USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > Dorchester > Annals of the town of Dorchester > Part 5
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48
Voters 74.
40
Town Clerk, James Blake.
Town Treasurer, James Blake.
Constables, Joseph Wales & Saml. How.
Representatiue, Capt. Thos. Wiswell.
Births 30. Deaths 26.
The last winter 1746, some of ye members of this Church that had Separated from it, upon ye Commotion that Mr. Whitefield & those Itinerants that followed him had raised in ye Country about Religion ; and for their Separation, & Injurious Treatment of ye Minister the Revd. Mr. Jona. Bowman and ye whole Church, were laid under the Censure of Admonition, & forbid to come to Communion until Repentance & Reformation ; Pressed ye Church to Joyn with them in calling a Council of Churches to Hear & Advise upon their matters of Complaint & Grievance ; which after several debates ye Church agreed to, & also to bear all ye Charge of ye Council. The members were Isaac How, Edward Foster, Ebenezer Withington, Timo- thy Tilestone, Naphtali Pierce & Eben. Davenport, toge- ther with Benja. Bird Esqr., who had been excommuni- cated by ye Church for Intemperate drinking, & thought himself very hardly dealt with, as also did ye Separate Brethren, of whose party ye Sd Mr. Bird was, and a Chief Leader among them. It was agreed between ye Church & ye Sd Brethren, that there should be Ten Churches sent
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ANNALS OF DORCHESTER.
to, and that each party should Choose five, (where they pleased) & if any of one side failed, ye same No. of ye other side should be taken off; & that ye Churches should be desired to send their Elder & one Messenger. Accord- ingly ye Church Chose Mr. Walter of Roxbury, Mr. Barnard of Marblehead, Mr. Prescott of Salem, Mr. Gay of Hingham, & Mr. Tailor of Milton ; and ye other party Chose Mr. Leonard of Plymouth, Mr. Weld of Attle- borough, Mr. Hobby of Reading, Mr. Rogers of Ipswich, & Mr. Cotton of Halifax ; (Three of whom, viz. Leonard, Weld & Cotton, had at ye desire of ye Sd Party, assembled in a Private Council at one of their Houses several times before this), who together with their Delegates (Judge Dudley being with Mr. Walter) accordingly met at Dor- chester, Tuesday, May 19th, 1747, all but Mr. Rogers of ye agrieved Brethrens part (as they called themselves), and Mr. Gay went off upon ye Churches side to keep ye number equal. The Council being formed sat chiefly in the Meeting-house where was a Publick Hearing, & a great throng of People, many from other Towns. Mr. Walter was Moderator, but Mr. Barnard was his Assistant, who chiefly managed, by reason of ye Infirmities of old age rendering ye business too tedious for Mr. Walter. The Council sat 4 Days, beginning on Tuesday & ending on Friday. They Patiently heard all that ye Parties had to say, and in their Result, Justified Mr. Bowman & ye Church in all their actions, & Condemned ye Sd Party & advised them & ye Sd Mr. Bird to Submit & Return to ye Church &c. Since which ye Church has been quiet, which before was continually disturbed with Letters & Charges from ye Sa Brethren, & many Church meetings thereabout. But none of ye Sd Party haue yet followed ye advice of the Council, but have till lately continued their Meetings at ye House of ye Sd Eben. Withington ; where the Sd Mr. Bird's Son (a young man that had staid 3 years at ye College & ye 4th year was Expelled being of their party) Preached to them until last Fall, and now is ordained (as we hear) by two New-Light Ministers, (as
65
ANNALS OF DORCHESTER.
they are called) over a Separate party in Dunstable. I think at this present our Separate party have no Constant Meeting. And two days ago, viz. March 9th, 1747, the Sd Ebenezer Withington at whose House they use to meet Deceased. I think ye Charge of ye Council cost ye Church something more than One Hundred Pounds old tenor.
