History of Essex County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. I, Part 189

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton), ed. n 85042884-1
Publication date: 1888
Publisher: Philadelphia : J. W. Lewis & Co.
Number of Pages: 1538

USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > History of Essex County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. I > Part 189

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Among the names mentioned in this connection those accompanied by an asterisk (*) have descend- ants bearing the same name still (1887) living in Beverly.

The "Old Planters," Balch," Conant," Woodbury,* and their associates (whose names, doubtless, have not all been preserved), deserve first mention, as having adventured first over at Cape Ann Side. The three above-mentioned have already been noticed at length ; as also Brackenbury, Dixey, Palfrey, Trask,* Dodge * and Scruggs .*

John Woodbury * (as already noticed) took posses- sion of the farm granted him in 1635, and from him descended many of the name in Upper Beverly and adjacent territory. William Woodbury, his brother, doubtless first built upon the headland now known as Woodbury's Point, just east of Thissel's Brook and Patch's Beach. William and his descendants gradu- ally progressed eastwardly, obtaining possession of lands on the shore as far as the Paine estate, at the westerly head of West's Beach. His son, Nicholas,

succeeded to his estates, which later fell to the latter's son, Benjamin, whose daughter, Anna, inherited the property now known as the Paine place.

John Woodbury's son, Humphrey, settled on land extending from the seashore at or below Mackerel Cove, to the region known as Snake Hill, back of the school-house in that district. He probably built on the slope lying between Ober Street and the headland westerly from the light-house. In contradistinction to that owned by his uncle, this should be called Humphrey Woodbury's Point, in order to properly localize these first settlers. Several families of the name, descendants of Humphrey, are still living in this locality, though retaining little, if any, of the original grant made to their ancestor.

The first projection into Beverly harbor, easterly from the bridge, Tuck's Point, bears the name of another early settler in Beverly, Thomas Tuck,* who owned estates in this vieinity. Ellingwood's Point, the bold projection west of the bridges, bears the name of Ralph Ellingwood, who owned all the land lying along Bass River, westerly of the railroad, as it now runs. The first ferryman, John Stone," it is said, kept an inn or "ordinary " near the junction of Cabot and Front Streets; and a neighbor of his was William Dixey (who was captain of a military company), and who owned land extending from the present Bartlett and Lovett Streets to the seashore. The land granted Captain Trask (one of the five farms, in 1635) went to Thomas Scruggs, by exchange, but the name is early identified with Beverly's history in the persons of Os- man Trask * and his nephew, John. The Trask grant came by marriage into the possession of John Ray- ment,* whose brother, the distinguished military leader of that period, located farther eastward towards Brimble Hill.

Captain Thomas Lothrop, who fell in the massacre at Bloody Brook, left no direct descendants.

Andrew Elliott * lived in the upper part of the town ; his connection with town affairs has already been mentioned. His descendants have made the name distinguished, including a celebrated divine, Rev. Dr. Andrew Elliot; an ex-mayor of Boston, Hon. Samnel A. Elliot, and a president of Harvard College, Charles W. Eliot.

The name of Blackleach occurs in the early annals ; John Blackleach was made freeman in 1635, and had a grant of three hundred acres and more at what is now Beverly Farms.

John West,* who came from Ipswich abont 1650, bought the large property of Blackleach, extending from the Woodbury (or Paine) estate westerly to Jef- frey's Creek, or Manchester line, and beyond; and also a tract of land towards Wenham granted to Gardner. From him the beantifnl West's Beach de- rived its name, as bordering his property.

Robert Woodbury,* who succeeded Andrew Elliot as town clerk, in 1704, and who held the office many years, married a daughter of farmer West (Thomas,

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son of Jolin), and the honse he lived in is still stand- ing, near West's Beach, and now occupied by Dr. Curtis. He obtained a large farm by this marriage, as also did Joseph Woodbury, who married another daughter and settled on the Manchester property.

