USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > Weymouth > Historical sketch of the town of Weymouth, Massachusetts, from 1622-1884 > Part 2
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With the large body of new settlers about 1640, the gradual
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SKETCH OF WEYMOUTH.
withdrawal of the leaders of the various conflicting elements, and the evident necessity for a strong government and com- bined effort, comparative peace prevailed, and the plantation, now town of Weymouth, entered upon a second historical era which continued, with but few important interruptions, for a century and a half, during which time the agricultural re- sources of the town developed themselves, and the foundations were laid which have made it, under a transition from agri- culture to manufactures, what it is at the present tinie.
Another difficulty in the way of compiling a history of the town is the total absence for the first hundred and more years of all church records. While other towns have these in a more or less perfect condition, Weymouth is wholly destitute of this important elass of historical material. The disturbed and conflicting state of affairs during the first twenty years of the settlement has already been alluded to, and will fully account for the absence of records during that time, and until the set- tlement of Rev. Thomas Thacher ; but why there should be none for the century following until the settlement of Rev. William Smith, it is not so easy to say.
It was the early custom, and one which is still continued in many of the smaller churches, for the minister to aet as clerk, which, with the important position accorded to him as pastor, rendered him the sole custodian of all the records and papers of the ehureh. Aeeountable to no one, he could enter what he pleased or nothing at all, and he eould do this in either his pub- lic capacity or as a private individual. In very many instances the latter seems to have been the method, if any, and the papers passed among the private property of the ministers, and upon his removal or death went into other hands, and the church was left destitute. It may well be that this was the case with the First Church in Weymouth, and that among the papers of the four pastors who preceded Rev. Mr. Smith, could they be found, there would appear much of great value to the historian of Weymouth.
Still another difficulty in the way of the town historian is the paucity of private manuscripts in the hands of families. There are some, perhaps many, of these, and a few of them have seen the light, but it is probable that by far the larger and
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INTRODUCTION.
more important portion still remains where they have lain for generations, in the attics and forgotten drawers of their owners. The demand for them has not yet been sufficiently loud to make their value apparent in the eye of those in whose custody they lie. It may be possible in the future to discover and make these available ; until then the historian must be content with the other sources of information at his command.
During the half-century in which Rev. Mr. Smith was custo- dian of the records of the First Church, and following him, the near forty years of service in the same position of Rev. Mr. Norton, very little indeed appears to have been made a matter of record by them excepting cases of discipline, and but few of those, while a very imperfect list of the marriages, births, and deaths has been preserved. Nearly the same may be said relative to the records of the Second Church in the South Parish during the first century (lacking only four years) of its existence, when the pastorate and clerkship were in the hands of Rev. Messrs. Bayley and Williams. The value of a record of passing events for the use of future generations does not secm to have been apparent to them, and, in consequence, theirs, upon general matters, is exceedingly brief.
With the death of Mr. Williams and the removal of Mr. Norton, the records reached a period within the memory of a generation now living, and it is, therefore, possible to repair any or many deficiencies that may have occurred in those of subsequent years. Thus, some of the principal difficulties that lie in the path of the town historian have been indicated, and the reasons suggested why such a work as his must necessarily be slow and often unsatisfactory.
It is, on the other hand, a matter of congratulation that the town records, embracing a period of more than two hundred and forty years, are so full and so well preserved. These are the main authority for the general history of the town during that time, and they have been carefully examined for the present sketch. Probably few towns are more fortunate in this particular than Weymouth. The dated record begins in De- cember, 1641, although there are a very few items, evidently of an earlier date, which are undoubtedly transcribed from other sources by a later hand, and a mass of property records which
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are undated, but which, from external and internal evidence, should appear a year or two later.
