USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Topsfield > An address delivered at Topsfield in Massachusetts, August 28, 1850 : the two hundredth anniversary of the incorporation of the town > Part 6
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Among the great men of that illustrious emigration which laid the foun- dation of Massachusetts, Simon Bradstreet will ever be conspicuous. Yet his figure, it must be confessed, does not stand out with the bold and sharp re- lief, which marks the forms of Endicott, Winthrop, and Dudley. In him, the precisian character, so often stern, seems to have been presented in its mild- est and most attractive phase. Though not distinguished by brilliant powers, his long continuance in high public station, bears undeniable testimony to the soundness of his judgment, and to his great capacity for business. Moderate, prudent, and conciliatory, he preferred peace to strife, and chose to win by kindness, rather than to vanquish by storm. Let it be remembered to his
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credit, that he was one of the first among the magistrates of the Colony to come out in favor of toleration. This he did as early as 1646, in the case of Child and his associates ; Bellingham and Saltonstall, alone, joining with him. In the colonial proceedings against the Anabaptists and the Quakers, Bradstreet's course was less elevated and consistent, although he does not appear to have been particularly active. In the case of Elizabeth Morse of Newbury, condemned in 1680, by the Court of Assistants to die for witch- craft, Governor Bradstreet showed his superiority to the popular delusion, and by his prudent firmness undoubtedly saved the life of one innocent victim. Had he been permitted to hold but for a short time longer those reins of government, which in 1692 he surrendered to Phipps, Massachusetts would, probably, have been saved from the deepest and darkest stigma that rests upon her name.
As a statesman, Governor B. belonged, evidently, to that valuable class,- the moderate conservatives. In times of party violence, sueh men are sure to be assailed with bitterness by the extreme sections of either side,-and they are equally sure of general approval, whenever passion shall give place to reason. This, as we have seen, was strikingly the case in regard to Brad- street. While we thus rapidly retrace his long eareer of usefulness, we feel that his was truly "a great and fortunate name." For more than sixty years he held, by annual election, a high place of honor and power. He lived until he and the few who at first aeted with him, had passed from the con- dition of a feeble and maligned minority, into that of a triumphant majority. His gentle temper and unvarying equanimity undoubtedly 'contributed to the pro- longation of his faculties and his years ; and when he died, his eye might well be brightened with pious gratitude, as it rested upon the prosperous and rising state, whose steps, from tottering infancy to adult strength, he had done so much to sustain and guide.
ANNE BRADSTREET, on the now large and fast-swelling list of " American Female Poets," must ever hold the priority in time and place. Her first ap- pearanee as an author was under the auspiees of an anonymous friend, who did not hesitate to call her the "Tenth Muse." The edition of her Poems which lies before me, purports to be the Third, and was printed in 1758. The dedication to her father is dated in 1642. It consists, mainly, of five quaternions-to wit, the Four Elements, the Four Humors, the Four Ages, the Four Seasons, and the Four Great Monarchies. These are followed by a Dialogue between Old England and New-by Elegies, Epitaphs, Contem- plations, &c. Though we cannot but smile at the extravagant eulogy, which Ward, Rogers, Norton, and others, in their rhyming prefaees and postscript, heaped upon the author-the book is not without merit. She was evidently a person of good abilities, who had read and thought much. Her diction,
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though generally careless, rises at times to something like beauty, and gives evidence of what she might have become under a severer training, and upon a fairer field. The object of her unqualified admiration, and her chosen model, doubtless, was the now-forgotten Du Bartas. The works of this Frenchman had been translated by the Puritan, Sylvester, and seem to have been regarded by his brethren as alike orthodox in poetry and sentiment. That Mrs. B. was enamored of such a writer, must not, however, be set down to the disparage- ment of her taste, if Mr. Dunster be right, who thinks that Milton once had the same love; and that in the writings of Du Bartas may still be found "the prima stamina of Paradise Lost."
