History of Essex County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. I, Part 207

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 207

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The earliest settlers found very few Indians living in this vicinity. Some years before the first settle- ment of this country, a violent war broke out among the Indians living in what is now New England, which resulted in the destruction of a large number. This war was followed by a pestilence which carried off' many more, and was especially fatal in the eastern part of New England. This destruction of the Indians was particularly favorable to the occupation of the country by the white settlers. The native inhabitants of the valley of the Merrimack, so far as we know, were the Pennacooks or Pawtucket Indians. These were subdivided into smaller tribes or families. The Agawams had their home on the coast from the Merrimack to Cape Ann; the Wamesits, at the junc- tion of the Concord and Merrimack Rivers, where Lowell now stands ; the Pawtuckets, at the mouth of Little River in Haverhill.

No historic evidence appears that any Indian tribe had a permanent home in Methuen, but it is known that Bodwell's Falls (at the Lawrence dam), the region around the mouth of Bartlett's Brook, and the shores of the Spicket, as far as Spicket Falls, were favorite resorts of the Indians, especially during the fishing season. There are also strong indications that there were once permanent Indian settlements near Spicket Falls and near the mouth of London Brook. The stone fire-places or hearths of their wigwams were found years ago, before the ground was disturbed, on the hillside where the east part of Methuen village is now built. Arrow-points, spear-heads and other In- dian relies were found while digging the cellars of Woodbury's Block, the hotel stable and in other places. A large stone pot was discovered while exca- vating for the foundation of Tenney's hat-shop. and an Indian grave was found in the fall of 1886, while digging on Union Street, which contained eight very fine spear-heads, besides arrow-heads and pottery, in- dieating that the occupant of the grave was a person of distinction. The early records of Haverhill speak of an old wigwam near the " foot of far west meadow,"

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which was probably what is now known as " London Meadow." The Indian fire-places can be found there now, where the land has not been cultivated and the stones disturbed. These old hearths and graves would seem to show that the spots where they are found were at some time the sites of permanent Indian vil- lages, and not merely a transient place of abode for a few weeks while fishing.

The rivers in those early times swarmed with ale- wives, shad, salmon, bass and sturgeon. The salmon was the principal fish used as food, and the shad and alewives were used by the Indians to manure their coru. These fish were caught by them around the falls and rapids in the rivers. It would be natural, therefore, for them to settle about such a spot as Spicket Falls, which must have afforded an excellent fishing-place, while the land sonth and east of the falls was easy for them to cultivate for corn. The neighborhood of London Brook and Policy Brook- up which the alewives and suckers must have run in great numbers-would also have been an excellent place for an Indian village, partienlarly as there was plenty of land easy to work near by.

Probably the white man first set foot in Methuen about two hundred and fifty years ago. The settlers at Ipswich and other towns along the coast explored the country before its settlement to find the most de- sirable places to locate. In 1640 about a dozen colo- nists from Newbury, headed by Mr. Nathaniel Ward, settled at Haverhill, where the city proper now stands. Two years later they purchased from the Indians a tract of land embracing the greater part of what is now Methuen. The original deed is now in posses- sion of the city of Haverhill, and reads as follows :

" KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS, that we, Passaquo and Sagga- hew, with ye consent of Passaconnaway : have sold unto ye inhabitants of Pentuckett all ye lands we have in Pentuckett ; that is eyght miles in length from ye little Rivver in Pentuckett Westward ; Six myles in length from ye aforesaid Rivver northward ; And six myles in length from ye foresaid Rivver Eastward, with ye Ileand and ye rivver that ye ileand stand in as far in length as ye land lyes by as formerly expressed : that is fourteen myles in length ;

"And wee ye said Passaquo and Sagga Hew with ye consent of Passa- connaway, have sold unto ye said inhabitants all ye right that wee or any of us have in ye said ground and Ileaod aud River.

"And we warrant it against all or any other Indians whatsoever nato ye said Inhabitants of Pentuckett, and to their heirs and assigas forever. Dated ye fifteenth day of november Ann Dom 1642.

" Witness our hands and seales to this bargayde of sale ye day and year above written (in ye presents of us) we ye said Passaquo & Sagga Hew have received in hand, for & in consideration of ye same three pounds & ten shillings.

