USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Newbury > Reminiscences of a nonagenarian > Part 1
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Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43
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THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES
GIFT OF
COMMODORE BYRON MCCANDLESS
300
REMINISCENCES
OF A
That . Lyng
NONAGENARIAN.
EDITED AND ILLUSTRATED
BY SARAH ANNA EMERY.
AUTHOR OF " THREE GENERATIONS."
NEWBURYPORT : WILLIAM H. HUSE & CO., PRINTERS, 42 STATE STREET. 1879.
PREFACE.
TIIs volume, as its title implies, has been chiefly derived from the recollections of my mother; but recitals by my father, grandparents and other deceased relatives and friends have aided the work, and I have obtained many anecdotes and facts from several aged per- sons still living. My thanks are due to others less advanced in life, especially to J. H. HAM- LIN, esq., of Portland, Maine, for details respecting the Poyen family, and for the description of their ancestral home in Gaudaloupe; to Miss REBECCA INGERSOLL DAVIS of East Haver- hill, for others relating to the Countess De Vipart; to Mr. LYMAN COLE of Newburyport, for his family history; to GEORGE EDWIN EMERY of Lynn, Mass., for facts respecting our ances- tors, and their home in England, and for the history of the name of Emery; also to THOMAS C. AMORY, esq., of Boston, for Amory records; to JAMES CHUTE PEABODY, esq., for valua- ble information. I am indebted to the "Genealogy of the LITTLE Family," compiled by GEORGE T. LITTLE; to that of HALE by ROBERT S. HALE, LL.D .; to EDMUND SMITH, esq., for the " Heraldry of SMITH, London, JOHN RUSSELL SMITH, 36 Soho square, 1870;" to BENJAMIN HALE, esq., and other persons and families who have kindly loaned genealogies and ancient documents. I have received assistance from the Histories of Newbury and New- buryport by JOSHUA COFFIN, esq., and Mrs. E. VALE SMITH; and JOHNSTON's History of the Campaign on Long Island in 1776; from the Record of Schools, by Mr. O. B. MERRILL published by the "Antiquarian and Historical Society" of Old Newbury; GAGE's History of Rowley and Genealogical Register, 1869. In the family records I have aimed at an arrange- ment that will enable the descendants of the present generation to trace their lineage, and I have endeavored to note those born within the limits of Newbury and Newburyport, who have been college graduates, or have otherwise become distinguished.
My desire has been to give a graphic history of "Ye Olden Time"; to faithfully portray the domestic, religious, political, literary and social life of a past age, with a description of "Ould Newberry," and of the business and aspect of Newburyport prior to the great fire of 1811. The ancient town has been rich in matters of world-wide interest and historic value.
About 1650, at the Dummer, now Glen Mills, was set up the first cloth mill in America. In the Byfield parish was the first woolen and cotton factory in Massachusetts, and there the first broadcloth manufactured in the country was made. There, Perkins the inventor of the plate for engraving bank notes, set up the first nail factory. In the same parish, in 1680, at the head of tide-water on the river Parker, the first vessel was built in New England. Later, the first academy was founded by Gov. Dummer, and still later, the first incorporated rifle company was formed. In the West Precinct, now West Newbury, the first horn combs and buttons were manufactured by Mr. Enoch Noyes. In Newburyport Master Pike published the first Arithmetic, and the stalwart ship carpenter, Eleazer Johnson, burned the first tea in ante-revolutionary times, previous to its destruction in Boston. His son Nicholas, com- manding a Newburyport ship, the "Count de Grass,e" was the first to display the Stars and Stripes on the river Thames. Newburyport has also the honor of having founded the first Sunday and female high schools in Massachusetts, That the book may satisfy the expectations of relatives and friends, and prove a source of instruction and interest to the public generally, is the sincere wish of
Newburyport, 1879.
SARAH ANNA EMERY.
973765
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SMITH PLACE.
