History of Essex County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. I, Part 195

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 195

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In January, 1852, there died here a native of Africa named Phyllis Cave, aged ninety, who was the sister of Jupiter Bunn. She is remembered as a faithful

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and devoted servant, hy Mr. Rantoul, in his " Remi- uiscences," who states that she, when a child, was sold to a Mr. Cave, of Middleton, who paid for her in iron, and took her in his chaise from Salem to Middleton.

She came to this town about the beginning of the Revolutionary war, and maintained herself by labor. "She resided upon that portion of the old Gloucester road, now traversed by the railroad, between Pride's Crossing and West's Beach, and habitually, within a few years of her death, walked by starlight from this point to the town, some four miles distant, whenever she had a day's work to perform, that she might be ready to begin her labors with the sun."

1810 .- THE EARLIEST SUNDAY-SCHOOL IN NEW ENGLAND .- At the close of the Revolutionary war, that sturdy privateersman and patriot, Captain Hugh Hill, then in the employ of Messrs. John and An- drew Cabot, sailed for Ireland, with the intention of bringing to Beverly his brother James and family. On the return voyage to Philadelphia, on board the ship "Rambler," in the Delaware River, Hannah Hill was born, September 17th, 1784. And this daughter of James and Elizabeth Hill, in connection with Miss Joanna B. Prince, established, in the year 1810, the first Sunday-school in America, for the reli- gious instruction of the young. Misses Hill and Prince both taught private schools during the week, and in the summer of 1810, they gathered a company of about thirty neglected children, who were accustomed to play about the wharves on the Sabbath, in a cham- ber of Miss Prince's house, corner of Davis and Front streets, and taught them that knowledge which is be- yond all price. This later grew into a school for children of all families. Miss Hill is described by a person who knew her as a woman of great originality, intellectual and scholarly, possessing a lively interest in children. It was said by Dr. Peabody, at the fif- tieth anniversary of the school, that he was a pupil in her class in Sunday-school for several years, and that later in life, at her earnest solicitation, he gave her lessons in Greek, so that she had the satisfaction of reading the New Testament in the very language in which it was written. Miss Hill continued her connection with Sunday school work until her death, which occurred in 1838, at the age of fifty-three years. She lies in the Dane Street Cemetery, where her grave-stone may still be seen.

Miss Joanna B. Prince was born in Castine, Me., February 23, 1789, and removed to Beverly, the na- tive home of her mother, with her parents during her childhood. She was a person of entirely different temperament from Miss Hill, but like her, delighted in doing good. In 1819 she married Ebenezer Everett, and removed to Brunswick, Me., where she died, Sep- tember 5, 1859. Her son, Professor C. Carrol Everett, is now Dean of Harvard Divinity School.

The school, after its formation, was removed to the house of Colonel Abraham Edwards, thence to the

brick school-house in the south district, the Dane Street Chapel, the Briscoe School-house, and finally, about 1819, to the First Parish Church. It is proba- ble, says Robert R. Endicott, (from whose report as superintendent of this school in 1885, this account is mainly taken), that the children who attended the school at the start had no church connection, but as the school widened its sphere and increased its num- bers it embraced scholars and teachers from the var- ions parishes in town. In the year 1819, the Dane Street and the First Baptist societies organized par- ish schools, and from that time to the present the various societies have formed schools under their own organizations.

On the 4th of July, 1842, a union celebration was held on the Town-Hall square, 1,123 scholars and teachers being present; and in 1860 occurred the Fiftieth Anniversary, with large floral processions, music, a collation on the common, under a mammoth tent, and addresses by distinguished speakers. The Eightieth Anniversary, doubtless, will find within the limits of the United States, 100,000 Sunday- schools, 10,000,000 scholars, and a million teachers.

1812 .- The manufacture of Britannia ware was begun here, the first in America, by Israel Trask.

Throughout the years 1809, '10, '12 and '14, the citizens of Beverly entered frequent and eloquent protests against the embargo, and restrictive laws of that period, which eventually (as they had foreseen) destroyed the commerce it had taken a hundred years of self-sacrifice to fonnd and maintain.

In the petition of 1812, it is stated : "They find themselves totally deprived of their commerce, coast- ing-trade and fisheries, even in their own bays and harbors within the State, by the restrictive laws of the Union, and another embargo, which, for sever- ity and oppression, is without precedent."

But, though finding themselves plunged into a con- flict they could not conscientiously approve, they yet contributed soldiers for the manning of the ancient breastworks and sailors for service by sea.

The surviving sailors, some of them, can be remem- bered by the present generation, the last having passed away within the past decade.