" JOHN WARD,

" ROBERT CLEMENTS,

ye marke of

" TRISTRAM COFFIN,

PASSAQUO (a bow and arrow) Passaquo. [SEAL]

" HUGH SHERRATT,

" WILLIAM WHITE, ye sign of (1)

ye marke of SAGGA HEW (a bow and arrow) Sagga Hew. [SEAL]"

" THOMAS DAVIS.

It is not easy to determine exactly what the In- dians intended to convey by this deed, nor does it ap- pear to have been clear to the early settlers. No reg- ular survey was made until 1666, when a committee

was appointed by the General Court to "run the bounds of the Town of Haverhill." They began at the meeting-house which was situated about half a mile east of Little River, near the cemeteries in the eastern part of the present city of Haverhill, and ran due west eight miles, and "reared a heap of stones." Then they ran from that heap of stones due south until they reached the Merrimac River, and due north from the heap of stones until they struck the northeru line of the town. The shape of Haverhill, as finally determined, was triangular. Starting from Holt's Rock (Rocks Village), the line ran due north- west until it met the north and south line from Mer- rimac River, as mentioned above. There is an old plan in the County Records, made previously to 1700, and probably as early as 1675, from which it appears that the Haverhill line started from the little island in the Merrimac, situated nearly opposite the junc- tion of Lowell and North Lowell Streets. From thence the line ran due north, very near the house of A. W. Pinney, across Policy Pond, and struck the Haverhill north line, northwest of Island Pond, in- cluding most, if not all, of that fine sheet of water within the limits of Haverhill. Thus it appears that the title to all that portion of Methuen east of the above-described line, came directly from the aborigi- nal owners.

It is noticeable that the Indian deed conveyed the river and the islands in it, and thus that Haverhill and Methnen are bonnded by the opposite shore of the Merrimac, instead of the centre or channel. It will also be noticed that this land was conveyed to "ye inhabitants of Pentuckett," and consequently was owned by the inhabitants of the town or colony in common. Here was an example of the common ownership of land by a community, the practical working of which is interesting to follow now, when so many reformers (?) are holding forth the idea that snch ownership of the land would be the chief rem- edy for the evils of modern civilization. But the early settlers were evidently not possessed with the idea that this would be good for them, and did not long cultivate the land in this way, but took steps to let every man have his own land in severalty. The records of the town of Haverhill show that no one was admitted to the rights and privileges of the colo- ny unless first voted in by the town.

In 1643 it was voted that "there shall bee three hundred acres laid out for house lotts and no more ; and that he that was worth two hundred pounds should have twenty acres to his house lott, and none to exceed that number; and so every one under that snm, to have acres proportionable to his house lott, together with meadow, and common and planting ground, proportionably."

The site of these "house lotts " was where the city proper of Haverhill now stands, a short distance east from Little River. Here all the colonists had their houses, from which, as a centre, they sought ont the .

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HISTORY OF ESSEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

meadows and planting grounds in the more distant part of the town. The meadow-lands seem to have been the most highly valued, and sought after ou ac- count of the grass, which was the principal subsist- ence for their cattle. They cut and stacked the hay in the summer, and in the winter drew it home on sleds. The planting grounds were probably patches of upland which had been cultivated by the Indians, and were free from trees. An early writer says of Haverhill : " the people are wholly bent to improve their labor in tilling the earth and keeping of cattel whose yearly increase encourages them to spend their days in those remote parts. The constant penetrat- ing further into this Wilderness hath caused the wild and uncouth woods to be filled with frequented wayes, and the large rivers to be overlaid with Bridges passeable both for horse and foot; this Town is of large extent, supposed to be ten miles in length, there being an overweaning desire in most men after Mead- ow-land, which hath caused many towns to grasp more into their hands than they could afterward pos- sibly hold."