REMINISCENCES OF A NONAGENARIAN,
CHAPTER I.
Ninety years is a long period to re- view. The world of to-day is an en- tirely different thing from that of my earliest recollection. How vividly I recall the old homestead - the large brown house, built in 1707, with its wide, sloping back roof, and many sized and shaped windows; the long barn and other farm buildings in the rear ; the well, with its graceful sweep in front, and the usually huge wood pile at the back. Before the house stretched a large garden, well stocked with pear, peach and cherry trees. Currant and gooseberry bushes grew luxuriantly be- neath the sheltering board fence, that separated the enclosure from the broad fields and orchards around. There was a clump of quince bushes in one corner, and in another two Plum Island plum bushes, that had grown from stones taken from fruit brought from the isl- and. There was also a great variety of medicinal and sweet herbs, and from early spring till late in autumn the bor- ders on either side of the gravel walk were gay with flowers. These flowers were one of the greatest delights of my childhood. How distinctly I re-
member every shrub and bush, and the pleasure I received in dispensing my treasures amongst my less favored neighbors, who often came to beg a rose, a bunch of pinks, or some spear- mint or lavender "to take to meetin' to keep 'em awake Sabba' day."
Crossing the broad, unhewn door- stone and opening the wide front door, you saw a narrow entry with a flight of winding stairs at the back. As you stepped across the threshold your feet fell upon a trap door in the floor. Through this cavity passed all the farm produce that was annually stored in the cellar. Carts filled with potatoes, tur- nips, etc., were backed up to the door and their contents chuted into the sub- terranean regions below, while from the iron stanchion in the unplastered ceil- ing overhead was lowered, by rope and pulleys, barrel after barrel of apples and cider. The house was constructed in the style common to the period, two spacious rooms on either side of the front entry, with wide fireplaces, and low ceilings crossed in the centre by a broad beam. The two front windows in both rooms were long and narrow ;
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REMINISCENCES
the one in the end was square. Open- ing from these apartments were the summer kitchen, bed-rooms and the dairy. The fireplaces, both below and in the chambers, showed an attempt at architectural ornament, in the high mantel pieces. Those in the two front rooms were both furnished with a large oven in a corner to the right, and a smaller one in that opposite. These were closed by brightly-painted red oven lids ; and in the right-hand cor- ner stood a long, low form, for the ac- commodation of the smaller members of the household. There were long dressers, also, showing some effort at elegance in the carving of the shelves, which were loaded with pewter ware, as bright as silver, and a corner cupboard, in the country phraseology termed a " beaufat," which displayed rare treas- ures of China, glass and silver.
My father and mother, recently mar- ried, occupied one half of the house ; my widowed grandmother, with anoth- er son and daughter, resided in the other half. Young people, their for- tune still to be made, my parents' rooms were plainly furnished, with com- mon tables and flag-bottomed chairs. A high case of drawers was the chief ornament to the best bedroom, the oth- ers boasting of only a chest of drawers. These were about the height of a bu- reau, with a chest atop and one or two drawers beneath. The square, high- post bedsteads were tastily hung with muslin and chintz curtains, and cov- ered with the prettiest of coverlids, woven in love-knots and other dainty patterns, or with quilts stiff with the most elaborate quilting. Grandmoth- er's rooms were much more elegant. While my mother, the oldest of nine children, was provided with a common
fitting out, my grandmother, the heiress to quite a fortune, had received an out- fit that, at the time of her marriage, had been the chief topic for tea-table talk throughout the country-side. The bridal trousseau and the best furniture had been imported from England ex- pressly for her, by indulgent and some- what aristocratic parents. The green damask dress, and brown camblet cir- cular cloak and riding hood, with the high-heeled brocade slippers, were, at the time of which I am speaking, still as fresh as new, and a peep at them was a rare treat which was sometimes vouchsafed when .I was especially good. Grandmother's front room had bow- backed chairs with flag seats, and ta- bles supported by curiously-carved and twisted legs, a candle stand that screwed up and down like a piano stool, a hand- some mirror, and the buffet was re- splendent in its appointments. Her best bed was hung with green moreen curtains, edged by heavy gimp trim- ming ; the case of drawers was decor- ated with fluted drawers in the upper tier, and surmounted by ornaments of carving. There was a handsome dress- ing table, a fine specimen of the sculp- tured frames of the period, with sever- al drawers and compartments. Over this hung a glass, the plate surrounded by an ornamental wreath, and a frame of colored glass, set in mahogany moulding. The back chamber - the large one under the long, sloping back roof - was set apart for manufacturing purposes. Here the chief part of the clothing and other household goods for the family were spun and woven. The apartment was conveniently fitted up with looms, woolen, linen and spooling wheels, swifts, reels, cards and warp- ing bars. Here, also, stood the great
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OF A NONAGENARIAN.