Under act of Congress, March 9, 1878, pensions were granted to those who had served in the war of 1812; and in June, 1879, the venerable Stephens Baker wrote an account of the militia and the pen- sioners, from which the following is an extract : In this town, the first coast guard consisted of a ser- geant's guard of fifteen men, with a sergeant and two musicians. The place of meeting was in front of the First Parish meeting-house. On the alarm being given, their location was at Hospital Point.

There were three companies of militia in the time of the war, in which were enrolled some three hundred and fifty men. The North Beverly Company was commanded by Abraham Lord, with I-rael Trask, second lieutenant; the Cove and Farms Company by

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Aaron Foster, with Jona. Foster, lieutenant. The company in the centre of the town, in which were nearly half of all the men enrolled, was commanded by Capt. Nathaniel Lamson, John Davis, lieutenant ; James Hill, ensign, Isaac Gallop, Jonathan Stickney, Thomas Farris and Stephens Baker, sergeants, with the latter recording clerk. Ebenezer Trask and Rob- ert Cary were the musicians. This company attended a regimental muster in Danvers numbering one bun- dred and sixty-five muskets, three commissioned offi- cers, four sergeants, four corporals and two musicians.

They were under excellent discipline and consid- ered one of the best companies in the State. But three of this company were known (by Mr. Baker) to be living in 1879,-Thos. Farris (died 1882, aged ninety), S. P. Lovett (died recently), and Stephens Baker (died 18,83, aged ninety one years, ten months), and four of the company commanded by Capt. Fos- ter,-Eben Ray, Peter Corning, Joseph Russell and Jesse Woodbury. The following persons received pensions under the act of '78: Stephens Baker, Peter Corning, Samuel P. Lovett, Joseph Russell, Eben Ray. Fourteen widows are enumerated as entitled to pensions, several of whom died after application had been made, and several other applications were pend- ing. But two survive. Many sailors from Beverly were taken prisoners in that war, John Bradshaw, who died 1880, aged ninety-three ; and James Stone died 1881, aged ninety-one, were both confined as prisoners at Bermuda, and both returned to Beverly to live many years. Peter Homan died 1871, aged ninety-one, Jacob Grace died 1876, aged ninety-six, John Bradshaw in 1880, at ninety-three. Of the widows of 1812 veterans but two are living. One of these, Mrs. Nancy Trowt, who, lives at the Farms, is active and cheerful, at ninety years of age.

The Dartmoor prisoners surviving in 1866, from a list furnished at that time by Mr. James Brazil :

James Brazil, died 1872 ; Joseph Robinson, died 1868 ; James Briant, died 1867 ; Nathaniel Roberts, died Feb. 10th, 1874 ; Benj. Briant, died Oct. 5, 1874; Dixey Woodbury, died 1861.

DECEASED.

Jobn Bridges, Joshua Ellingwond, Joseph Givens, John Udson, Isaac Lakeman, John Wyer, John Dempsey, Moses Green, Benj. Elliot, Asa Andrews, Jas. Andrews, Jedediah Stiles, William Young,1 John Ayers, Sam'l Bartlett, - Hodgdon, Edw. Pousland,1 Capt. John Giddings, Amos Stickney, Thos. Roberts, Wm. Glover, Edw. Stone, Robert Clax- ton, Josiah Pickett, Archibald Dale, Larry Osborne, James Burke, Scipio Bartlett, Jos. Wyer, Richard Vickary, Bobert Grimes.

There were many veterans and pensioners scattered throughout the town, and of the local "characters," "Uncle " Peter Woodbury is one of the best remem- bered. He was a sailor on board the "Constitution," and lost his thumb while at the helm during a fight, by having it struck hy a splinter. Another veteran was John Crampsey, who had both arms shot off at the shoulders, and who was yet an expert fisherman in later life.

1814 .- Of the momentous events of the war-period,

a large number of our aged citizens yet retain vivid recollections. The battle between the Chesapeake and Shannon was witnessed from many house-tops, and the excitement in town was intense. An inci- dent that brought the vicissitudes of the war home to our doors, was the chasing ashore of a schooner belonging to Manchester, by a barge load of sailors from a British man-of-war, who destroyed her cargo and set her on fire. The flames were extinguished by the rallying inhabitants of the shore, but vessel and cargo were a total loss. Great alarm spread throughout the country, and a town meeting was promptly called to provide for the protection of our coast. This event is remembered and vividly narrated by several of our venerable citizens.