The origin of the Dodge * family has been already adverted to, the first one of the name here being far- mer William Dodge,* who purchased the grant to Peter Palfrey, and resided on it during his life-time. He was made freeman in 1637.

Captain William Dodge, son of William, Sr., had an enviable military record ; and through him are descended many of the name in Beverly.

A nephew of these brothers, William Dodge, mar- ried a daughter of Roger Haskell * of Beverly. Wil- liam Haskell* married a daughter of farmer West, and settled at the Farms, where the old Haskell house still stands, built about 1690.

An early immigrant into Beverly from the contem- porary settlement of Ipswich, was John Thorndike,* whose son, Paul, married Mary, daughter of James Patch .* These two names are perpetuated by Paul's Point and the contiguous Patch's Beach.

Another acquisition from Ipswich was Anthony Wood,* who located in that part of the town known as the " city," or "old haymarket," above the Glou- cester crossing.

John Lovett * was the first of this name here, born 1610, died 1686, and who settled, it is said, near the farm at present owned by General Pearsons.

John Lovett, Jr., who died 1727, aged about ninety- one, married a daughter of Josiah and Susannah Rootes, and owned a large lot of land extending from opposite the present Milton Street to beyond Central, and from Cabot Street to the sea.

Peter Pride,* it is said, received his house-lot at or near the present Pride's Crossing, on condition that he direct travelers passing that way.

A group of settlers in that region lying between.the town proper and the Farms contained George Stanley .* or Standley, Nicholas Patch,* Jonathan Byles, Richard Thissell,* and Richard Ober .* Joshua Bisson* (from the Isle of Jersey) married the daughter of John Black and grand-daughter of Peter Woolfe. Cornelius Baker,* a blacksmith and grandson of Robert, married Abigail Sallows and settled near or on property adja- cent to Bisson. The name Sallows is no longer found in Beverly and has been long extinct.

A name prominent at that time was that of Samuel Corning,* made freeman 1641, whose estates once in- cluded land in different parts of Beverly, at one time near the meeting-honse, and also near Bald Hill, where his descendants still reside.

The first Wallis * was Nathaniel, from Cornwall, England (who settled first at Casco Bay, whence he was driven hy Indians), whose son, Caleb, married a grand-daughter of Corning. A street of this name extends from Cabot to Rantoul.

The names of Stackhouse and Hoskins, who owned

easterly of Ellingwood, are now believed to be extinct in Beverly. Another which has shared the same fate is that of Robert Briscoe, brother-in-law of Samnel Stone, who came here between 1680-90, and who held various important offices during thirty years. His house stood nearly opposite the first church, and was taken down in the latter part of the last century, He is remembered for his numerous benefactions and legacies, and the principal school-building of the town now hears his name.

Richard Ober,* founder of the name in New Eng- land, and collateral branches in other States, came from "Absburg," Abbotsburg, England (where he was baptized November 21, 1641), to these shores about 1664. In 1671 he married Abigail, daughter of Nicholas Woodbury, by whom he had five children : John, Anna, Elizabeth, Hezekiah and Richard, Jr. The Obers and the Thissells were from the same vil- lage in old England, came to this place at about the same time, and their estates joined each other. The Obers' property was between Mingo's Beach and Plum Cove River. In later times Jeffrey Thissell, a Revolu- tionary pensioner, lived in a house west of the hill, towards town from Mingo's Beach.

Robert Morgan * owned the estate north of and op- posite the central fire station, extending thence to the Bancroft estate and to the sea. Many descendants re- side here and others are settled throughout the West.

The estate of Robert Briscoe fell to Thomas Steph- ens * (who came here in 1700), on condition of his paying several legacies. Lawrence Leach,* who died 1662, aged eighty-two, came to Salem in the fleet with Higginson, was proposed for freeman 1630, and a member of Salem church before 1636. The Leach farm was at Ryal Side, and long remained in the family.