The portions of this little volume which most interest me, are her address to her father, her lines upon his death, her epistles to her absent husband, her account of her family, &c. These effusions, full of truth and feeling, as- sure me that no "lettered rage" had chilled in her the sweet affections of the heart. Be her poetic merit what it may, it is safe to infer that she was an exemplary daughter, and mother, and wife. And when I reflect upon the times in which she lived-the scenes through which she passed-the hard ne- cessities of her daily life, and the jealous strictness in sentiments and man- ners by which society was then controlled,-influences so fitted to disperse or repel those-
" Gentler virtues, such as play Round life's more cultured walks, and charm the way,"-
a new emotion is born within me, and I begin to wonder how she could sing at all. Her notes, like those of night's " solemn bird," seem more me- lodious from the fact, that she had the spirit to pour them forth from amid the gloom and solitude of our primeval forests.
In the sixth generation, descended through the Remingtons and Ellerys from Gov. Bradstreet and his poetic spouse, is RICHARD H. DANA, senr., of Boston. I need not say that Mr. D. as a critic, and as a writer of both prose and verse, stands high among the authors of our day. He certainly is not one of those who rest upon ancestral fame; for when, through a friend, I applied for some information on this point, he seemed almost to have forgotten that he could claim descent from one who so long occupied the curule chair, and' -(how could a Poet be so oblivious ?)-from the "Tenth Muse" herself.
The following account of the Topsfield BRADSTREETS, is condensed from the " DUDLEY GENEALOGIES" :-
JOHN BRADSTREET, fourth son of GOVERNOR SIMON BRADSTREET, was born at Andover, July 22, 1652; m. Sarah, dau. of Rev. William Perkins ; d. Jan. 11th, 1718. Their children were-Simon, born 1682, m. Elisabeth, dau. of Rev. Joseph Capen ; John, b. 1693, m. Rebecca ; Margaret, b. 1696;
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Samuel, b. 1699, m. Sarah Clarke .- The children of SIMON and Elisabeth, (b. 1712 to 1728,) were Elisabeth, m. Joseph Peabody ; Simon, m. Miss Flint ; Dudley ; John, m. Elisabeth Fisk ; Margaret, m. Mr. Andrews ; Priscilla ; Lucy, m. Robert Andrews ; Dr. Joseph, m. Abby Fuller ; Mercy, m. Mr. Stone .-- To JOHN Bradstreet, last named, were b. (1745 to 1756,) Priscilla, m. J. Killam; Mary ; Mehitable; Huldah; Lucy; Eunice, m. Benjamin Emerson ; Capt. Dudley, m. Polly Porter ; Elisabeth, m. John Gould ; Sarah, m. Daniel Gould .- SAMUEL, son of John, son of Gov. Simon, m. Sarah Clarke, and had (1724 to 1736,) Anne, Sarah, Samuel, m. Ruth Lamson ; Elijah ; Eunice ; Asa .---- SAM- UEL, last-named, and Ruth had issue, (1764 to 1773,) Samuel, m. Matilda Fos- ter ; Ruth m. Billy Emerson ; Elijah m. Phebe Ingalls ; Asa m. Abigail Balch ; John m. Mehitable Balch ; Moses m. Lydia Peabody .- To CAPT. DUD- LEY Bradstreet and Polly, were born (1789 to 1813,) Col. Porter, m. Mehita- ble Bradstreet; Major John m. Sarah Rea; Dudley ; Mary m. Samuel Pea- body ; Joseph m. Abigail Shaw ; Elisabeth P. m. Silas Cochran ; Albert G. m. Lydia B. Stearns; Rev. Thos. J. m. Amanda Thomas ; Sarah m. A. H. Putnam ; Jonathan ; Lydia m. Stephen White .- The children of SAMUEL Brad- street and Matilda, (1786 to 1800,) were Abigail, Samuel, Nathaniel, Moses .- ELIJAH and Phebe had Eliza, Stephen, Phebe, Ruth, Ruby .- AsA and Abigail had (1792, 1793,) William m. Eunice Perkins ; Asa .- JOHN and Mehitable had (1793 to 1811,) Mehitable; Cornelius; Ruth m. Solomon Wildes ; Cynthia ; Josiah ; John .- MOSEs and Lydia had (1796 to 1801,) Lydia m. Nehemiah Perkins ; Phebe m. Solomon Wildes, and d. 1824; Cynthia; Eunice .- BEN- JAMIN EMERSON and EUNICE (Bradstreet) had (1785 to 1799,) Benjamin m. Miss Balch ; Mehitable m. Samuel Burtlebank ; Lucy m. Mr. Davis ; Bradstreet ; Elisabeth B .- BILLY EMERSON and RUTH (Bradstreet) had Lydia m. James Stearns ; Ruth m. John Foster ; Eliza P. m. Gilbert Brownell ; Thomas .- DAN- IEL GOULD and SARAH (Bradstreet) had Sarah, m. Caleb Warner ; Priscilla m. Mr. Sprague; Asenath m. John Perley; Daniel m. Lydia Batchelder; Mehi- table m. Rev. Mr. Blanchard .- The late Dr. Bradstreet, of Newburyport, a person highly respected as a physician and a man, was a native of Tops- field, and a descendant from the Governor, but in what line I have been un- able to ascertain. His father's name was Henry. I remember him well, and a more fractious and perverse old man I never knew.