This last Summer 1747, two or three Men of War came to Bay-Vert (between Cape Bretton and ye Mouth of Canada River in Nova-Scotia) and Landed Cannon, Mortars &c., for an attack (it is said) upon Annapolis Royal, Expecting a Fleet from France to Joyn them. But God in his Providence wrought for our Preservation, and again wonderfully delivered us from ye Distresses such a Fleet might have brought upon us. For on ye 3d of May, 1747, the Admirals Anson & brave Warren with a Squadron of about 14 or 15 Ships of ye Line, met with ye Sd Fleet off Cape Finisterre, Consisting of 38 Ships, and took 6 Men of War, & 6 East India Ships of force, besides many of ye Transports, and so wholly frustrated their design upon us. "Tis said that ye French Men of War went to Convoy ye French East India Fleet to a certain Latitude, and then with a number of Transports Loaded with all sorts of warlike stores were to proceed to Canada, (or Bay-Vert) in order from thence to fit out an Army with those they carried with them, to Joyn ye Sd Fleet in Attacking Cape Bretton, or rather Annapolis Royal, or some of our Settlements. About 7 or 8 of ye Transports with their Soldiers arrived at Canada, the rest were taken by ye Admirals aforesaid, with a vast Treasure in ye East India Ships, and carried into England. Some accounts mention above Thirty Tons of Silver, and other Treasure beyond account.
Also on ye 14th of October, brave Admiral Hawk, with a Squadron of 14 Ships of ye Line, near Cape Finisterre, met with a French Fleet of Merchant-Men, about 180 Sail, bound to ye West Indies, Guarded by 8 French Men of War of ye Line, and took six of them, besides many Transports, and Immediately sent Express to our Men of
6*
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ANNALS OF DORCHESTER.
War in ye West India Islands, who with many Privateers Immediately Sail'd and Intercepted & took abundance of them. The News Papers this latter part of ye winter are filled with accounts of ye Sd Fleets disaster, & how many are carried into one place & another, both in Europe & America. The 2 French Men of War that Escaped were one of 80 Guns & one of 74, & both returned to France, & left ye Merchant Men to shift for themselves. The French Men of War taken were ships of 74 Guns Three of them, Two of them 64 & one 50. It is said ye French fought bravely as long as they were able to stand it.
1748.
Town Officers Chosen March 14th, 1747, for the Year 1748, are as follows :
Selectmen & Assessors.
Mr. Richard Hall
Votes. 85 1
James Blake
57
Capt. Robert Spur
55
Voters 94.
Mr. Thos. Bird
55 j
Capt. Thos. Wiswell
43 Voters 74.
Town Clerk, James Blake.
Town Treasurer, James Blake.
Hopestill Withington,
Constables Henry Payson.
May, 1748, Representatiue, Capt. Robert Spur. Births about 33. Deaths about 10.
In ye Summer of this year a Cessation of Arms with France (without Day) was Published here, and in ye fall of ye Year the same with Spain. The War with Spain began Anno 1739, and ye War with France began Anno 1744, in ye Spring, when ye French from Cape Bretton supprized & took Canso, before the Garrison at Canso was apprized of ye War. And ye next Summer, 1745, New- England provoked thereby took Cape Bretton. See Anno 1745.
This year Grain was Scarce & Dear. Indian Corn sometimes 32s. per Bushel ; Rye 46s. & Wheat about 3
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ANNALS OF DORCHESTER.
pounds per Bushel ; Flour about 10 pounds per Hund., in old tenor Bills, which now are about ye 7th part ye value of Proclamation Money. The reason of ye high price of grain was Sd to be ye sending it off to ye French Planta- tions upon ye cessation of arms. This year Capt. Spur was made Just. Peace.
1749.
Town Officers Chosen March 13th, 1748, for the year 1749, are as follows :
Selectmen & Assessors.
Votes.
Mr. Richard Hall
60 )
Capt. Thos. Wiswell
38
Voters 68.
Mr. Thos. Bird
37
Robt. Spur Esqr. Mr. Thos. Trott
36 J
43 Voters 80.
Town Clerk, Mr. Noah Clap.
Town Treasurer, Mr. Noah Clap.
Constables, David Clap & Saml. Jones ; and Hopestill Leeds paid his fine.
May, 1749, Representatiue, Capt. Thomas Wiswell. Births 36. Deaths 19.