grain chest, well stored with wheat, rye, oats and barley. Our farm was well adapted to the growth of wheat. My father raised enough to supply his family, and had a surplus for the mar- ket. The large garret, besides being the receptacle for all the odds and ends of housekeeping, was annually filled with Indian corn, a corn barn being a later addition to the premises.
CHAPTER II.
My parents had married young. Their chief capital for commencing life was youth, health and mutual love. My grandfather's decease dated a few years prior to his son's marriage, and the large farm, with the exception of the widow's dower, had been divided between the five sons. At this time my father had purchased one of these shares, and he was making strenuous exertions to secure the rest of the pa- ternal acres. Industry and economy were the watchwords of the household : still, there was no overtasking nor stint.
In those summer days, when my rec- ollection first opens, mother and Aunt Sarah rose in the early dawn, and, tak- ing the well-scoured wooden pails from the bench by the back door, repaired to the cow yard behind the barn. We owned six cows ; my grandmother four. Having milked the ten cows, the milk was strained, the fires built, and break- fast prepared. Many families had milk for this meal, but we always had coffee or chocolate, with meat and potatoes. During breakfast the milk for the cheese
was warming over the fire, in the large brass kettle. The milk being from the ten cows, my mother made cheese four days, Aunt Sarah having the milk the remainder of the week. In this way good-sized cheeses were obtained. The curd having been broken into the bas- ket, the dishes were washed, and, un- less there was washing or other extra work, the house was righted. By the time this was done the curd was ready for the press. Next came preparations for dinner, which was on the table punctually at twelve o'clock. In the hot weather we usually had boiled salt- ed meat and vegetables, and, if it was baking day, a custard or pudding. If there was linen whitening on the grass, as was usual at this season, that must be sprinkled. After dinner the cheeses were turned and rubbed ; then mother put me on a clean frock, and dressed herself for the afternoon. Our gowns and aprons, unless upon some special occasion, when calico was worn, were usually of blue checked home-made gingham, starched and ironed to a nice gloss.
In the sultry August afternoons mother and Aunt Sarah usually took their sewing to the cool back room, whose shaded door and windows over- looked the freshly-mown field, dotted by apple trees. Beyond the mossy stone wall stood the homestead of Un- cle Samuel Thurlow (at that time this name was pronounced Thurrell), our next neighbor. Other buildings came to view, interspersed with hill and meadow, forest and orcharding. The line of brown houses - very few were at that time painted - marked the po- sition of the main road. Across rose the square meeting-house, crowning the high, precipitous hill upon which it was
8
REMINISCENCES
perched. Farther on, the spires of the distant seaport town glittered in the afternoon light, which fell in brilliant beams upon the sands of the beaches and Plum Island, and whitened the sails of vessels far away upon the blue sea, whose line blended, almost imper- ceptibly, with the tints of the sky in the eastern horizon.