Lot layers were chosen by the town to divide the meadows and planting-grounds among the inhabit- ants, from time to time, as these lands became access- ible and in a condition to cultivate. The records of these divisions show that the lots set off at first were small, often not more than two or three acres in a lot, and the meadow-land seems to have been taken up first. So it happened that a man would own lots in the eastern part of Haverhill, and on Spicket River and might be obliged to travel several miles to his planting-ground in another direction. The dis- tribution of land went on from year to year, and the natural result was that land-owners desiring to have their lands as much as possible in one body, traded with each other until they became possessed of a compact body of land sufficient for a farm. The next step was to build and settle on the farm for greater economy and convenience in cultivation of the land, and so the settlers gradually scattered from the first compact settlements out over the town. The descrip- tions of the lots as set off by the lot layers are re- corded in the Haverhill records, but it is very difficult to exactly locate them now, because the bounds were usually marked trees, stumps or other perishable monuments.

These old descriptions show, however, that some of our local names are of very ancient date. In 1658 five acres of meadow were laid off in "Strongwater," near a little pond. In 1666 a parcel of meadow was laid out to Matthias Button, on the south side of "Spicket Hill." In 1659 there was a division of the land west of the Spicket River, with a provision that "if more than two acres meadow be found on any one lot, it shall remain to the town." In the same year we find a record of the laying off three acres of land in "Mistake Meadow" in the western part of Haverhill, whence we may fairly conclude that our

present name " Mystic," was once " Mistake." In 1678 " eleven score acres of upland " were laid off to James Davis, Sr., bounded on the west by Spicket River, Spicket Falls being the southwest bound. In 1683 we find that a lot adjoining, on the southerly side, running from Spicket Falls to "Bloody Brook " on the east was taken up by James Davis, Jr.

These two lots included the land now occupied by the east part of Methuen village. The family of Mr. David Nevins have in their possession a grant from the " proprietors " of the Islands in the Spicket above the falls, to Asa and Robert Swan, for two pounds ten shillings, and bearing the date of 1731. The di-tri- bution of the common lands was continued from time to time, until finally, after much contention between the town, and the original settlers and their heirs, the " proprietors" or owners of the common land organized separately from the town, and disposed of the remaining land as they saw fit. Thus it appears that the titles to the land in Methuen, east of the old Haverhill line, have all come from the Indians, Pas- saquo and Saggahew, through the " proprietors." The strip of land in Methuen, perhaps a mile and a half in width, between Haverhill line and " Drawcut" or Dracut line, seems to have been granted by the Gen- eral Court to individuals. Major Denison, who had a grant of six hundred acres from the General Court in 1660, owned more than a thousand acres on the river above the Haverhill line, including what is now known as the Bartlett farm, and lands south and west. West of that was Colonel Higginson's farm of over three hundred acres. A little north of these was Marshall Nicholson's tract of three hundred acres. Printer Green had three hundred acres lying on each side of the brook, which runs from " White's Pond, then called " North Pond."

As we have already stated, we can find no record showing when the first settlement was made within the present limits of Methuen, or who made it.

It is certain that the east and south parts of the town near the river, were first occupied, doubtless because they were nearer the villages of Haverhill and Andover. It is said that when repairing the old " Bodwell House," now in Lawrence, some years ago, a brick was found bearing the date 1660, which had been marked upon it before the brick was burnt. This would seem to indicate that a house was built in the neighborhood near that date. It seems doubtful whether there were many settlers in Methuen until near the time it was set off from Haverhill. The Indian troubles which extended over many years previous to 1700, must have seriously checked, if they did not entirely prevent, the settlement on farms. Andover and Haverhill were both made frontier towns by act of General Court, and both towns suffered severely during the Indian War. But we have never seen a record of an Indian attack on settlers living upon territory which afterwards became Methuen. There were many attacks on the scattered settlers in West

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Haverhill and in Andover, and if there had been many inhabitants in Methuen, it is hardly probable that the Indians would have passed them by. The incursions of the Indians seem to have come sometimes from the North, by way of Dover and Saco, and sometimes from the West, down the Merrimack val- ley, as was the case when Hannah Duston was taken captive, and sometimes the depredations were com- mitted by small parties of Indians who had lived among the whites and were acquainted with their victims. In February, 1698, Jonathan Haynes and Samuel Ladd, with their sons, had been to London Meadow from their homes in West Haverhill for hay, each with a team consisting of a pair of oxen and a horse. The path lay along between World's End Pond and what is now Howe Street. When returning home, just northeast of the pond, they were suddenly attacked by a party of Indians who had concealed themselves in the bushes on each side of the path. These Indians, fourteen in number, were returning from Andover, where they had killed and captured several persons. They killed Haynes and Ladd with their hatchets, took one of the boys prisoner and kept him for some years; the other boy cut one of the horses loose, jumped on his back and got away. The Indians then killed the oxen, took out the tongues and best pieces and went on their way. This is the only authentic instance we can find of an Indian out- rage happening on Methuen soil.