Conspicuous among these first citizens was Henry Herrick,* one of the thirty who founded the first Church of Salem, 1629; and, with his sons, joined in establishing the first church of Beverly. He purchased several farms at Cherry Hill and Birch Plain, on which he settled his sons, Zacharie, Ephraim, Joseph and John. His wife was Edith, daughter of Hugh Laskin. In the times of religious intolerance he and his wife were fined by the authorities for entertaining and comforting an excommunicated person. He died in 1671.

The first of the Grover family was Nicholas Le Grove; of the Smiths,* Hazadiah, a large property owner, who came from the eastward, married a daughter of Edmund Grover and settled near the old haymarket.

Of these families of the 17th century, it is not pos- sible to more than enumerate such as the imperfect records have preserved to us; but it is thought that mere mention, even, may be of service to future his- torian or antiquarian, seeking to trace home some an- cestral name.

Of the dwellings erected during the first century of

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the town's existence few remain in their entirety. Por- tions of the original structures, as of the Old Planter's, aud of the garrison house on Woodbury's Point, still stand, but incorporated with buildings of later date. The oak frames of these buildings were well-nigh in- destructible, but there are few houses in town typical in their architecture of that of those early times. The homestead of Rev. John Hale still remains in the possession of the descendants, the Bancroft heirs ; another erected about that time (1690) is the house on Essex Street, lately occupied by Wm. W. Baker, long the Putnam property, and probably the ancient Pic- ton honse.

At the Cove, the Rea house, on Hale Street, erected by Thorndike, gives evidence of antiquity beyond any other ; at the Farms are two of the past century, the Haskell house and the Robert Woodbury, both dat- ing from 1680-90. In Montserrat are the Corning and Morgan houses, the former, probably, next to the Rea house in age. In North Beverly the "Dudley Dodge " house, the Cleaver and the Woodbury house, and also the Chipman parsonage (1715), residence of the first minister of the second parish.

Near the town centre, several bearing evidences of age, and having the halo of antiquity about them. At the " city," or near the old Haymarket, are two or three, as the Lovett, the Brown and the Davis houses. Just beyond is the locality of a group of the Old Planters ; William Dodge's, on the site of which is the house of Lyman Mason ; farther on the house lately owned by Azor Dodge perpetuates the old Balch homestead, within a stone's throw of which was the residence of Henry Herrick.

Houses of a later period, built by our famous merchants of the Revolution, as the Cabot mansions (now owned by Edward Burley, and heirs of Seth Norwood) stand on Cabot Street, fine specimens of the architecture of that time.

That we have so few examples of colonial architec- ture is because the citizens of Beverly have ever been progressive, lending their efforts to further the aims of advanced civilization, and thus aiding the march of progress, which, while it creates the new, yet ef- faces the old.

1701. EVENTS OF THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY .- Succeeding Mr. Hale in the ministry came Thomas Blowers, "who was highly esteemed for his learning and virtue, and particularly for his devotedness to the duties of his profession." He was born August 1, 1677, graduated at Harvard, 1695, and was ordained here October 29, 1701; his salary, eighty pounds per annum, with an allowance of one hundred pounds for a settlement.

His residence was near Charnock Street, which takes its name from that of his married daughter, Emma Charnock. A new meeting-house had been ereeted in 1682, fifty feet in length by forty feet in width, with a tower in the centre from which the bell-rope hung, at a cost of three hundred and seventy pounds in silver.

1703-04. The town-clerk, Andrew Elliott, who was the first to keep the records in a systematic manner, died, aged seventy-six years. He was succeeded by Robert Woodbury, who was equally faithinl in the discharge of his duties.

1705. The tract of land known as the training-field or common, was deeded to the town March 13, 1705. " The said town of Beverly are hereby obliged not to convey, exchange, or dispose of the said land unto any particular person or persons whatsoever, but it shall Jay and remain for the publick use of said town, especially for military exercise."