In November last, I Relapsed into a Chronical Disease I have laboured under for (I think) aboue 30 years since it first began ; occasioned at first (as I conclude) by over heats, wet & cold, in my laying out ye wild & unimproved Lands belonging to ye Proprietors of this Town, now part of ye Town of Stoughton ; and gradually prevailing upon me at times ; and sometimes bringing of me weak & low, & confined for a considerable time together : but none of my Paroxysms have brought me so weak & low as this ; I having been brought near unto ye gates of ye Grave, and am yet but weak & low, and have been ever since confined to my Room ; it being now when I write this March 22d, 1748 : And how it will still please God to deal with me I know not, but pray that I may have Grace to yield not only sincere active obedience to his Will, but also passive obedience ; and that he will fit & prepare me for his good
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ANNALS OF DORCHESTER.
Will and Pleasure. My Disease is very Painful, attended with a grievous Stomach sickness, and Casting up large quantities of Water &c. The Seat of it is in ye Stomach, by some called the Cardialgia.
By Reason of this my sickness I was forced to be absent from this last Anniversary Town-Meeting, which I had not been before (as I suppose) for ye space of 30 years or more. And the Town left me out of all Publick business, after I had served them (I hope I may say faithfully accord- ing to my ability) as a Town Treasurer, Selectman and Assessor for ye space of 25 Years successively, and as Town Clerk for ye space of 24 Years successively ; I having in that time wrote in the second Book of ye Towns Records 208 pages which finished the Book ; and have begun the Third Book of Records, & wrote therein 119 pages ; besides making Tables for both ye two first Books of Records, in an Intire Book by itself. I have also in the Treasurers business made, begun & wrote out, two large folio Books of Accompts, Containing about 224 folios or 448 Pages each ; and the major part of the Third Folio Book of about ye same bigness. Besides large Bundles of Tax Lists, 'Tables to make Rates by, Warrants for Town Meet- ings, Divisions of ye Highways, Plans of Land sold by ye Town &c. All which is more (I suppose) by many times over than any one man before me has wrote & done for the Town. When I first came into ye business, I found many things in poor order ; but I set myself Industriously (according to my ability) to Reform and Methodise things in ye best order I could. And though the Business was not profitable ; I spending a great deal of time, & doing a great many things I was never paid for, especially in former years : yet since I spent the prime of my time in ye Towns service, when I might have Imployed it more Profitably otherways, & now am advanced in years, & so infirm & weakly, as not to be able to do any other Business ; to leave me out (not for any suggestion of male-administration, but) only to help a young man to some Business ; I cannot but look upon as ungratefull in ye Town : and yet I would
69
ANNALS OF DORCHESTER.
not Impute it to ye whole Town, the matter being carried chiefly (as I suppose) by a discontented Factious party.
This year May 10th, Peace with France & Spain was Proclaimed at Boston.
And this Summer July 12th Cape Bretton was Restored to ye French again. And ye French Govr. at Cape Bret- ton sent to Jebucta & took up the Body of the Duke de Anville, Commander of the French Jebucta Fleet before- mentioned, and on ye 23d of August Buryed it with great Pomp and Solemnity at Lovisbourg.
Sepr. 11. Govr. Shirley sailed in ye Boston Man of War, Capt. Pierce Commander, for London, and Returned again Aug. 7th, 1753.
Sepr. 18th. Arrived here Capt. Montague in the Mer- maid Man of War, being 5 Weeks from England, and brought this Provinces money to reimburse ye Charges of taking Cape Bretton, being £183649 2 73 Sterling ; some Charges and the Insurance for bringing to be paid out of it.
This Summer was the Severest Drought in this Country, as has ever been known in ye Memory of ye oldest Persons among us. It was a dry Spring, and by ye latter end of May the grass was burnt up so that ye ground looked white ; and it was ye 6th Day of July before any Rain (to speak of ) came. The Earth was dried like Powder to a great depth, and many Wells, Springs, Brooks & small Rivers were dried up, that were never known to fail before. And the Fish in some of ye Rivers died. The Pastures were so scorched that there was nothing green to be seen, and the Cattle waxed poor, & by their lowing seemed to call upon their Owners for Relief, who could not help them. Although the dry Grass was Eaten so close as that there was but a few thin spires to be seen, yet several Pastures took fire, and burnt fiercely. My Pasture took fire near ye Barn (by a Boys droping a Coal of fire, as he was carrying fire to ye water-side) and tho' there seemed to be so little Grass, yet what there was, and ye ground, was so dry that it blazed and flushed like
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ANNALS OF DORCHESTER.