In 1712 nine persons living in that part of Haver- hill which is now Methuen, petitioned the town to abate their rates for the support of the ministry and the schools, " on account of the great distance they lived from the town, and the difficulty they met with in coming," and the town voted to abate one-half the ministry rates.

The names of these persons were Henry Bodwell, John Gutterson, Thomas Austin, Joshua Stephens, Robert Swan, John Cross, William Cross, Robert Swan, Jr., Joshua Swan.

In July, 1719, a petition was presented the Town of Haverhill by Stephen Barker, Henry Bodwell and others "to grant or set them off a certain tract of land lying in the township of Haverhill, that so they might be a township or parish," but this request was de- nied.

At the next March meeting the following petition was presented : " Whereas there is a certain tract of land in the west end of Haverhill containing fifty or sixty acres, lying on the south and southwest of a meadow commonly called bare meadow, which land, together with a piece of land lying on a hill called meeting-honse hill, in times passed reserved by our forefathers for the use of the ministry, might in bard times make a convenient parsonage ; if by the blessing of God, the gospel might so flourish amongst ns, and we grow so populous as to be able to carry on the gos- pel ministry amongst us. We therefore humbly pray that you would take into consideration the circum-

stances we are in, and the difficulty we may here- after meet with in procuring a privilege for the min- istry ; and that you would grant and settle and record the above said lands in your Town book, for the above said use, and you will gratify your humble petitioners and oblige us and our posterity to serve you hereafter in what we may." This petition was signed by Joshua Swan and twenty-six others, " was granted according to the-proposals therein made," and in July following a committee was chosen to lay out the land.

It seems, from this petition, that the proprietors of the common land had some time previously "reserved for the use of the ministry " two tracts of land in what was afterwards Methuen, but that this land had not been formally laid out. In 1724 Lieutenant Stephen Barker and other inhabitants of the western part of Haverhill, petitioned the General Court for a new town, to be formed by setting off that part of Hav- erhill above Hawke's Meadow Brook.

The town of Haverhill voted to oppose the petition, and chose Captain John White agent for that pur- pose. Opposition, however, was unavailing, and the act was passed December 8, 1725, and was as fol- lows :

" AN ACT for DividIng the Town of Haverhill and erectiog a new Town there and in parts adjacent, by the name of Methuen. Whereas the West part of the Town of Haverhill within the County of Essex, and parts ad- jacent not included within any Towoship is Competently filled with In- habitants, who labor under great Difficulties by their remoteness from the place of Publick Worship, &c., and they having made their applica- tion to this Court that they may be set off a distinct and separate Town and be vested with all the Powers and Privileges of a Town. Be it there- fore enacted by the Lieutenant Governor, Council and Representatives in General Court assembled and by the authority of the same. That the West part of the said Town of Haverhill with the land adjoining, he and hereby are set off and constituted a separate Township by the name of Me- thuen, the bounds of the said Towoship to be as follows, viz :- Begin- ning at the mouth of Hawke's Meadow Brook, so called, in Merrimack River, and from thence to run half a point to the northward of the northwest to an heap of stones, or till it intersect Haverhill line ; from thence upon a straight course to the head of Dunstable line, and so upon Dracut line about four miles to a pine southeast, from thence six miles or thereabouts upon Dracut line, South to Merrimack River, and from thence to run dowo said river ten mile and forty pole till it come to the first mentioned bounds. And that the inhabitants of the said lands as before described and bounded, he and hereby are invested with the Pow- ers, Privileges and Immunities that the Inhabitants of any of the towns of this Province by law are or ought to be vested with.