My grandmother, after her afternoon nap, usually joined her daughters, with a pretence at knitting, but she was not an industrious old lady. There was no necessity for work ; and if idle hours are a sin, I fear the good woman had much to answer for. Leaning back in her easy-chair, she beguiled the time with watching the splendid prospect, with its ever-varying lights and shades, or joined in the harmless gossip of some neighboring woman, who had run in with her sewing, for an hour's chat.
At five o'clock the men came from the field, and tea was served. The tea things washed, the vegetables were gathered for the morrow, the linen tak- en in, and other chores done. At sun- set the cows came from the pasture. Milking finished and the milk strained, the day's labor was ended. The last load pitched on the hay mow, and the last hay cock turned up, my father and the hired man joined us in the cool back room, where bowls of bread and milk were ready for those who wished the refreshment. At nine o'clock the house was still, the tired hands gladly resting from the day's toil. Except during the busiest of the hay season, my father went regularly once a week to the neighboring seaport town, taking thither a load of farm produce. For years he supplied several families and stores with butter, cheese, eggs, fruit and vegetables. These market days
were joyful epochs for me, as at his re- turn I never failed to receive some lit- tle gift, usually sent by some of our "Port" relatives and friends.
Butter making commenced in Sep- tember ; only " two meal cheese" were made, that is, one milking of new milk and one of skimmed to the cheese, the cream of one milking going to the but- ter. The weaving of woolen cloth was begun, in order that it should be re- turned from the mill where it was fulled, colored and pressed in time to be made up before Thanksgiving. This mill was in Byfield, at the Falls, on the site of the present mill, and was owned and run by Mr. Benjamin Pearson. The winter's stocking yarn was also carded and spun, and the lengthening evenings began to be enlivened by the busy click of knitting needles. As Thanksgiving approached, the hurry both in doors and out increased.
With awe I would tiptoe to the edge of the open trap door which I had been strictly enjoined not to approach, to peep at the things which had been carried into the cellar ; then I would patiently toil after perspiring Uncle Burrill, my favorite amongst the hired men, as he wearily bore basket after basket full of the long, golden ears of Indian corn into the large garret, which to my childish vision appeared so very vast and mysterious.
While of an evening the males of the family were busy husking on the barn floor, by the light of the hunter's moon, the females were equally engaged around the sparkling fire, which the chilly evenings rendered grateful, peel- ing apples, pears and quinces, for cider apple-sauce and preserves.
After the cloth had been brought from the mill, tailor Thurrell from the
9
OF A NONAGENARIAN.
Falls village appeared, goose in hand, remaining several days, to fashion my father's and uncle's coats and breeches. Mother, a manteau-maker before her marriage, had her hands more than full, as she was not only called upon to make the gowns for our family, but to fit the dresses for her own mother and sisters and others in the vicinity. As the cold increased the cheese were car- ried to the cellar, and the cheese room was scoured. The week before Thanks- giving the ox which had been stalled for the occasion, was killed. Part of the beef was salted, the remainder put in a cool place, and as soon as the weather was sufficiently cold it was frozen, in order to preserve it fresh through the winter. The house was banked up; everything without and within made tight and trim, to defy as much as possible the approach of old Boreas.
Thanksgiving brought a social sea- son. There was much visiting and dis- tribution of good cheer for a week or two after that holiday. Towards Christmas the fat hogs were killed, the pork salted, the hams hung in the wide chimney to cure, and the sau- sages made. The women began to comb flax and spin linen thread ; the men went daily to cut and haul the year's firewood. We were too good Puritans to make much account of Christmas, though sometimes the young people at the main road got up a ball on Christ- mas eve, but at New Year, there was a general interchange of good wishes, with gifts and festivity.
As soon as the spring weather would permit weaving without a fire, the looms in the back chamber were set in motion, weaving the next season's lin- en. Next came candle-dipping, the
making of soap, and house cleaning. The calves had been sold, churning commenced, and butter was made until the warmer weather brought the sum- mer routine.
CHAPTER III.
