USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Wenham > The history of Wenham : civil and ecclesiastical, from its settlement in 1639, to 1860 > Part 1
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WENHAM HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION AND MUSEUM, INC. WENHAM, MASSACHUSETTS 01984
Office Copy
MYRON O. ALLEN, M.D. 1831-1861
THE HISTORY OF WENHAM CIVIL AND ECCLESIASTICAL FROM ITS SETTLEMENT IN 1639 TO 1860
BY MYRON O. ALLEN, M.D.
REPUBLISHED BY
WENHAM HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION AND MUSEUM, INC. WITH INDEX AND PORTRAIT ADDED
IN COMMEMORATION OF THE NATIONAL BICENTENNIAL
REPRINTED BY EDWARDS BROTHERS, INC. ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN
1975
THE
HISTORY OF WENHAM,
CIVIL AND ECCLESIASTICAL,
FROM ITS SETTLEMENT IN 1639, TO 1860.
BY
MYRON O. ALLEN, M. D.
BOSTON : PRINTED BY BAZIN & CHANDLER, 37 CORNHILL, 1860.
PREFACE.
THE history of a small country town, and that one no way conspicuous among its neighbors, can hardly be expected to furnish much to interest the general reader. Such a work must be made up of particulars and minute details. It is seldom that great events or distinguished characters occur to give life and interest to the story. The narrative must derive its claim to the reader's attention mainly from his acquaintance with the scenes, or his connections with the actors described.
Yet there is a point of view from which local history may de- serve the attention of the thoughtful and philosophic mind. The township is the primary and fundamental institution of our government - the basis upon which the superstructure of state and national organization is erected. The State is but a con- federation of towns as the general government is a confedera- tion of States. In either case those powers only are entrusted to the larger body which could not be conveniently exercised by the smaller. In this consist the strength and security of our republic, that so much of the power is retained by the people themselves, and so little delegated to those who represent them at Boston and Washington.
Those little independent municipal corporations are therefore the germ of all our free institutions. Whoever would trace the history of " Liberty in America," must study the history of
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PREFACE.
towns. From their origin, these were miniature republics, where public affairs were discussed in open meeting, and the result determined strictly by the majority of votes. These town meetings - scenes, as they often were, of earnest conten- tion, and even wrangling - were the schools of republicanism. When the Provincial Government was overthrown, it was several years before a State Government was organized, yet there was nothing of anarchy or confusion; each town went on with its own affairs, and the construction of a state, and after- wards of a national organization, was a work of little difficulty· It was merely the development and application of principles which had existed and been in operation ever since the landing at Plymouth. In this point of view the history and interior structure of a New England township, is the history in minia- ture of the nation.
The problem of history may be stated thus : given, the present state, condition, and character of a people, to determine those influences in the past which have tended to produce these results. It is the task of the historian to trace the development of these influences, and so to arrange the history of events as to give a miniature of the character and spirit of the age which he describes. He must set before us not only great men - statesmen and scholars-but also ordinary men in their ordinary dress, and engaged in their ordinary employments. He must visit the dwellings of the poor and the abodes of misery as well as the palaces of wealth and luxury. No anecdote, no familiar saying is insignificant which can throw light upon the state of education, morals or religion, or mark the progress of the human mind.
Since the natural features of a country have an important influence upon the character of its inhabitants, they must be described in their primitive wildness as well as in their present state of cultivation and improvement. He must paint the stern and sturdy Puritan, shrewd as the shrewdest in worldly things, yet sacrificing all at the call of duty; trampling on bishops,
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PREFACE.
lords and kings, but reverencing the majesty of the law and bowing in the dust before his Maker. He must trace the slowly kindling flame of liberty from its first faint sparks till it burst forth in the revolution. He must mark the progress of educa- tion and literature, the changes in manners and modes of life. He must deduce, by a process strictly logical, the Yankee of the 19th century, from the Puritan of Plymouth Rock. And with all he should mingle those lessons of instruction and true philosophy which history is designed to teach.
The author is deeply sensible how far he has fallen short of the ideal here proposed. His time has been limited, his materials imperfect, and his abilities [inadequate to the task.
It is much to be regretted that the work was not undertaken fifteen or twenty years ago. Many interesting incidents, espe- cially of revolutionary history, which were recorded only in the memories of aged inhabitants, might then have been preserved, but are now irrecoverably lost.