These early records contain a vast amount of detail with regard to town and parish matters, and were probably put in their pres- ent place and form under a town vote at the spring meeting of 1670. No book or paper in possession of the town at an earlier period is to be found at the present time. Until 1651 the records seem to have been kept by the townsmen, or selectmen, as sinee ealled ; but at that time a town clerk was chosen, who, with his successors, occupied the position until to-day, and their many duties have been performed with a fair degree of fulness and aceuraey. There have been periods when, in consequence of war or other prominent disturbances, many omissions oc- curred, but this was common in nearly all towns, and Wey- mouth is no worse off in this respect than its neighbors.
Besides the town records there are the old colonial records and the governmental records of later date, the archives of the State in the State House at Boston, and the court records ; all of these are of great value, and have been freely consulted in the preparation of the present work. Then, too, there are the papers of contemporaneous writers during the various periods covered by the history, and, particularly, the valuable documents and reprints of the Massachusetts Historieal, and the New Eng- land Historie, Genealogical Societies, which are mines of wealth to the local as well as to the general historian. These have all been freely opened to the use of the compiler, and they have been carefully examined, although not so thoroughly as would be desirable and necessary for a complete history ; but the ground has been covered, and it is believed that the more im- portant facts connected with the story of Weymouth are here presented.
The sketches of the various churches and religious societies have been compiled from authentic sources, in most cases from their own records, while the faets concerning the industrial and financial interests have been carefully gathered from materials furnished by officers of the corporations or by persons engaged in the various branelies of business now carried on in the town, and are as complete as can be expected in a work of this limited extent.
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INTRODUCTION.
The records of the soldiers engaged in the various wars of the country from the Pequod to the Revolution, although not by any means full or perfect, are believed to be much more com- plete than any heretofore furnished, and have been gathered from all the known sources at command, the list of the Revolu- tionary soldiers being taken mainly from the records of the town treasurer at the time, the volume in which they are found having been quite recently brought to the notice of the public. Valuable information has also been found among the papers of the late Col. Thomas Vinson of South Weymouth, and others who participated in that war.
The first publication of the Weymouth Historical Society has been freely drawn upon for matters covered in that vol- umc, including the time of the French and Indian, and Revolu- tionary wars. This publication also contains many important facts concerning local history from the date of the arrival of the company of Rev. Joseph Hull in 1635.
The history of Weymouth during the Rebellion of 1861 to 1865 is so recent that the main facts are fresh in the memories of all ; and as a full record of the events of that war in which the town has special interest will undoubtedly be published, it has not been deemed desirable to furnish in this sketch any- thing beyond as complete a list of the men sent into the service from the town, with such brief information concerning their rank, branch of service, and casualties, as could be obtained in the limited time allowed for the preparation of the work. These have been obtained principally from the official records of the town, and are in the main correct, although there are, doubt- less, many errors unavoidable in a list containing so many names, -a fact which will be readily admitted by all who have had experience in this kind of work.
One fact remains to be noticed, which is, that the sketch, although published by the town committee, is done under the auspices of the Weymouth Historical Society, for the reason that this association has been for the past five years actively engaged in gathering material for this very purpose, much of which has been used in the preparation of this work. It has also published one work upon local town history, and it has been thought wise to make this a second number of that series,
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the first having passed into all of the prominent libraries of the land and become well and favorably known; and further, that all of the eolleetions of the society have been placed at the ser- viee of the committee at no expense to the town, and its mem- bers are citizens deeply interested and actively engaged in all matters eonneeted with town history; and also that while this plan of publication will be of no loss to the town, it will be of great service to the society.
Here, then, are the reasons for the publication of this work in its present form, and a statement of some of the difficulties to be met and overeome in its preparation ; and also an attempt to give to the eitizens a glimpse of the wealth of history belonging to them, and which they may some day hope to inherit in its fulness, if they will do their work in its development.
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SKETCH OF WEYMOUTH.
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CHAPTER I.
Geography - Geology - General History - Weston's Colony - Gorges's Settlement - Hull's Company - Ecclesiastical Troubles - Pequod War - Emigration - Town Government.