Thanksgiving day I accompanied my parents to my Grandfather Little's. A visit to my mother's maiden home was at all times one of my highest pleasures. My grandmother, a daughter of the first pastor of the upper parish, the Rev. William Johnson, was one of those rare women whom every one, old and young, rich and poor, loved and re- vered. A minister's daughter, and highly educated for those days, the wisdom of my grandfather's choice as regarded his worldly success, had been a subject of doubt throughout the fam- ily. His thrifty sisters all declared that "Brother Jose could never get ahead with a wife so genteel as to wash her hearth every day, have a border of posies afore her front door to tend, be- sides ruffles on her leetle gal's sleeves to iron." Notwithstanding these dire prognostications, Brother Jose had reared a large family in comfort and some elegance. The house was similar to ours, the parlor furnished in much the same style as my Grandmother Smith's, with the addition of a pretty carpet of home construction in the centre of the floor. The arm chairs were also decorated with wrought cush- ion covers, and a pair of worked hold- ers hung on either side of the fireplace, these ornaments being the handiwork of deft Mollie Johnson before her mar-
2
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REMINISCENCES
riage. At this time only two daugh- ters had left the paternal roof tree. Three sons and four daughters, with two or three apprentices, (my grand- father carried on shoe business in addi- to his farming), made a large, but pleasant and orderly household.
Father and mother, grandsir, grand- ma'am and Uncle Bill went to meeting. Aunt Betsy and Aunt Judy remained at home, ostensibly to get the dinner, but they were so busy preparing for a party to which they had been invited for the evening that most of the cook- ing fell upon the younger, but more quiet and staid, Aunt Sukey. Rolick- ing Aunt Hannah, a girl of eight or nine, ran hither and thither, poking fun and helping everybody. Seizing the broom, she drew the freshly-strewn sand on the kitchen floor into a remark- able combination of zig-zags. Next she fell to basting the turkey, roast- ing on a spit, which rested on brackets on the tall iron andirons, flourish- ing the long-handled butter ladle in such a manner as to call forth the an- imadversions of Aunt Sukey, who de- clared that she would have the drip- pings, which fell into a pan beneath, " all over her clean hearth."
Uncle Ben, a lad of twelve, brought wood and did other chores, meanwhile playing so many practical jokes on his gay elder sisters that they laughingly threatened to turn him out of the house. Roly-Poly Uncle Joe, only three years my senior, sat beside me on the form in the corner, where, with great glee, we watched the proceedings of our elders. The merry forenoon glided away. The hands of the tall clock in the corner of the room pointed to twelve. Aunt Hannah set the table with the best napery and ware, the
pickles and apple-sauce were brought, the cider drawn, and the chafing dish filled, ready to put on the table to keep the gravy hot. How long those expect- ant moments seemed ! Uncle Joe and I ensconced ourselves at the window, while Aunt Hannah zealously basted the turkey, with the wish that Parson Toppan would end that "everlasting sarmon." At length the sleighs ap- peared. There had been a fall of snow -the first of the season - the night before, and it was pretty good sleigh- ing. The party entered, accompanied by Aunt Nannie, the second daughter, and her husband, Mr. John Peabody. This young man was descended from Lieut. Francis Peabody, born at St. Al- bans, Hartfordshire, England, in 1614. He came to New England in the ship Planter, Nicholas Frarcie, master, in 1635. Mr. Peabody first resided at Ipswich. In 1638 he went to Hamp- ton, N. H., with the Rev. Stephen Bachilar and twelve others. He was made a freeman in 1642, and in 1649 was chosen, by the town of Hampton, one of the three men "to ende small causes", and was confirmed in that office by the justices of that court. "Being minded to live nearer Boston," he sold his estate in Hampton and pur- chased a farm in Topsfield, and became a large landholder in Topsfield, Box- ford and Rowley. He set up the first mill in Topsfield, on a stream that flows past the spot where he lived. Lieut. Peabody was a man of great capacity and influence. His wife was a daugh- ter of Reginald Foster, whose family is honorably mentioned in "Marmion" and "The Lay of the Last Minstrel". He died February 19, 1697 or 1698. His widow died April 9, 1705. Chil- dren : John, Joseph, William, Isaac ;
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OF A NONAGENARIAN.