In preparing this volume, I have made a careful examination of the Town, Church, and Parish Records, the State archives, the histories of adjoining towns, the Historical Collections, and several Histories of Massachusetts, as well as of many manu- script papers. It is possible that some incidents of interest may have been omitted, and that some errors of detail may have crept into the narrative. Those who have had much experience in researches of this character, know the extreme difficulty of avoiding such errors, and will be least disposed to criticise them with severity.
The author would take this opportunity to acknowledge spe- cial obligations to Dr. John Porter, Col. Paul Porter, Charles A. Kilham and B. C. Putnam, for valuable materials and gen- erous encouragement. Many others whom he has had occasion to consult, have expressed a kindly interest in the undertaking.
He now with regret takes leave of a work which has occupied so many of his leisure hours in a manner pleasant, and as he fondly trusts, not wholly unprofitable. It has been to him a la-
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PREFACE.
bor of love, and if it shall have the effect of awakening in the people of Wenham an interest in the antiquities and history of this ancient town, - if it shall excite them to emulate the vir- tues and avoid the errors of their forefathers, he will feel that he has had his reward.
CONTENTS.
TOPOGRAPHY, ..
13
CIVIL HISTORY,
23
COMMON LANDS,
49
REVOLUTIONARY PERIOD,
69
REVOLUTIONARY SOLDIERS,
83
STATISTICS OF WENHAM,.
99
PUBLIC SCHOOLS,
104
FIRE DEPARTMENT, .
122
PROFESSIONS,.
123
BURIAL GROUND,
126
PERSONAL AND FAMILY HISTORY,
133
COL. TIMOTHY PICKERING,.
148
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY,.
152
MEETING HOUSES, &C.
194
BAPTIST CHURCH,.
204
CONCLUSION,
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HISTORY OF WENHAM.
GEOGRAPHY.
THE town of Wenham is situated in the central part of the county of Essex, in north latitude 42º 36", and west longitude 70° 52". At a distance of about 20 miles N. N. E. from Boston, six miles N. from Salem, 16 miles S. of Newburyport, and 18 miles S. E. from Lawrence. It is bounded north by Hamilton, east by Manchester, south by Beverly, and west by Danvers and Topsfield. In length, the town extends about six and one-half miles, while in width it is two and one-fourth miles at the widest point, and at the narrowest but half a mile. Its area amounts to about eight and one-half square miles, or 5400 acres.
The general surface of the town is level, and con- siderable of it is rather low and swampy. The highest elevation within the limits of the town is Lord's Hill, in the part of it called Egypt. This hill affords a beautiful prospect of the sea and of Salem harbor, as well as of the country for many miles around. Moulton's Hill, a small but graceful- ly rounded eminence, rises at the head of Cedar
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HISTORY OF WENHAM.
Pond, and affords a delightful though limited view of a highly cultivated country, diversified by the lake, spread out in quiet beauty, as it were beneath the feet of the observer, and contrasting strikingly with the dense, dark green foliage, which over- spreads the vast swamp to the northward. There are several other hills within the town, none of them rising to any great height, but some of which afford prospects rarely exceeded for varied beauty. The eastern part of the town is traversed by the rugged and precipitous range of hills, which skirts almost the entire length of Salem harbor upon the north, and which seems like a rampart raised by nature, as a barrier to the wild fury of the winds and waves.
The fundamental rock of the town is sienite, of the detritus of which its soil is principally compos- ed, though more or less modified by diluvial agen- cy. About 1500 acres of the surface is low and marshy ; not far from 400 acres must be allowed or ponds and streams, and perhaps there are six hundred acres more of wild, rough land, fit only for wood and timber. The remainder is most of it sus- ceptible of high and profitable cultivation. It does not, indeed, yield so large a harvest as the strong er and heavier soils of some other parts of the State ; but at the same time, it is much easier of cultivation, and, according to the amount of labor bestowed, few lands, at least in New England, pro- duce a more abundant return. It is especially
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HISTORY OF WENHAM.
adapted to the raising of fruit and vegetables for market, both of which are produced in considera- ble quantities and to good profit. Grass, Indian corn, rye, oats, barley and potatoes are also valua- ble and profitable crops.