NOTE III .- PAGE 11.
To the never-failing kindness and research of Mr. Charles Folsom, of the Boston Atheneum, I owe the means of presenting this account of Topesfield. in England. It is to be hoped that some descendant of the early Topsfield settlers, when visiting that country, will make it a business to find this little
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parish, and to examine its register. Not only might the question of origin be thus put beyond a doubt, but other facts of interest might, perhaps, be ob- tained. This seems a proper place to mention that Topsfield has, at least, one daughter. A township bearing the name may be seen upon the map of Maine in the S. E. corner of the State. It is described as a tract of valu- able pine and spruce timber land, with several lofty swells. Its earliest set- tler was Nehemiah Kneeland, a native of our Topsfield, who in 1831, drew his family upon a hand-sled into this wild abode, and set up his humble Pe- nates in its first rude cabin. It has now a population of about 200. The Ro- mulus of this small but growing town, (who is living still,) is descended from an Irishman, who seems to have been a very obstinate fellow, and who gave our excellent predecessors no small trouble. Neland-so the name was writ- ten then-had built a house directly on the line which separated Ipswich from Topsfield. Whenever the constable of the latter called on him for his taxes, Neland was sure to be in the Ipswich part of his small room; and on that ground refused payment. Whether he played the same game with Ipswich is not known. Probably they were more indulgent ; for there was a dispute be- tween the towns in regard to the exact line of boundary. That Topsfield had no notion of being trifled with, abundantly appears from various entries in the town book. The following deposition, dated 1693, (for which I am in- debted to Mr. J. Perkins Towne,) shows how they sometimes enforced the law in those days :- " The depositions of Elisha Perkins, about 37 years ; and John Averell, aged about 29 years; and John French, aged about 21 years. Tes- tifieth and saith, that on the 30th day of December last, Ephraim Wilds, con- stable of Topsfield, did require of us to go along with him to Edward Ne- land's house, and there we heard the said Wilds demand a rate of the said Neland's wife, the said. Neland not being at home, as his wife told us; and his wife told the said constable he never should have any rates of them, and would not let said constable go into the house, but shut the door; and there being several fatted hogs in the yard, the constable commanded us to help him to catch one of them; accordingly we drove them into a pen, joining to the said Neland's house, and there we saw Ephraim Wilds, constable, distrain one of the said hogs, with the warrant from the Treasurer, and rate from the Selectmen of Topsfield, and with the black staff in his hand. The said Neland's house stands upon a farm commonly called Mr. Simondses farmn, which has been accounted for many years to be in Topsfield. And further we do testify, that before the said constable carried away the hog, the abovesaid Ne- land came home, and we heard said constable tell said Neland what he had done, and proffered him the hog again, if said Neland would pay the rate ; but the said Neland refused, and said he would never pay a penny of it, and then the said constable carried away the hog. Sworn," &c. I ought in jus- tice to add, that the boundary question was settled in 1697, and that Ne- land's dwelling was thus left in Ipswich, about two rods from the line.