1707. A negro slave named Robin Mingo, the pro- perty of Thomas Woodbury, was married to Deborah Tailor, an Indian woman. Before the ceremony was performed (says Stone) she agreed to live with her husband's master and mistress during her life, "to be then discharged with only two suits of clothes suitable for such persons." This seems a hard bargain, but the claims of slavery and servitude hung lightly upon the servitors. Fifty years later, in 1754, the number of slaves, so-called, was twenty-eight. On July 15, 1722, Mingo received the rite of baptism and was ad- mitted a member of the church. He died in 1773, by which time, at least by 1776, "public opinion had virtually emancipated the slaves of Massachusetts."

The little bay on our coast known as Mingo's Beach, is supposed to have derived its name from him. There is a tradition extant that his humble cottage was near and above it, and it is also related that his master promised him his freedom when the tide should recede so far as to leave a dry passage between the shore and "Becky's Hedge," lying off the beach harbor. That event occurred, it is said, but once, and that was the year of his death.

1708. The population this year is given at sixteen hundred and eighty. Since the period of King Philip's War, and with the exception of the witch- year, very little had occurred to disturb the peaceful growth of the population.

1710 .- Peter Wooden, an able pilot, is sent from Beverly to guide the expedition to Port Royal.

1711-12 .- The Ryal's-Side people were allowed to associate, as a religious society, with Beverly; but were not united with them until September 11, 1753.

This year, two people of Beverly, Nihil Sallowes and Joseph Gray, were killed by Indians at Winter Harbor. At Cape Sable, three or four years later, another native of the town, Benjamin Dike, was slain by savages. A curious entry in the town records, throwing a side light upon the customs of the day, is the following: March 24, 1711-12. An order " to pay unto Richard Ober, senr., 9 shillings, money, out of ye town rate, yt being for half a barrel of sider, for Laurence Davis his burial (63.) and for 50 feet of bords for sd Davis his coffin (3s.)."

1713 .- Land was granted by the town to the Farms, on which to erect a school-house.

In October, the Second or North Pari-h was incor-

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porated, and a meeting-house erected, fifty by forty feet.

1715 .- The Second Church was organized, Decem- ber 28th, and the Rev. John Chipman ordained. This good and learned man was born in Barnstable, and graduated at Harvard in 1711. He resided here nearly sixty years, and left a name and posterity yet well-known in the town. The old parsonage in which he resided still stands, not far distant from the church at North Beverly.

The original members of this church, and signers of the covenant, 28th December, 1715, were John Chipman, Edward, Joseph, Jonathan, Elisha and John Dodge, John Cressey, John Brown, Jacob Griggs, Joseph Herrick, John Leach, Nehemiah Wood, Josiah Woodbury, Jonathan Rayment and Moses Fluant. A body of worshippers were after- wards admitted from Beverly and Wenham. There were appointed, to seat the worshippers, persons who were "to show respect to ye aged people amongst us, as allso to have a speciall regard unto persons that have don service for ye benefit of ye precinct, & have contributed high in building of ye hous for ye pub- lick worship of God, and purchasing land for ye use of ye people of sd. precinct, and are likely to pay con- siderable in ye charge of ye ministry amongst us ; as allso not to seat above two-thirds so many persons in any seat as ye seats will comfortably hold." March 29th, same year, it had been voted that the front seat in the east gallery "be parted in ye middle " for the accommodation of the young unmarried women.

1723 .- The records of Ipswich, our near neighbor remind us that wolves were so abundant there, and even in the vicinity of the meeting-house, that parents would not suffer their children to attend worship without some grown person as company. A bounty was offered for heads, and many were taken by means of wolf-hooks. These were made by en- closing four mackerel-hooks in brown bread, and dip- ping them in melted tallow "till they be as big and round as an egg." They were then exposed near some dead carcass, where they were found and swal- lowed by the wolves.