The surface of the town appears to have been originally covered with a heavy growth of pine, hemlock, spruce, larch, cedar, juniper, all the spe- cies of oak, maple, hickory, birch, elm and ash. At the present time only such portions as are con- sidered of little value for other purposes, are left to become covered with forests. The " Manchester woods," so called, extend over a considerable por- tion of the east end of the town; while on the north, the great swamp is left almost entirely in a state of nature. This swamp, which extends into Hamilton and Topsfield, is estimated to cover about 2000 acres. It furnishes valuable stores of fire- wood, while some of the islands which it contains, are covered with excellent timber. Great fires sometimes rage here in dry seasons, burning below, as well as above the surface of the ground, and causing great destruction before they can be extin- guished. Here are accumulated the remains of the decaying vegetation of centuries. Large portions of it contain valuable deposits of peat. The waters of the swamp are drained into the Ipswich river, which flows through the north part of it. With sufficient labor, most of the swamp might doubt- less be drained and made valuable and productive
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HISTORY OF WENHAM.
land ; but while western lands are so cheap, and la- bor continues so dear as it now is, there is no proba- bility that any considerable part of it will be re- claimed.
There are five ponds within the limits of the town. The largest of them is Wenham Pond or Lake, as it is often called. This beautiful sheet of water covers about 320 acres in surface, nearly 100 of which lie in Beverly. It is surrounded on every side by a smooth, gravelly, or sandy margin, and by shores in some places steep, but generally sloping gracefully down to the water's edge. To this and to the fact that no stream flows into it to carry down the wash of the neighboring country, is doubtless owing the unequalled clearness and pu- rity of its waters. So transparent is the ice here formed that it is said that a newspaper has been read through a thickness of two feet of it. Yan- kee ingenuity and enterprize have turned this ap- parently useless product of our severe winters into a fruitful source of wealth. The inhabitants of many a torrid region, who have never heard of the name of Massachusetts, and hardly know that there is such a place as New England, are familiar enough with Wenham Lake ice. An American gentleman recently informed me that, while pro- ceeding up the Red Sea in one of the East India Company's steamers, an Englishman, who had travelled much in America, inquired particularly of him, where Wenham Lake was situated, remark-
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HISTORY OF WENHAM.
ing that he had seen most of the lakes in the United States, but never saw Wenham Lake. From the amount of ice which it produced, he sup- posed it to be one of the large lakes of the West- ern Continent, and was not a little surprised when informed of its real size.
The shape of this lake is quite irregular, it being at one point, almost divided into two nearly equal parts, by the inward projection of its shores. Its depth is about 50 feet, and its outlet is 34 feet higher than the flow of the tide up the Ipswich river. It was formerly well stocked with fish, but has been of late years so much frequented by sportsmen that the finny tribes have had little op- portunity to increase. There has been considera- ble legislation upon this point, and no doubt if the laws which have already been passed, were proper- ly enforced, the fisheries of Wenham Lake might again become profitable. Alewives formerly came up the river to this pond, to spawn ; but the dam upon Ipswich river with other obstructions, has en- tirely prevented their access. This matter has been a subject of discussion in many town meetings, and committees have been again and again appoint- ed to see that the obstructions were removed and the fish allowed to return to their favorite haunts. For many years an Alewife Committee were chosen every season, as regularly as the Selectmen or School Committee, but latterly the subject has been forgotten or overlooked, and the fisheries of Wen- ham have proportionally declined.
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HISTORY OF WENHAM.
The banks of this lake, though nowhere wild and precipitous, furnish scenes and views of rare and varied beauty. Several elegant and tasteful resi- dences have been erected upon its borders ; and other locations equally, if not even more finely sit- uated, yet remain unoccupied.
On the northern side of this pond, there was for- merly a little conical hill called Peter's Pulpit, from the circumstance that Hugh Peters preached from it more than 200 years ago, the first discourse ever delivered within the limits of Wenham. The town once offered this hill to the first church in Salem, on condition that they should erect upon it a mon- ument to their former pastor, the eminent but ec- centric Peters ; but as the offer was not accepted within the specified time, the town's interest in the spot was transferred to the Ice Company, which proceeded to remove the hill and put up their ice- houses on the place which it formerly occupied. Every one, we are sure, must regret that this in- teresting relic of antiquity should have been thus entirely obliterated.