GEOGRAPHY .- Weymouth is the most ancient town in Norfolk County, and, next to Plymouth, in the Com- monwealth, and its original boundaries have been pre- served without material change until the present time; therefore its lines are the same for any date in its his- tory of two hundred and sixty years. The town bor- ders upon the shore of Boston Harbor, with its centre about thirteen miles southeasterly from Boston, and about double that distance northwesterly from Plymouth.
It is above nine miles in extreme length from the Abington line on the south, to the shore of the bay on the north, with an average of about seven miles. It lies between Braintree and Holbrook on the west, and Hingham on the east, with a width, nearly uniform, of about two and a half miles. It has a water front on Fore and Back Rivers of eight or nine miles, and its whole area contains between sixteen and seventeen square miles. Of this area a considerable portion is covered by ponds. Great Pond, in the southerly part, is about a mile and one third in length, and one third of a mile in width, with a surface of about two hundred and fifty acres. Whitman's Pond, centrally located, is about one third less in extent than Great Pond, being
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nearly as long, but of very irregular form. Whortle- berry Pond, a little south of Whitman's, is small, nearly cireular, and about forty rods in diameter. There are but two streams of any importanee, -" Mill River," the outlet to Great Pond, running into Back River, a dis- tance by its course, in which it passes through Whit- man's Pond, of five or six miles, and "Old Swamp River," rising in Hingham and flowing into Whitman's Pond, about two and one half or three miles in length. These rivers have several very fine water privileges, one of which, that of the East Weymouth Iron Company, has been thought one of the best in the State. There are but two hills of noticeable prominence in the town, - Great Hill, on the shore of the bay, and King Oak Hill, about two miles farther south.1 From the summits of both are to be seen some of the finest views in the State. There are two inlets making in from the bay, navigable for vessels of considerable size, - Fore River on the north and west, four or five miles in length, and Baek River on the northeast, three or four miles long. The extreme northeasterly portion of the town is a long and narrow neck of land extending into the bay for a mile and a half or more, while beyond this, to the north, about eighty rods away, lies Grape Island, separated only by the narrow mouth of Baek River, and is of an oblong shape, about half a mile in length and sixty rods in width, while about two hundred rods far-
1 These two hills are regularly formed mounds, easily ascended, and have been from the beginning of English occupation, favorite locations, and have been under cultivation to their summits during the whole period since that time. Great Hill, early known as Smith's Hill, situated on the verge of the bay in the extreme north, was a landmark to the early voyagers about Massachusetts Bay, and has since served the same useful purpose to their successors. There was formerly a road leading to its summit. King Oak Hill has not so sharp an elevation, is situated farther inland, and was evidently used by the emigrants as garden spots, as it was divided into small lots. It overlooks the country for a long distance in- land, while on the east the view is bounded only by the ocean.
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ther to the north, in the bay, lies another small island, called Sheep Island.1 Both of these belong to Wey- mouth, are wholly destitute of trees, and used only for pasturage.
Almost the whole of the south part of the town is an elevated plateau, with a light sandy or gravelly soil, capable, with good tillage, of producing fair crops. The surface from this plain commences to fall away with gentle undulations until it reaches the sea. The northern portion has always enjoyed the reputation of containing the best land for cultivation, while only a comparatively small portion of the whole area is unfit for agricultural purposes in consequence of swamp, ledge, or barrenness. Formerly farming was the princi- pal industry, and the larger portion of the population gained their livelihood from the produce of the soil; but during the present century manufactures have in- creased to such an extent as almost to exterminate the former. On Fore and Back Rivers a large amount of business is done in lumber and coal, while the Old Colony and South Shore Railroads bring in great quan- tities of grain, flour, and other necessaries.