The arrival of the artillery company from Danvers (which, with others from Haverhill and Methuen, was stationed here for a period), and which he followed to its station at Hospital Point, is distinctly remem- bered by one. At the alarm, his grandfather hastily entered the room in which he was sleeping, strapped powder-horn and accontrements, seized his musket and ran out to join with his fellow-citizens in repell- ing the anticipated invasion. He was followed by the boy of seven, who, now a man of eighty years, gives this narrative to the writer.

The affair is remembered also by William Endi- cott, now eighty-eight years old, hy Richard Clark, eighty-six, and by several others. Mr. Clark was working in a garden above the beach itself when the schooner was driven ashore, and stayed to watch pro- ceedings until the flying bullets drove him behind a house. He saw one of the English sailors climb the rigging and cut a strip of canvas out of the topsail, and remembers that he thought him an excellent mark for a bullet and wondered they had not shot him.

Mr. Clark's father was in a privateer in the Revo- lutionary war commanded by Captain Herbert Wood- bury. Their vessel was taken by an English brig of fourteen guns, which they retook and brought safely to an American port. The first American ancestor of the Trowts-the widow of whose son, Mrs. Nancy, over ninety years old, draws a pension for her hus- band's services in the war of 1812-came here as one of the prisoners.

Richard Clark, Sr., who was then quite young, took his share of the prize money and went to school. It was just after the War of 1812, says Mr. Clark, that the most money was made by the fishermen, as for so long a period the embargo had kept their ves- sels in port and prices were high. He went fishing twenty-five summers, beginning when a mere boy, and distinctly remembers landing at "Col. Hale's garden," at Cape Breton.

In the procession on Memorial Day, 1874, walked two veterans of 1812-Thomas Farris and Thomas Pickett,-who were once shopmates with John Smith, a survivor of the Chesapeake engagement, and known

1 Died in prison.

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as "Chesapeake John," who lived in Beverly and worked at cabinet-making.

In consequence of this occurrence (at Mingo's Beach), writes Robert Rantoul, in his " Reminis- cences," "a town-meeting was held on Saturday, June 11th, and measures were taken to procure from the State field-pieces of cannon, ammunition, etc., for the defence of the town. A number of persons were associated together as artillery men, and on the 17th of June, at a meeting held for the purpose, Nicholas Thorndike was chosen captain, I was chosen first lieutenant, and Benj. Brown, Jr., 2d lieut. Fre- quent meetings were held to exercise with the two brass six-pounders, which the State had furnished. The number of persons associated was fifty-four. We turned out twice on alarms that the British were landing, which proved to be groundless, and met frequently for practice until February 13, 1815, when information was received that a treaty of peace had been signed at Ghent, 24th Dec., 1814. In the after- noon of the day of the receipt of this news, the com- pany assembled, and, dragging the cannon to the Watch-house Hill, near Hale St., fired a salute of 18 gnns, under my command, Capt. Thorndike being out of town."

1815 .- Celebration of the peace, February 22, 1815 :

" The town of Beverly, the' almost bent to the ground hy the pressure of the times, has not lost its elasticity. True to their principles, the in- habitants have never engaged in a War which they believed to be im- politic and unjust. They have undergone their full share of suffering in u variety of forms, from the interruption of business and loss of property, to the alarms of threatened attack and actual aggressions on their shores by the enemy. The intelligence of the Peace found them almost in de- spoadency, for that blessing was supposed to be still distant. The change from that despondency to excess of jey can only be described by an appeal to the feelings of every patriotic bosom on the occasion. Indi- vidual pleasure was expressed by congratulations, and countenances once more illuminated with smiles, whilst reiterated linzzas were at once the effect and stimulus of their united rejoicings. A large sled fancifully dressed with the national colours was soon manned with a crew of gal- lant seamen, and dispatched through the street with the intelligence.

" The assembled people flew to the gun-house, dragged the heavy nrtillery to the top of the highest hill, and, amidst the peals of bells, fired sulutes which proclaimed the pleasure they felt. In the evening, the destruction by fire of the dwelling-bouse of an unfortunate citizen, sus- pended for a while the natural joy, which had begun to flow from the domestic circle.

