inhabitants of the town should be divided into four equal companies, and placed under the charge of John Pike, Nicholas Holt, John Baker, and Edmund Greenleaf. These four men were required to notify every person under their charge "to bring their armes compleat one Sabbath day in a month and the lecture day,
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