A noted resort for bears, at that period, was the great swamp along Ipswich River, and one was killed in the Hamlet (Hamilton) so late as 1757. Deer were abundant in Chebacco woods up to the year 1790, but soon afterwards disappeared.

1727 .- This year is memorable for the great earth- quake, October 29th, which was felt throughout the colonies and "made strong religions impressions on the minds of many in this town and other places."

Twenty-five new members were added to the Second Church, and the pastor, Rev. Mr. Chipman, gave thanks to God who hath shaken, violently, the earth and also poured out his Spirit upon the people. "Soli Deo Laus, qui et terram violenter exagitavit et super populam suum spiritum suum effudit."

The ancient record-book of the Second Parish may

yet be seen, at present (1887) in charge of Henry Wilson, now, in his ninety-third year, the oldest male resident of Beverly. Mr. Wil-on came here in 1848, from Gloucester; his wife, who died in 1844, was then eighty-eight years of age. The following is the first entry in the record-book: "This book belongs to the Second Church of Christ in Beverly, gathered out of Salem and Beverly, and embodyed into a dis- tinct Society on the 28th day of December in the year of our Lord, 1715. . . That part of the Precinct of Salem and Beverly which was a part of Salem was by an Act of the Great and General Court annexed to Beverly and incorporated in the one real Town therewith upon the 12th day of Sept., A.D. 1752." A note is added by Rev. Mr. Stone: "In this Book of Records, Salem usually signifies the territory west of Maj. Conant's brook, and embraced Ryal Side, all of which was set off to Beverly in 1752."

1729 .- The second minister of the First Parish, Rev. Mr. Blowers, died June 17, and £50 were ap- propriated for his funeral expenses. In December of this year, the Rev. Joseph Champney was ordained, whose period of service extended until 1773, when he was followed by the Rev. Joseph Willard, who had been his colleague for about a year.

1730 .- Very little of public moment occurred to disturh the serenity of the inhabitants at this period, but in 1730, the members of the Second Parish were agitated over the question of psalm-singing. The older members wished to adhere to the practice of "lining out " the hymn4, while the more progressive wished to sing by note. A compromise was at first effected, but later on it was voted that they would in future sing "at all times of singing in public worship the psalm tunes by rule, according to the notes pricked in our psalm-books."

1747 .- "At a meeting of the proprietors of the Com- mon Lands in Beverly, legally warned and assembled at the First Parish meeting-house in said Beverly, on Monday the Seventh day of September, 1747, Cap- tain John Thorndike was chosen moderator of sd. meeting; voted, Isaac Woodberry, clerk of the pro- perty : voted Captain Henry Herrick and Isaac Woodberry, two of the committee in the rume of C.ip- tain Robert Woodberry and Deacon William Dodge, deceased; voted that the same meeting be adjourned unto October 13, at 3 o'clock, afternoon.

" At the ajournment, Oct. 13, of the meeting of the proprietors of the Common Lands in Beverly, ad- journed the same meeting to Jno. Thorndike, Jun., and there drank two and a half Dubel Boles of punch, and put it to vote if theay act any further and it passed in the negative, and then Desolved the meeting."

1752 .- That section known as Ryal Side, though of the first to receive permanent settlers, was not united to Beverly till 1752. At the time Danvers was made a town all that territory between Bass River and Bass River Creek on the east, and Frost-Fish brook on the west, was annexed to Beverly.

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One hundred years, or so, later, in 1857, a portion again was set off and joined to Danvers. Within this section so recently detached from Beverly lies Browne's Folly hill, named after William Browne, a native of Salem, horn 1709, and educated at Harvard College. This gentleman, about 1750, selected the summit of this high hill as the site for a noble mansion, which he called Browne Hall, a costly structure, with every appointment the wealth of the owner could supply.

The great hall was often the scene of revelry on a magnificent scale, and tradition states that on at least one occasion an ox was roasted whole, for the entertainment of the guests. Mr. Browne died in 1763, and the mansion was disposed of by the pur- chaser of the estate, William Burley.