"On Wednesday, the 22d inst., when the memory of Washington was ngain associated with peace, in conformity to previous arrangements, the inhabitants, at an early hour, assembled at the Bank, where, after listen- ing to the official declaration of Peace, read by the first Marshal, they were escorted in procession to the South Meeting-house. A large cou- course of people was assembled. The Rev. Mr. Emerson read appropriate scriptural selections, and then addressed the God of l'eace with mingled effusions of patriotism and devotion. An elegant aud interesting address was delivered by the Rev. Mr. Abbot, with his characteristic energy nnd propriety of maaner, followed by a pertinent concluding prayer by the Rev. Mr. Whiting. Select piece of music were well performed by an uncommonly numerous choir under the direction of Mr. Isaac Flagg. The bells were rung aod salutes fired by the two artillery companies of exempts, at sunrise and during the moving of the procession. The escort honors were handsomely performed by the Light Infantry company, commanded by Capt. Wm. Thorndike, which on this occasion made its first public appearance ; and all the proceedings were conducted with the attention and decorum due to the day. After the public performances, a large anmber of the citizens dined together in the town hall ; Moses Brown, Esq., was elected their President, and Nicholas Thorndike, Na-

thaniel Goodwin, and Josiah Gould, Esqrs., Vice-Presidents. A large number of patriotic toasts circulated with the glass, and the company separated at a seasonable hour, after a temperate foretaste of the blessinge of Peace. In the evening, the Bank and several conspicuous private buildings were neatly illuminated."

Among the twenty " patriotic toasts circulated with the glass," at this "temperate foretaste," are a few which, like the above-qnoted description, give us an insight of the times, the motives for action, and the prevailing coudition of affairs.

"(1.) The Treaty of Ghent-The last seal to a universal Peace through- out Christendom-Wee to its wanton disturbers !

" (4.) The Union of the States-May it be perpetuated by impartial lawe, and a communion of rights, and uadisturbed by local jealousies.

"(5.) His Excellency, Caleb Streng- May we never forget, that though we have felt the inconveniences of War, it is to him we owe uur preservation from its herrers.

" (6.) The Nations of Europe-Our joy at their emancipation is no longer clouded by fear for ourselves.

" (8.) The Fisheries : the Grand Bank-May its charter be perpetuated and its capital unlimited.

" (9.) The American Navy-Its well-deserved glory points to the only field where ' Sailors' Rights' should ever be defended.

" (10.) Our Army-Having gathered a full harvest of honor, in defence of our own territory, may it never have occasion to glean in the field of our neighbors."

Among the " volunteers," we find :

" By Joshua Fisher : The Fisheries-' Free-trade and sailora' rights'- May they not be abandoned by our Government, although forgotten by our Enveys.

"By Ccl. Francis : May party spirit subside, and true patriotismo revive.

"By Eben'r Everett, Esq. : The Emperor of all Elba-We come to bury Cæsar, not to pruise him."

1818 .- The town voted to purchase a hearse.

1820 .- Four delegates were elected to attend the convention of five hundred met for amending the con- stitution,-Nathan Dane, Robert Rantoul, John Low and Rev. Nathaniel W. Williams.

1824, August 31st .- The great event of this year was the reception to General Lafayette, who passed through the town (August 31st) on his grand tour through the country. A salute of thirteen guns on Ellingwood Point announced his approach; an arch spanned the bridge, decorated with flowers and flags, and inscribed : " Welcome, Lafayette, the man whom we delight to honor ]"

He was welcomed in a brief but eloquent address by the Hon. Robert Rantoul, to which he feelingly re- plied, and then continued his journey. Many people yet residing with us remember the visit of Lafayette, and all allude to the day as having been exception- ally rainy. The following is Mr. Rantoul's account of the visit, taken from his " Reminisceuces," pub- lished in the Essex Institute "Historical Collec- tions : "

" A committee of arrangements was constituted to prepare for his re- ception. This committee invited me to make an address to him. Ha was so situated, in regard to his stopping at Salem and at Ipswich, that he could not alight here; it wns therefore arranged that he should stop with the escort and cavalcade in front of the bank-house on Cabot St., and receive the address in his coach. When he arrived at the proposed place there was a heavy shower of rain ; his coach stopped abreast the front door of the house, the door of his carriage was thrown open, and 1 proceeded in the midst of the heavy rain from the door of the house to

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the side of the coach, having first secured Nathaniel Lamson to hold an umbrella over me. I stood in the water with my hat under my arm, and read the address I had prepared, to which he made a reply ; but his for- eign accent, the excitement of the occasion and my perturbation pre- vented me from fully understanding it. This being accomplished, the cavalcade moved on for Ipswich, amidst the cheers of those assembled around the bank, and the pelting of a drenching rain."

In 1824 was established the Liberty Lodge of Free- masons, with Colouel Jesse Sheldon as its first master, and Stephens Baker as secretary. This lodge has flourished from the first, and now embraces many of our leading citizens.