Connected with the lake on the west is Cedar Pond, containing about 20 acres. It is so perfect- ly enveloped by a dense forest, as to be scarcely visible till one stands upon the water's edge. Many years since some gentlemen from Salem formed the project of digging a canal to convey its waters to the lake and build upon it a large factory. Accord- ingly the trench was dug, and the water drawn
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HISTORY OF WENHAM.
off till nearly the whole of the bottom of the pond was laid bare. Snakes, eels, fish and turtles were found in great abundance, but the spring which was to furnish a constant supply of water power was wanting, and the project of a great manufactory to be carried by it, was at an end.
Muddy Pond, which is about the same size as the last, lies entirely within the great swamp. It is surrounded by low, marshy ground, and inhabited by turtles, eels, water-snakes and other animals which delight in low, miry localities. In conse- quence of its retired situation and the boggy na- ture of the ground around it, is seldom visited ex- cept by some stray hunter, or adventurous explor- er of the swamp.
Pleasant Pond is a beautiful sheet of water, cov- ering about 30 acres, and so hemmed in by sur- rounding hills and forests as to be entirely conceal. ed from the visitor, until he comes suddenly upon its banks. A little eminence upon its eastern bor- der, presents one of the finest prospects in the town. On the one side the eye rests upon the smooth surface of the peaceful lake, embowered in the dense foliage of the surrounding forests of ever- green ; and beyond this, upon the thick verdure of the swamp, while still farther the view is limit- ed by the fertile hills of Topsfield and Middleton ; on the south may be seen the church spires of Sa- lem ; and nearer, the steeples, mansions and green fields of Beverly ; and beneath them, the blue wa-
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HISTORY OF WENHAM.
ters of the lake, shining like a line of silvery light ; while to the east, lies the village of Wenham, with its gardens and cultivated fields, and further north the farms and pasture lands of Hamilton, till the view is terminated by the hills of Ipswich.
This beautiful spot, once so delightful and charm- ing a resort, has lately become connected with as- sociations of a melancholy character. As several young men were here amusing themselves in skat- ing, Dec. 19, 1856, one of them, Mr. Joseph P. Cook broke through the ice, and before help could reach him was drowned. He was a youth much loved and lamented by a large circle of relatives and friends, and the memory of his sad fate will long cast its shadow of sadness over the spot of his untimely death.
Coy's Pond is a long and narrow sheet of water, in the easterly part of the town, containing per- haps 30 acres of surface. Its name is supposed to be derived from that of a family well known in the early history of the place, and which formerly lived near its shores. This pond is connected with a series of lakes which have their outlet to the sea near the village of Essex.
The principal stream within the town, which has been dignified by the name of Miles' river, takes its rise from a swamp in the north part of Beverly. It flows first into the eastern part of Wenham, then taking a turn to the west, it passes through the Neck, till it strikes the Beverly line. Here it re-
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HISTORY OF WENHAM.
ceives a branch from the east, and, afterwards, the stream which forms the outlet of Wenham Lake. Turning again to the north, it flows through the town of Wenham, a little to the east of the vil- lage, and pursuing its course through Hamilton, empties at length into the Ipswich river. It is a sluggish stream, falling but a few feet in its entire course of 4 or 5 miles, through the town. Of course, it offers no great water privileges, although in former times, two places at which there is a fall of a few feet, were improved to turn the machinery of a saw and grist mill. But though the river affords very little water power, it is useful in fertilizing the broad meadows which skirt its banks, while its quiet pools, the favorite haunts of the finny tribes, furnish an abundant source of amusement to the disciples of Izaak Walton.
Nature has not given us as a town any remarka- ble advantages of situation. Our streams are too small to be of much use for manufacturing purpo- ses. Our inland position debars us from the sea. We have no stores of mineral wealth to be dug from the bowels of the earth, but industry, energy and economy are admirable substitutes for these gifts of nature, and may more than compen- sate for her deficiencies. Without anything espe- cially grand or romantic in the way of scenery, Wenham possesses many of the elements of a charming country residence. It has a fertile soil and a healthful situation ; the village and the coun-
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HISTORY OF WENHAM.