Sarah m. How of Ipswich ; Hepsibah m. Rea of Salem Village ; Lydia m. Jacob Perley ; Mary m. John Death of Framingham ; Ruth died before her father; Damaris died Dec. 19, 1660; Samuel died Sept. 13, 1677; Jacob d. in 1664 ; Hannah d. before her fath- er ; Nathaniel d. in 1715 without chil- dren. Of this large family three sons settled in Boxford, and two remained in Topsfield. The Peabodys have been a patriotic and brave race. Two officers and two privates served in the French war. Lieut. Jacob Peabody fell on the plains of Abraham in 1759. Six offi- cers, one chaplain, a surgeon, and as- sistant surgeon, a 1st officer in marine service, and five privates rendered mil- itary service during the Revolution. Capt. Richard Peabody commanded a company in the Continental army, and sent his sons to war as fast as he was able. Nathaniel Peabody of Atkinson, N. H., commanded a regiment in the war of the Revolution, and subsequent- ly represented his state in the Conti- nental Congress. Amongst the clergy the Peabodys count many eminent men. The Rev. Oliver Peabody, who died in Natick ; the twin brothers, William Oliver Bourne and Oliver William Bourne ; Rev. David Peabody, profes- soa in the college at Hanover ; Rev. Andrew P. Peabody D. D., professor of Harvard University, and Rev. Eph- raim Peabody of Boston. Professor Silliman of Yale College, descended from a Peabody. In medicine, law and the various walks of life, the fam- ily reputation has been ably sustained. Capt. John, the oldest son of Lieut. Francis Peabody, lived in Boxford, was made a freeman in 1674, represen- tative from 1689 to 1691. IIe married first, Hannah Andrews ; second, Sarah
Mosely. He died in 1720 aged 78. Children : John ; Thomas ; Mary mar- ried Richard Hazen ; Lydia m. Jacob Perley ; David born July 12, 1672; Elizabeth m. David Andrew ; Nathan ; Hannah m. Jos. Buekman ; Ruth' m. John Wood of Boxford ; Moses. En- sign David Peabody mn. Sarah Pope of Dartmouth. He lived in Boxford, died April 1, 1726 aged 48. His widow d. Sept. 29, 1756, aged 72. Children : Thomas ; Hannah m. Jona. Fuller of Sutton ; Sarah m. Daniel Wood ; Mer- cy, d. Sept. 26, 1793 ; John ; Debo- rah, d. Aug. 21, 1736; Rebecca, m. Richard Dexter; Susanna, d. Oct. 1794 ; David, born Oct. 4, 1724; Ma- ry, d. in 1736 ; David Peabody m. Ma- ry Gaines of Ipswich, and settled on a farm in Andover. Having become a zealous member of the Baptist com- munion, he moved to Haverhill, where a church of that denomination had been established. A short time after his removal he died, on Aug. 16, 1774, aged 50. His widow died in New- buryport, at the residence of her son- in-law, Mr. Leonard Smith, April, 1806, aged 77. Children : Lucy m. Peter Middleton, lived in Haverhill and Bradford ; David d. in the West In- dies ; Sarah m. Leonard Smith ; Mary m. William Farmer of Bradford ; Ju- dith m. William Butler, lived in New- buryport ; Thomas m. Judith daughter of Jeremiah and Judith (Spofford) Dodge. These were the parents of David, George, the well-known bank- er ; and Jeremiah Dodge Peabody of Ohio. Deborah m. James Becket, re- sided in Salem ; Abigail in 1765, m. Edmund Greenleaf of Newburyport ; John born Feb 22, 1768; Josiah Gaines m. Edna Greenough, resided in Porstmouth. Mrs. David Peabody at
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