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NOTE IV .- PAGE 20.
There is another tradition in regard to a garrison house, which stood, it is said, upon land now belonging to Elijah Perkins. It is not improbable that there were two, or perhaps the site was changed as the population in- creased.
The ancient farm on Eastey's Hill, has been for several years the posses- sion and summer residence of the Hon. Benjamin W. Crowningshield of Bos- ton. Mr. C. is a man of large wealth, and during the administration of Pres- ident Madison, was, for a time, Secretary of the Navy.
NOTE V .- PAGE 23.
REBECCA NURSE was first assailed. When Mr. Parris singled her out in his prayers, and in his sermon called her a demon, Sarah Cloyse, with sisterly in- dignation, rose and left the meeting-house. This was enough. She also was cried out upon, and sent to prison. For no other reason, probably, than that she sympathized with her innocent and suffering sisters, was the exemplary Mary Eastey selected as a victim-torn from her children, and immured in a jail.
Extract from the petition of Mary Eastey and Sarah Cloyse, presented to the Court before their trial :-
" Whereas we two sisters stand now before the honored Court, charged with the suspicion of witchcraft, our humble request is, first-that sceing we are neither able to plead our own cause, nor is counsel allowed to those in our condition, that you, who are our judges, would please to be of counsel to us, to direct us wherein we may stand in necd. Secondly, that whercas we are not conscious to ourselves of any guilt in the least degree of that crime whercof we are now accused, (in the presence of the living God we speak it, before whose awful tribunal we know we must, ere long, appear,) nor of any other scandalous evil or miscarriage inconsistent with Christianity, those who have had the longest and best knowledge of us, being persons of good report, may be suffered to testify upon oath what they know concerning each of us-namely, Mr. Capen, the pastor, and those of the town and church of Topsfield, who are ready to say something which we hope may be looked upon as very considerable in this matter, with the seven children of one of us-namely, Mary Eastey ; and that it may be produced of like nature in re- ference to the wife of Peter Cloyse, her sister. Thirdly, that the testimony of witches, or such as are afflicted, as is supposed, by witches, may not be
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improved to condemn us, without other legal evidence concurring. We hope the honored court and jury will be so tender of the lives of such as we are, who have for many years lived under the unblemished reputation of Chris- tianity, as not to condemn them without a fair and equal hearing of what may be said for us, as well as against us. And your poor supplicants shall be bound always to pray."
To the above, which is taken from " Chandler's American Criminal Trials," Mr. C. adds-" After the condemnation of Mary Eastey, she sent another pe- tition to the Court, which, as an exhibition of the noblest fortitude, united with sweetness of temper, dignity, and resignation, as well as of calmness towards those who had selected so many victims from her family, will be read with unqualified admiration. When it is recollected that confession was the sure, if not the only means of obtaining the favor of the Court, this pe- tition must be regarded as a most affecting appeal by an humble and feeble woman, about to lay down her life in the cause of truth; and who, a wife and a mother, in circumstances of terrible trial, uttercd no word of complaint, but met her fate with a calmness and resignation, which excites the wonder of all who read her story."