Gun-Powder, and run very fast along ye ground, and in one place burnt some fence ; and we were forced to work hard to keep it from ye Barn, & to extinguish it ; having ye help of sundry men that happened to be here. It spread over about half an A'cre of Ground before we could stop it ; and where there was lumps of Cow-dung it would burn till ye whole lump was Consumed, & burn a hole in ye ground ; and we were forced to use much water to quench it. There was a great scarcity of Hay, being but a very little cut, of ye first Crop; & salt marsh failed near as much as the English Meadow. English Hay was then sold for £3 & £3 10 old tenor per Hundred. Barley & Oats were so Pinched that many had not much more than their seed again, & many cut down their Sd Grain before it was ripe for Fodder. Flax almost wholly failed, as also Herbs of all sorts ; and Indian Corn Rolled up & wilted ; and there was a melancholly prospect of the greatest Dearth that ever was known in this Land. In the time of our fears & Distress, the Government ordered a Day of Public Fasting & Prayer; and God was gra- ciously pleased to hear & Answer our Prayers, even in a very remarkable manner : for about ye 6th of July the course of ye weather altered ; and there came such plenti- ful & seasonable Rains, as quite altered ye face of ye Earth ; and that Grass which we generally concluded was wholly dead, and could not come again under several Years, was re- vived, and there was a good second Crop of Mowing ; it looking more like ye Spring than that season of ye Year : and ye Indian Corn recovered, & there was a very good Harvest. And whereas it was thought in ye fall of the Year that a multitude of Cattle must Die for want of Meat, insomuch as they sent & fetched Hay from England ; yet God in his Providence Ordered us a moderate Winter, and we were carried comfortably through it ; and I did not hear of many, if any, Cattle that died. But by reason of so many Cattle being killed off last fall, Beef, Mutton & Butter are now in May, 1750, very dear : Butter is 7s. 6d. old tenor per Pound. Upon ye Coming of ye Rains & Renewing of
71
ANNALS OF DORCHESTER.
ye Earth last fall, the Government appointed a Day of Publick Thanksgiving.
This Summer June 18th was said to be ye Hottest Day that was ever known in ye Northerly part of America.
This Year Apr. 12, Died Thomas Mawdsley in ye 83d year of his age. And Content Mason, Widow of John Mason, in ye S9th or 90th year of. her age, Apr. 27th. And Janr. Sth Henry Payson Died by Suicide : Hanged himself in his Cider-Mill.
Town Officers for ye Year 1750.
Selectmen & Assessors.
Votes. Voters.
Mr. Richard Hall 60
1 89
Capt. Thomas Wiswell 46
Mr. Edward Breck 52
Mr. Noah Clap 46 65
Mr. Samuel How 39 68
Town Clerk, Mr. Noah Clap.
Town Treasurer, Mr. Noah Clap.
Constables, Roger Clap & Jonas Tolman ; and Edward White & Purchase Capen paid their Fines.
Representative, Capt. Thomas Wiswell.
Births 36. Deaths 37.
This Year Died Mr. James Blake, who wrote this Book thus far, on ye 4th Day of December, between 8 & 9 of ye Clock in ye Evening, in ye 63d Year of his Age: he had been in a very poor state of Health, ever since his Relapse mentioned in ye Year 1749. He was a very useful & serviceable man & often Imployed in ye Town & Proprietors Business, & did a great deal for them, as may be seen by what he wrote himself in ye aforesaid Year, 1749. He was much Esteemed by men of Learning for his Learning & Piety.
This Year Mr. Richard Hall was Chosen Deacon of this Church & accepted. And Mr. Samuel Pierce & Mr. Edward Preston were Chosen before & Refused.
72
ANNALS OF DORCHESTER.
Town Officers for ye Year 1751.
Selectmen & Assessors. Votes. Voters.
Mr. Edward Breck 41 )
Mr. Noah Clap 40
57
Dea. Richard Hall
39
Mr. Samuel How 33
Capt. Thomas Wiswell 34 63
Town Clerk, Mr. Noah Clap.
Town Treasurer, Mr. Noah Clap.
Constables, John Wales & Samuel Withington Junr. ; and James Trott, Elisha Tilestone, Caleb Bradly, Thomas Bird Junr., Jonas Humfrey Junr., Pelatiah Hall & Joseph How paid their Fines.
Representatiue, Mr. Thomas Trott.