try around it are alike remarkable for quiet, rural beauty. The houses and farms present a general appearance of neatness and comfort. In every di- rection are good roads and pleasant drives, while our gracefully rounded hills and crystal lakes pre- sent scenery of a beauty and loveliness rarely equal- led. We will only add the testimony of John Dun- stan, Esq., an English gentleman who visited the town in 1686. " When we came," says he, "to Wenham, which is an inland town well stored with men and cattle, we paid a visit to Mr. Gerrish, the present minister of that place. Wenham is a deli- cious paradise ; it abounds with all rural pleasures, and I would choose it above all other towns in America to dwell in. The lofty trees on each side of it are a sufficient shelter from the winds, and the warm sun so kindly ripens both the fruits and flowers, as if the spring, the summer and the au- tumn had agreed together to thrust winter out of doors."
CIVIL HISTORY.
THE first permanent settlement in Essex County, was made at Salem, under John Endicott, in 1628. In consequence of the religious persecutions in England, emigration was quite active for several years subsequent. As their purpose in coming was to become cultivators of the soil, the colonists, as they arrived, scattered themselves over the coun- try, usually settling first upon the banks of streams and ponds where the situation appeared to be most agreeable and the soil most easily cultivated. Salem, as first laid out, included within its limits, Beverly, Manchester, Marblehead, Danvers, part of Lynn, Topsfield and Wenham, the last of which was the first to be set off as a distinct township. The territory embraced within the town appears to have belonged to the Agawams, a tribe of Indians settled upon the Ipswich river, of whom the land was purchased for the nominal sum of £4 16s.
The first notice we have of the place is an ac- count of the " murder of John Hoddy, near the Great Pond." John Williams, the murderer, was seized, sentenced to be hung, and executed at Bos-
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HISTORY OF WENHAM.
ton. This murder, the first which occurred among the European population of the colony, excited general attention. Tradition relates that the act was committed near the boundary line, on the main road to Beverly. Williams appears to have sup- posed that his victim had with him a large sum of money, but he actually found nothing. It is said that the murderer was seized by Hoddy's dog and held till people collected and apprehended him.
The earliest settlements in the place are supposed to have been in the vicinity of the lake. Nov. 5, 1639, the Legislature passed an act, that "Whereas the inhabitants of Salem have agreed to plant a village near the ryver which runneth to Ipswich, it ordered that all the land near their bounds, between Salem and said river, not belonging to any other town or person, by any former grant, shall belong to said village."
Wenham Lake is said to have been a favorite resort of the Indians for fishing, but by what name they called it, or the territory around it, is not now known. The first settlers called their village Enon, and hence it was probably, that Hugh Peters preached the first sermon within the town from John iii. 23, " In Enon near to Salem, because there was much water there." When, however, the town was incorporated in 1643, it assumed its present name, as appears by the following record :
" The General Court of Elections, held at Boston, ye 10th day of ye third month, Anno 1643. It or-
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HISTORY OF WENHAM.
dered that Enon shall be called Wenham. Wen- ham is granted to be a town and hath liberty to send a deputy."
A true copy, as appears of record examined.
ISAAC ADDINGTON, Secretary.
As the year then commenced with March, which was reckoned the first month, the date of the incor- poration of the town would fall upon the 10th of May, upon which day its centennial anniversary has twice been celebrated. The present name of the town is supposed to have been derived from a town of Suffolk County, in England, lying near Ip- swich, and consisting of two parishes, called Great Wenham and Little Wenham, respectively. From this place, some of the early settlers are supposed to have emigrated. The name has at least one ad- vantage that it is not likely to be confounded with other towns having the same designation, in other States. We believe there is but one Wenham with- in the bounds of the Union.
The earliest of the town records extant, is a grant of twenty acres of land to the town, one-half of it by Mr. Smith, on one side of the meeting- house, and the other half by Mr. John Fisk, on the other side of it. This grant, which was made March 2, 1642, appears to have been divided into two acre lots, which were given to actual settlers on condition of building upon them dwellings for themselves and their families. But in case that any
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HISTORY OF WENHAM.
such should wish to remove from the village, they were required to offer their places for sale first to " the Plantation." The object of this arrangement was to encourage actual settlers, and also to form a village about the middle of the town. From these votes, it appears that a meeting-house, at least a temporary one, had already been built. It is supposed to have stood on or near the spot occu- pied by that built in 1664, viz., upon the eminence near the house now belonging to Mr. Henry Tarr.
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