" The humble petition of Mary Eastey, unto his Excellency Sir William Phipps, and to the honorable judge and bench, now sitting in judicature in Salem, and the reverend ministers, humbly sheweth : That whereas your poor and humble petitioner, being condemned to dic, doth humbly beg of you to take it into your judicious and pious consideration, that your poor and hum- ble petitioner, knowing my own innocency, (blessed be the Lord for it,) and sceing plainly the wiles and subtilty of my accusers, by myself cannot but judge charitably of others that are going the same way with myself, if the Lord step not mightily in. I was confined a whole month on the same account that I am now condemned for, and then cleared by the afflicted per- sons, as some of your honors know; and in two days time I was cried out upon by them, and have been confined, and now am condemned to die. The Lord above knows my innocency then, and likewise doth now, as at the great day will be known to men and angels. I petition to your honors not for my own life, for I know I must die, and my appointed time is sct; but the Lord he knows it is-if it be possible-that no more innocent blood may be shed ; which undoubtedly cannot be avoided in the way and course you go on. I question not but your honors do, to the utmost of your powers, in the discovery and detecting of witchcraft and witches, and would not be guilty of innocent blood for the world; but by my own innocency I know you are in the wrong way. The Lord in his infinite mercy direct you in this great work, if it be his blessed will that no more innocent blood be shed. I would
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humbly beg of you, that your honors would be pleased to examine these afflicted persons strictly, and keep them apart some time, and likewise to try some of these confessing witches, I being confident there are several of them have belied themselves and others, as will appear, if not in this world, I am sure in the world to come, whither I am going; and I question not but yourselves will see an alteration in these things. They say myself and others have made a league with the devil; we cannot confess. I know, and the Lord he knows, as will shortly appear, they believe me, and so I question not but they do others ; the Lord alone, who is the Searcher of all hearts, knows, as I shall answer it at the tribunal seat, that I know not the least thing of witchcraft ; therefore I cannot, I durst not, belie my own soul. I beg your honors not to deny this my humble petition, from a poor innocent per- son ; and I question not but the Lord will give a blessing to your endeavors."
The original of the above petition is still in existence; and various cir- cumstantial evidence makes it highly probable that it was written by the petitioner herself.
NOTE VI .- PAGE 24.
The statement in the text was derived from a written account drawn up by the Rev. Daniel Gould. I have since obtained the following extract from the Mass. Records :- " On the 19th August, 1656, John Gould, senr., of Tops- field, otherwise called Lieut. Gould, was arrested and imprisoned for uttering wicked and treasonable language-viz., 'If the country was of his mind, they would keep Salem Court with its former magistrates; and if the country would go the rounds, he would make the first, and would go and keep Salem Court, and would have his company down to do it.' For this he was im- prisoned in Boston jail, and kept there some time, though unwell. He was fined £100, and costs of prosecution, and laid under heavy bonds to keep the peace."
NOTE VII.
Mr. Joshua Coffin has furnished me with several extracts from the Records of the County Court, which show what some of the charges against Mr. Gil- bert were. In 1666 he was brought before the Court on a complaint of se- dition. The language which he used, both in prayer and sermon, as reported by the witnesses, was certainly rather strong. We find, for instance, such
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expressions as the following :- " Christ Jesus should reign, in despite of all the devil's kings, do what they would." "God hath deceived us. Wee looked for glorious days in England, Scotland, Ireland, for days of reform, but be- hold a crooked Providence hath crost our expectation. God hath befooled us all." "He in prayer begged of God either to forgive the king this perjury, or to give him repentance for it. It is better to live here poore, and to live in the wilderness, being covenant keepers, than to sit on the throne, and be covenant breakers. He begged of God to convert the king and the royal family for their superstition and idolatry." What was the decision of the Court in this case does not appear. He was probably let off easily. In 1670 he was again arraigned on a charge of intemperance. The witnesses were, Sarah Gould, the wife, undoubtedly, of the brave old Captain John ; Isaac Comings, senr., and Joanna Towne. The last was in Mr. Gilbert's favor. The testi- mony is quite minute, and relates only to a single case. This, however, was sadly disgraceful. He went into the pulpit in a disordered state, which he betrayed by the confusion of his thoughts, and the clipping of his words, and especially by forgetting the order of the exercises. First he prayed, then sung, then prayed again, and again sung; and so might have gone on inde- finitely, had not Isaac Comings risen, and begged him to stop.