Births 24. Deaths 29.
This Year Decr. 10th Died Mrs. Mary Tilestone, Widow of Col. Thomas Tilestone. And Dea. Nathaniel Topliff Decr. 15th, in ye 60th Year of his Age.
In ye latter part of this Year & ye beginning of ye next was a very Dying time in Dorchester, with a Pleurisy & Nervous Fever, few living that were Seized with it.
This Year there was an Act of Parliament for altering ye Style from old to new, and that ye 1st Day of January should be ye first Day of ye Year. The 11 Days odds were taken from Sepr. 1752.
1752.
This Year Janr. 11th about 5 in the Morning, Died Mrs. Ruth Blake ye Widow of Dea. James Blake, in ye 90th year of her age. She had no Distemper, but died of old age.
Janr. 23d, 1752, was kept by ye Church in Dorchester as a Day of Prayer & Fasting, upon ye Account of ye Sickness & Mortality that prevailed amongst us. It was a Pleurisy & Nervous Fever together ; when ye Pleurisy went off, ye Nervous set in, & very few Recouered. There died 15 Persons with it in less than 2 months, besides what Died of other Distempers, ye most of them well hearty Persons & many of them in their middle age.
73
ANNALS OF DORCHESTER.
Some time last Year there was a Petition put in to ye General Court by John Foster Esqr. & others of Attle- borough, Norton & Easton, Praying that ye Court would Run ye Colony Line from Accord Pond to a Stake as they said set up by Nathanael Woodward & Solomon Saffery. The Proprietors of Dorchester & Stoughton Chose Robert Spur Esqr., Mr. James Foster & Samuel Blake a Com- mittee to Defend against their Petition, who in Conjunc- tion with ye Committees from Stoughton & Wrentham drew up a Reply to their Petition & put it in to ye Honble. Board, who Voted a Hearing of all Parties, who on ye 9th of Janr., 1752, were admitted, & heard by Counsel for & against ye Petition & then withdrew, and ye Honble. Board after some Debate thereon Voted almost to a man to Dismiss their Petition, and sent ye Vote down to ye Honble. House for Concurrence, who also Voted a Hear- ing, & on ye 11th of Janr. ye Parties were admitted, & heard by Counsel, and ye House after a large Debate Voted to Dismiss their Petition also, by a very Clear & full Vote, which was a very mortifying stroke to ye Petitioners, they being very sure of having their Petition Granted, which if they had had would have given them many Thousands of Acres of Land from Stoughton & Wrentham, for from Angle Tree where ye Colony Line now runs to, to ye place where they Petitioned to haue it run to, is as it is said aboue Two miles, so that had they brought ye Colony Line 2 miles Northward from Angle Tree it must Consequently have taken a very large Quantity of our Land & given it to them.
Town Officers for ye Year 1752.
Selectmen & Assessors. Votes. Voters.
Dea. Richard Hall 60)
Mr. Edward Breck
53
63
Mr. Noah Clap
51
Mr. Samuel How 41
Robert Spur Esqr.
32 62
Town Clerk, Mr. Noah Clap.
Town Treasurer, Mr. Noah Clap.
7
74
ANNALS OF DORCHESTER.
Constables, John Baker & William Marion ; and Thomas Harris, Edward Preston & Abijah White, paid their Fines.
Representatiue, Mr. Thomas Trott.
Births 33. Deaths 44.
June 18th, 1752. The new Bell * was hung in Dor- chester Meeting House ; It was a Gift of the Proprietors of ye Common & undivided Lands late in ye Township of Dorchester, and now in ye Township of Stoughton, to ye Town of Dorchester ; it arrived from Bristol in England ye week before. It weighs 785 Pounds, or in Gross weight 701 Pounds ; it cost ye Proprietors Fifty Pounds, Sterling money. The Committee Chosen to Purchase it were Robert Spur Esqr., Mr. James Foster & Samuel Blake.
This Year ye Small-Pox went through Boston, which it had not done for 21 Years before, so that there were many Thousands to have ye Distemper. There Died of it there 561 Persons, 31 by Inoculation & 530 ye common way. Of those that were Inoculated there Died about one out of 85, and of those that took it ye natural way hardly one out of Ten ; it did not spread much in ye Country Towns (except Charlestown) though it was in many of them ; there were Seven Persons had it in this Town, one of whom Died, namely Robert Searl, a man about 80 Years of age. There were according to Accounts Two Thou- sand Persons Removed out of Boston, into ye Country Towns to escape ye Distemper, which was far more than ever were known to Remove at any time heretofore.