For the first hundred years the town constituted one precinct, but in 1723 it was divided into two, the south being somewhat the larger. Quite recently, for practi- cal and convenient purposes, it has been divided into five wards, -two at the south, one at the east, one at the Landing, and one at the north. Until 1793, Wey- mouth constituted a part of Suffolk County, but in that year Norfolk County was established and Weymouth made a part of it. ' It has four post-offices, one in each
' The following from the town record was copied from the General Court records: " A General Court holden at Boston the 7th day of 10th mo. A. D. 1636.
" Round Island and Grape Island are granted to the Towne of Weymouth."
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of the principal villages, with telegraphic and telephone accommodations along the lines of the Old Colony and South Shore Railroads, which cross the town at differ- ent points.
GEOLOGY.1 - Weymouth, geologically, is a very an- cient town. The solid rock formations date far back in the primitive ages, and its physical history, could it be told in detail, would be extremely interesting. The rock underlying a large portion of the town is closely allied to the famous granite beds of its near neighbor, Quincy, but is less perfectly crystallized. This bed rock is everywhere pierced by veins of amygdaloid trap, often many feet in width. Belonging to a later period arc beds of dark slate or shale, extending across the north- erly part of the town from Braintree to Hingham, and cropping out upon the surface in huge seams at frequent intervals. These slates contain large quantities of iron pyrites, and are cut by quartz veins in which are found fine crystals. There is also found in North Weymouth another peculiar purplish slate which is full of cavities that seem once to have been filled with organic matter.
After the very early period in which these rocks were formed, there comes a great gap in the record of this earth history as written by the pen of nature, until the glacial or ice period is reached, of which Weymouth bears abundant and very marked testimony. The un- . covered ledges are in many places very plainly scarred with the parallel groovings or stric, and the surface is covered with hills of gravel and sand, or strewn with bowlders of great variety and of all sizes up to that of an ordinary dwelling-house.
' The geological portion of the sketch was furnished by Rev. George Wallace Shaw, formerly principal of the North High School, Weymouth, now Congregationalist minister in Athol, Dakota, probably the best ac- quainted of any one with the subject, having given it a great deal of attention.
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In various parts of the town, particularly in the north, bordering upon Back River, are unusually fine examples of the sharp, linca hills, called horsebacks or kames, and glacial plains, both formed by the ice as it melted or retreated towards the pole.
The hilly, rolling surface of Weymouth, especially in the northerly portion, is duc partly to the upturned ledges of granite, and partly to these hills of glacial gravel. But little soil is left upon the rocky, gravelly hills, most of the vegetable debris having been washed into the swamps and peat-bogs.
GENERAL HISTORY. - The history of the town of Weymouth covers a period of two hundred and sixty- one years, and is no less fruitful in important and stir- ring events than that of any of its contemporaries. The early voyagers were attracted to it by its beautiful and protected situation, shielded from the occan by the beach and peninsula of Nantasket, and from the Indians by its position extending far into the bay, between the two rivers. Its central location made it also easy of access both by water and land from a large reach of territory, thus rendering it a favorable point for trade with the natives. The wandering fishermen and traders, who were ranging the New England coast during the early years of the seventeenth century, soon discovered its value and made it a point of rendezvous. From it they could easily slip out upon the ocean, and from it they could make such excursions upon the land as were necessary in accomplishing their purposes.
The great companies were then looking for the men and the places by whom and where they could carry out their grand schemes, accumulate the fortunes and seizc the honors they foresaw already within their grasp; and, not more scrupulous than some of their modern succes- sors, they were not always as careful as to the means 2
.
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by which their purposes were to be accomplished as might be desired. Land was here in abundance, and its rightful owners, if there were any, were few, ignorant, and of no fixed abode. The geography of the coast was not well understood; and it easily happened that con- flicts of jurisdiction arose between the various claimants that caused, in after-times, no little vexation and trou- ble. If the various grants came in conflict, the bounda- ries were not well defined, and a fine position near the border, once in possession, might perhaps be held against future comers. It was a great distance from the courts that held jurisdiction, and influences might be brought to bear even upon those high in authority that would render the result of a trial anything but certain. Justice was tardy, her eyes liable to partial blindness, and her hand held the scales in uncertain poise. Thus the posi- tion of things prepared the way for a train of events in- volving a great deal of disturbance and perplexity, and the result was usually in favor of those holding the most money and home influence.