" Provided, That the Inhabitants of the said Town of Methuen, do within the space of Three Years from the Publication of this Act, erect and finish a suitable house for the Publick Worship of God, and procure and settle a Learned, Orthodox minister of good conversation and make provision for his comfortable and honorable support, and that they set apart a lot of Two Hundred acres of land in some convenient Place in the said Town, for the use of the ministry, and a lot of fifty acres for the use of a School. And that thereupon they be discharged from any further payments for the maintenance of the ministry in Haverhill. And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, That the Inbab- itants of the said Town of Methuen, be and hereby are empowered to assess all the lands of Non Residents lying within the said town, Two pence per acre towards the building of the Meeting House, and settling of a minister there. Provided, nevertheless that there be and herehy is made a Reservation or Saving of the Right and property of the Province Lands (if any there be) within the hounds aforesaid, to this Province."

So far as we can learn, no other town in the country bears the name of " Methuen."' How this name orig- inated has been a matter of considerable speculation.

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HISTORY OF ESSEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

Some have thought that it took its name from a town in Scotland called " Methven," and others have sup- posed that this town was named in honor of Lord Methven of Scotland. But Methuen was not settled by Scotch, nor does there appear any reason why the town should have received its name from a Scotch town or nobleman. A. C. Goodell, Esq., of Salem, who is engaged in preparing the Provincial Laws for publication, suggests a theory which seems most likely to be the true one. It was a common thing in those days, when a new town was incorporated, for the Governor to give it a name. The act of incorpo- ration was passed by the Legislature, engrossed on parchment and sent to the Governor for his signature, with a space for the name of the new town in blank. When he signed the act, he gave the town its name and inserted it in the proper place. The original act of incorporation of the Town of Methuen, in the office of the Secretary of State, clearly shows that the name was inserted by a hand different from the one that engrossed the bill. The act is written upon the parchment in a large, full hand, while the name " Methuen" is written in a small, running hand, and with ink of a different color, but similar to that used by Governor Dummer, in writing his signature. Had the name been suggested by the petitioners for the act of incorporation, it would have been likely to be inserted in the bill and so copied by the engrossing clerk. But a careful examination of the writing leaves little doubt that Governor Dummer wrote the name with his own hand, when he attached his sig- nature. Of course it is now impossible to ascertain with certainty the reason which suggested the name to him. But at that time there was one Lord Paul Methuen, who was Privy Councillor to the King, and who was for some years prominent in the English Government. It is very likely that Governor Dum- mer was a personal or political friend and admirer of this nobleman, and so named the town in his honor.

The town of Methnen, as originally set off, must have included more than double the territory now within its limits. Starting from the mouth of Hawke's Meadow Brook, the line ran where it now does, through Ayers Village, and continued on until it met the west line of Haverhill, which must have been somewhere southwest of North Salem Village; thence it ran straight to the "head of Dunstable line," which was in Pelham, "in sight of Beaver Brook," and a little to the west of it; thence it ran southeast about four miles to Dracut line, at a point about six miles from Merrimack River. The easterly line of Dracut has not been materially changed, and there- fore the present line, prolonged to six miles, would indicate the old corner of that town. The old plan in the County Records, already referred to, shows that this corner was west of Policy Pond, and must have been in the vicinity of "Spear Hill," almost between the most southern parts of Policy and Cobbett's

Ponds. From this, it would seem that Methuen, as originally incorporated, included nearly all of Salem, Windham village and perhaps two-thirds of that town, and a little of Pelham. Cobbett's Pond and Policy Pond were both in Methuen. The old plan referred to gives the name of Policy Pond as " Poliss' Pond," which fact may possibly furnish a clue to the origin of the name "Policy." The lands in the westerly part of Methuen were evidently disputed territory.

Londonderry, settled by the "Scotch-Irish," was incorporated, in 1722, by the General Court of New Hampshire, and the act incorporating that town included quite a slice of land set off to Methuen by the Massachusetts General Court. It is probable, however, that the territory claimed under both acts was not much settled upon, or considered of much valne, until after the line between Massachusetts and New Hampshire was established in 1740.

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History of Essex County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. I, Part 207

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