This Year Novr. 24th Died Capt. Thomas Wiswell, often a Representative & Selectman, in ye 61st Year of his age.
Town Officers for ye Year 1753. Selectmen & Assessors. Voters.
Dea. Richard Hall
Edward Breck
Robert Spur Esqr.
46
Noah Clap - Samuel How j
* See Appendix, Note J.
75
ANNALS OF DORCHESTER.
Town Clerk, Mr. Noah Clap.
Town Treasurer, Mr. Noah Clap.
Constables, Samuel Bradley, who removing out of Town, John Beighton was hired to serue for ye whole Town ; and Joseph Clap, Daniel Tolman Junr., Ebenezer Tolman, Desire Tolman, John Preston & John Robinson Junr., paid their Fines.
Representative, Robert Spur Esqr.
Births 36. Deaths 19.
This Year Febr. 12th Died Mrs. Ruth Spur ye Wife of Mr. John Spur, in ye 32d Year of her age. And May 22d Died Mrs. Wait Blake ye Widow of Mr. James Blake, in ye 69th Year of her age.
Septr. 23d, 1753. Began to Read ye Scriptures in Dorchester Meeting House.
Octr. 7th. Ebenezer Cox going off from ye Shore near ye Wharf in Dorchester in a small Canoo, to go aboard a Boat lying off, in his return back overset ye Canoo & was drowned.
APPENDIX.
13 In consequence of delay attendant upon the collection of ma- terials for the Appendix, the earlier points illustrated here are not noted in their proper place in the body of the work, but the references to each will readily be found on noting the years under which the annotations occur.
NOTE A. 1630.
The very important part taken by the people of Dorchester in England, in colonizing Massachusetts Bay, renders super- fluous all speculation in regard to the selection of that name for one of the first Bay towns. As early as 1624 some per- sons belonging to Dorchester sent over fishermen, and made provision for a fishery at Cape Ann, and two years after, say 1626, this company of Dorchester fishermen removed up to Naumkeag (now Salem). In 1627 Sir Henry Ros- well, John Endicott, Sir John Young, Thomas Southcote, John Humphrey and Simon Whitcomb, all of Dorchester and vicinity, obtained from the Plymouth Council a grant of the whole of Massachusetts Bay. Mr. John White, a zeal- ous Clergyman of Dorchester, writes to the Salem people to remain, promising to send them more men and provisions ; and Mr. Endicott, one of the Dorchester patentees, with a large number of planters and servants, arrived at Naumkeag in 1628. Roswell, Young and Southcote had in view trade with the Indians, fisheries and other purposes of profit ; but when it was concluded to make it a religious settlement,
7*
78
APPENDIX.
they are no more heard of; but we find Mr. White, in 1627, at London, very active in enlisting Crudock, Saltonstall, Venn and others in the undertaking ; and in March, 1628, Charles I. granted a charter to this company. All these well known facts prove that Dorchester, in Dorset, was the mother of the Bay colony; and the great emigration of 1630 included many persons from that town.
NOTE B. 1632.
As the record of the first public act in relation to temper- ance in Dorchester, will be found interesting to many of our readers, we give the following copy from the Records of the Court :-
" A Court holden at Boston, August 7, 1632." " It is ordered that ye remainder of Mr. Allen's Strong-Water, being estimated aboute 2 Gallandes, shall be delivered into ye handes of the Deacons of Dorchester for the benefit of the poore there, for his selling of it dyvers tymes to such as were drunke by it, he knowing thereof."
NOTE C. 1633.
The first Meeting-House of Dorchester was built in 1631, and was situated near the corner of Pleasant and Myrtle Streets, on " Allen's Plain," at the North part of the Town. It was one story, or about twelve feet in height. As the best houses of the colonists were constructed of logs, and thatched, it may be fairly inferred that their house of wor- ship was of the same material. It was surrounded by palisadoes ; was the depository of military stores, and a place of resort in case of alarm from the Indians. A senti- nel was kept at the gate every night ; and thither the people carried their plate and most valuable articles every evening
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