In 1867 the Masons erected a large brick building at the corner of Cabot and Washington Streets, which was then considered the finest of its class in town, and cost over twenty thousand dollars. The Amity Chapter of Royal Arch Masons was chartered subsequently, and occupies the hall, while stores and numerous offices absorb the space of the first and sec- ond floors.

1826 .- May 15th the town lost a valued citizen by the death of Dr. Abner Howe, who was born in Jaf- frey, N. H., 1781, and graduated from Dartmouth in 1801. He was eminently successful as a physician, and interested in public and private charities and the schools. The house he lived in, on Washington Street, is now occupied by his son, Captain Octavius Howe.

1827 .- Captain John Low, a one-time resident of Beverly, who died in Lyman, Maine, in his eighty- second year, raised a company here for the Continen- tal army at the commencement of the Revolution, and at one time kept a public house near the ferry land- ing.

1829. - At the Farms, this year, a church was or- ganized, and the Rev. Benjamin Knight ordained pastor, September 2d. It started as a "Christian " Church, but afterwards became, under the lead of Mr. Knight, united with the Baptist denomination in 1834. The cost of its first house of worship, which was built of bricks from the old factory at North Beverly, was one thousand six hundred dollars, and it was dedicated February 23, 1830. In 1831 it was presented, by the First Church, with a silver tankard, as a token of its love and good-will. Mr. Knight severed his pastoral relations with the church in 1834, and was succeeded by Rev. Mr. Gilbert, then by Rev. P. P. Sanderson, March, 1840-42; Rev. Sumner Hale, 1842-17; Rev. C. W. Redding, 1848-56; Rev. Samuel Brooks, 1857-60 ; various " supplys " from 1860-67; Rev. J. W. Lothrop, 1867-70; Rev. Chas. W. Flanders, 1870-74; Rev. C. W. Redding. 1874-81, when he resigned, on account of ill health, but still resides at the Farms; Rev. E. M. Shaw, 1881 -84; Rev. J. D. Smith, 1885-86 ; Rev. T. R. Reed, stated supply from October, 1886, to present date. The present church was erected in 1843-44, at a cost of five thousand dollars.

1829-30 .- About this time, says the annalist of Salem, the spirit for lyceums broke forth, and a con- 46

vention was held in Topsfield to found a county ly- ceum. This most valuable method of disseminating knowledge was publicly advocated in this town, and the Beverly Lyceum was one of the very first estab- lished, hy independent effort of its citizens. As early as 1830, '31 and '32, Robert Rantoul, Sr., deliv- ered before it his lectures ou local history, which formed the basis of Stone's work on Beverly. During the twenty years and more of its existence, it was ably supported, and many famous names appear among the lecturers on its platform. It is recorded that Horace Greeley and Elihu Burritt each re- ceived fifteen dollars for a lecture, and that the former was very much surprised to receive an invita- tion to appear a second time. George Bancroft, Wendell Phillips, Chas. Sumner and Theodore Park- er, received twelve dollars each. Ex-President John Q. Adams lectured here, as also Miss Lucy Stone, Wilson Flagg, Robert Rantoul, Jr., Mr. Thorn- dike, Dr. W. C. Boyden, Dr. Augustus Torrey aud others of our townsmen.

Owing to the rise of rival associations, the old Ly- ceum lost support, but the impulse toward this form of intellectual recreation continued, and has been sustained to the present day.

In the Athenaeum course of 1860 lectured Nath'l P. Banks, Josiah Quincy, Jr., Dr. R. H. Neale and six others, while invitations were extended to Wen- dell Phillips, Dr. T. D. Anderson and John G. Saxe.

Of late years, the most active promoter of lectures here have been the officers of the Royal Arcanum, led by Austin D. Whitcomb.

The earliest lyceum lectures were held in the Bris- coe Hall, and the later ones principally in the large hall of the town-house.

1830-31 .- The introduction of coal into this towu began about this time. In October, 1831, Messrs. Pickett & Edwards carted two thousand seven hun- dred and ninety pounds of coal to the hay-scales near the Old South, to be weighed, and then to the house of Jonathan Batchelder; and also other small lots to a few other individuals. October, 1834, forty- seven tons were landed here from a vessel, of which Capt. Stephen Woodbury was master. This lot was sold to forty-three different persons in the space of eleven and one-halfmonths. It came in large blocks, and had to be broken up with the top-maul or axe, to prepare it for the stove. Many weary, fretful hours (says Mr. Pickett), were spent in trying to make the "strange stuff" burn ; some would finally give it up in despair, but others persevered and made it a suc- cess. At present, it is estimated, twelve thousand tons are annually consumed.

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History of Essex County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. I, Part 195

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