NOTE VIII.
ASAHEL HUNTINGTON was born in Franklin, Ct., March 17, 1761. His pa- ternal ancestors were among the earliest settlers of Norwich, to which Frank- lin originally belonged. His grandfather, Dea. Christopher, died at an ad- vanced age, leaving four sons, Christopher, Theophilus, Elisha, and Barnabas. The last, a deacon also, was the father of Asahel. Hc was an active and influential patriot of the Revolution, and died 1787, aged 59, highly respected for his moral worth. The maiden name of Mr. H.'s mother, was Anne Wright. She was born in 1752, and lived to be nearly a hundred years old. Her cha- racter as a woman and a Christian was one of great excellence. The sons of this worthy couple, were Barnabas, Azariah, Asahel, Hezekiah, and Gur- don, all now dead. Two daughters yet live, very old. The paternal estate in Franklin has descended lineally from the original settler, Christopher, and is now owned by a son of Azariah.
The subject of this notice, thus born and brought up, made an early pro- fession of religion, which he illustrated and adorned through life. Having re- solved to devote himself to the work of the ministry, he prosecuted his stu- dies, preparatory for college, under the tuition of his pastor, the Rev. Sam- uel Nott. This venerable man-this relic of a former age-yet survives; and
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though nearly a hundred years old, is still minister of the same church and people. Mr. Huntington was graduated at Dartmouth College in 1786. The valedictory oration, then deemed the first of Collegiate honors, was pronounced by him. In the class where he stood so well, there were several who be- came eminent. It is sufficient to enumerate Judge Goddard, of Norwich, Ct. ; Hon. Charles Marsh, of Woodstock, Vt .; Rev. Dr. Strong, of Randolph, Mass.
As Theological Seminaries were then unknown, Mr. H. pursued his profes- sional studies under private direction. The Rev. Dr. Backus, of Somers, Ct., a divine, and instructor of the highest eminence, was his first teacher. He concluded his studies under the Rev. Dr. Hart, of Preston, now Griswold, Ct. On the 12th of November, 1789, he was ordained over the Church and Society of Topsfield. Dr. Hart preached the ordination sermon.
Here, for nearly twenty-four years, flowed on the even and useful tenor of his days. With a people not particularly easy to please, he lived in unbro- ken harmony. He was orthodox in his opinions, but was too discreet to urge them with offensive pertinacity. His preaching was plain, sensible, and practical. His whole intercourse with his flock was so marked by social ease, by benevolent solicitude, and by judicious kindness, that he secured their warmest love, as well as esteem. His instructions were not confined to the pulpit. Compelled by the straitness of his income, and the wants of a grow- ing family, he occasionally taught the town school. For several years be- fore his death, he received into his family pupils from abroad. With what fidelity and ability he acquitted himself in this relation, many still remember. The language of affectionate veneration with which, at the late celebration, Judge Cummins and Mr. Benjamin A. Gould, recalled the name and virtues of their earliest teacher, will not soon be forgotten by the hundreds who lis- tened to those glowing words of praise and gratitude.
In the midst of his strength and usefulness, this truly good man was sud- denly cut down. He died of the malignant sore throat, April 22d, 1813, after an illness of four days. The funeral sermon was preached to a weeping au -. dience by his intimate, and long-tried friend, Rev. Isaac Braman, of New Rowley, who still lives, a venerable octogenarian. This discourse was pub- lished, and, in connection with it, an unfinished sermon of Mr. Huntington, written on the very day he was seized with his last sickness. It was from the text : "Be ye also ready ; for in such an hour as ye think not, the Son of Man cometh."
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