The exact shape of the great house may be traced in its sunken cellar-walls to-day. The hill has ever since been known as "Browne's Folly," yet the view from its summit is one of the finest in the county.

1753 .- An enumeration of the population gave two thousand and twenty-three; an increase of about four hundred in fifty years. Of this number twenty- eight were negro slaves. Twenty years later, there were sixty less.

The first half of the eighteenth century is pretty well epitomized in the life of one of Beverly's fore- most citizens, the physician of the town at this period, Dr. Robert Hale, jr.

Born February 12th, 1702-3, he was at an early age (when between fifteen and sixteen), employed to teach the grammar-school, which was established in 1700. In 1721 he was graduated at Harvard, imme- diately after which he began the study of medicine with Dr. Manning, of Ipswich. He was married in 1723, and, his wife dying in 1736, leaving him with three children, contracted a second marriage in 1737. His medical practice soon brought him into notice in the neighboring towns, even as early as 1723, and with an estate of above £1000, (part of which was left him by his parents), he was early possessed of independent means. The energy of character, sound judgment and business capacity of Dr. Hale, (says Mr. Stone, from whose excellent history the materials for this sketch are taken), were early appreciated by his townsmen. He was successively chosen to fill the various offices of surveyor, selectman, assessor, town clerk and treasurer ; besides the duties of which he discharged those of justice of the peace, and collector of excise for the county. As chairman of the school committee, he took an active and efficient part in the measures adopted to improve the school system of the town. For thirteen years, he represented the town in General Court, during which time he was chair- man of several important committees.

In 1726 he united with the first church, and for nearly twenty years was of infinite service in ecclesi- astical and parochial concerns.

In 1740, as one of the managers of the " land bank," a scheme for relieving the pecuniary embarrassments

of the colony, he incurred the hostility of the famous Governor Belcher, who persistently opposed him until succeeded by Governor Shirley.

In 1745 Dr. Hale received the commission of colo- nel, and commanded a regiment, in the expedition projected by Governor Shirley against Louisburg. The land force employed consisted of three thousand two hundred men from Massachusetts, three hundred from New Hampshire, three hundred from Rhode Island and five hundred from Connecticut, all under command of General William Pepperell. The co- operating naval force was from England, aud com- manded by Commodore Warren. A company for this enterprise was enlisted in Beverly under Captain Benjamin Ives, Colonel Hale's son-in-law.

1744 .- The soldiers and officers engaged in the ex- pedition against Louisburg were fifty in number :

Capt., Benj. Ives, Jr. ; Lieut., Geo. Herrick ; Ensign, Josiah Batchel- der ; Sergts., Job Cressy and Samuel Woodbury ; Clerk, Benj. Cleaver, Jr. ; Corporals, Barth. Brown, John Picket ; Drummer, Jos. Raymond ; Privates, Chris. Bartlett, Wm. Badcock, Thos. Butmau, Israel and Jona. Byles, Edmund Clark, Samuel Chute, Benj. Clark, Samuel Cole, Edward and Ebenezer Cox, Benj. Dike, Francis and Joseph Elliot, Israel Elwell, Eleazer Giles, Johu Grover, Ebenezer Hadley, Jona. Harris, Samuel Harris, Andrew Herrick, Benj. Hervey, Beoj. Howard, William James, William Leach, John Morgan, Jona. Morgan, Richard Ober, Caleb Page, Elias Picket, John Presson, Joshua Rea, John Roundy, Benj. Smith, Daniel Stephens, Ezra, Benjamin and James Trask, Israel and Josialı Woodhury.

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History of Essex County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. I, Part 189

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton), ed. n 85042884-1 Publication date: 1888 Publisher: Philadelphia : J. W. Lewis & Co. Number of Pages: 1538

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton), ed. n 85042884-1
Publication date: 1888
Publisher: Philadelphia : J. W. Lewis & Co.
Number of Pages: 1538