Such was the condition of affairs during the first quarter of the seventeenth century. The Virginia Com- pany, whose patent covered the southern portion of the English possessions in America, established at James- town, Va., in 1607, a colony which commenced a long and severe struggle for existence. In 1614 the Dutch began a settlement on Manhattan Island, at the mouth of the Hudson, -an entering wedge between the two portions of the continent claimed by England, - and seven years later, at the close of the year 1620, the Plymouth Company, after much discussion and bar- gaining, invited the Pilgrims (then temporarily living in Leyden, Holland), to embark for the coast of New England, and the colony located at Plymouth, where the resolute members of that community commenced their hand-to-hand conflict with the terrible circumstances
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against them, and which proved almost too great for their strength.
THE WESTON COLONY.1-Thus it was that Mr. Thomas Weston, a merchant of London, who had much to do with the Pilgrims in their negotiations with the Plymouth Company, and with an exalted opinion of the value and future prosperity of the country, conceived the idea of an independent enterprise of similar character, which should unite in itself all the elements of success without cumbering itself with the discouragements that surrounded the other settlement. They would establish a trading post by men without families which should af- terwards grow up into a powerful state. Consequently in August, 1622, a company of about sixty able-bodied men, selected - not so much for their special fitness for the work proposed as for their willingness to undertake it - from the migratory population of London, landed from the "Charity" and "Swan," two small vessels chartered for the purpose, upon the shore of Wessagus- cus, about twenty-five miles north of Plymouth, inside of the entrance of a capacious bay, afterwards known as Boston Harbor. The spot has not been positively iden- tificd, but tradition points to the northern shore of Phillips Creek, a small inlet of Fore River (or Monati- quot), about three or four miles from its entrance into the bay, - a well-protected, well-wooded and watered
1 For further details of the first companies that came to Weymouth, the reader is referred to the address of Charles Francis Adams, Jr., Esq., delivered at the 250th anniversary of the settlement of Weymouth, cele- brated July 4, 1874, and the authorities quoted in it. Also to his article read before the Massachusetts Historical Society and published in its papers, entitled "Early Planters about Massachusetts Bay," " Win- slow's Good Newes," " Young's Chronicles of the Pilgrims," "Phinehas Pratt's Narrative," "Gov. Bradford's History," ' 'Levett's Voyage," " Morton's New English Canaan," "Force's Historical Tracts," and other easily accessible authorities.
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spot, and one that promised well for the business pro- posed.
As might have been expected, this company, with no settled habits of industry and no extraordinary induce- ments to form them now, not well disposed towards the hard labor and deprivations necessary to the formation of a settlement in a new and rugged country, and with- out a competent head, soon became disgusted with their enterprise, neglected their means of livelihood, broke over the comparatively friendly relations upon which they had subsisted with the natives, and were soon in great distress. The severity of the winter, and their neglect to make provisions for it, in a short time brought them to the point of starvation: Their treatment of their savage neighbors rendered them in the utmost de- gree distrustful and timid. In their want of food they sent to their neighbors at Plymouth for supplies, but they, nearly as badly off, could not help them; thus the fish of the sea, the shell-fish of the beaches, and the nuts and fruits of the forest, became their sole food. In their great fear of the Indians they applied to Plymouth for assistance, and that colony sent up Capt. Miles Standish with a file of men, who speedily established order in the death of the principal aggressors. Mean- while, fully satisfied with their brief experiment of colo- nial life, the Weston Colony disbanded, going in differ- ent directions, and at the opening of the summer of 1623 not one was left upon the spot to claim ownership in the name of the ill-fated company.1
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