History of Essex County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. I, Part 208

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 208

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To organize the new town, it was ordered by the Court " that Mr. Stephen Barker, a principal inhab- itant of the Town of Methuen, be and hereby is em- powered and directed to notifie and summons the inhabitants of the said town, duly qualified for voters, to assemble and meet sometime in the month of March next, to choose town officers according to law, to stand for the year." In compliance with this order, a meeting was appointed for the 9th of March, 1726.

The following is a copy of the record of the first town meeting held in Methuen :

" Att our first annual meeting in the town of methuen, march ye 9th 1725,6 Lieutenant Stephen Barker was leaguly chesen moderater for ye meeting.

"Att the same meeting william whittier was chesen town clerk & swern for ye yer insewing.

" Att the same meeting selectmen were lenguly chosen for ye yer.

1 JOHN BAILEY,

Selectmen sworn

2 EBENZER BARKER to the faithful discharg

3 ASIE SWAN ef the efies ef assesere

A DANIEL BODWEL,

august ye second 1726

5 THOMAS WHITTIER. 1 before me William Whittier town clark.

"att ye same meeting Richard Swan is leaguly chosen cunstable for the year insewing.

" voted that the cunstable or colector shall be paid one shilling for each twenty shillings of money that he shall colect or gather of the Taxes which shall be laied upon the nonrazedance or people which belong to other tewns. March ye 9th 1725,6 the toun veated that Thomas silver should be expected te serve cunstable er celecter instead ef Richard swan for ye year insewing and ye same day thomas silver was swern to the faithfull discharge of the office ef a cunstable by the selectmen of Methuen. Robert swan is leaguly chosen town treasurer att the same meeting march ye 9th for ye year insewing. town treasu- rer sworn.

1 ROBERT SWAN. 1 of highwaye serveirs all sworn.

Serveirs of

2 EPHRAIM CLARK,

high ways.

3 BENZAMIN STEPHENS, 1

2 THOMAS MASSER.

fence vewere JOHN CROSS,

SAMUEL STEPHENS. 2 Both swern.

Tithen men 1 JAMER HOW,

2 WILLIAM GUTTERSON. Beth tithen sworn.

field drivers

I JOHN HASTINGS,

2 ZEBADIANI AUSTING.

775

METHUEN.

att the same meeting March ye 9 1725,6 )

SAMUEL SMITH

hog riefs

hoge riefs was leaguly choson

THOMAS AUSTING J

Both sworn.

"Att ye same meeting march ye 9 voted yt hogs should go att large according to law.

" Att a town meeting march ye 9 1725, 6.

"Voted that the select men should have power to a gree with an athadoxt minester to serve in the work of the minestry for ye year in_ sewing and not to exceed five and forty pownds and find the minester bis diat.

The records of the town-meetings held since that time appear to be complete, and the early records quite as full as such records usually are. The first business done by the new Board of Selectmen was to lay out a road " three rods wide, beginning at a white oak tree marked, near Ephraim Clark's land; from thence across Thomas Eaton's, and by the west side of Samuel Clark's cellar; thence by the west side of a white oak tree marked with H, by Hawks' meadow, and so along said meadow, as near as is convenient, to the lower end, crossing the brook between two maple trees marked ; from thence, as the trees are marked, to a white oak by Haverhill path, running from the east side of the tree in the path until we come to a stake by James How's well, and thence to a white oak marked with H, the way being to the east." This was undoubtedly the road north of the Taylor farm, on Howe Street, and the above description is a good ex- ample of the recorded descriptions of the ancient ways. The records of the town of Haverhill show that previous to this time a large number of town-ways had been laid out in the west part of the town, prob- ably for convenience in reaching the meadows and woodland. At this distance of time it is almost im- possible to trace them unless they happen to touch some well-known point. They generally commence at a marked tree by some path, thence to some other tree, thence to a stump marked, and finally come out at another path, and are almost invariably two rods wide.

The roads of those days were probably little better than an ordinary cart-path iu the woods. Occasion- ally we find a record of money paid to the owners of land over which a public way passed, but no money appears to have been paid by the town for building.

In fact, scarcely more than a path was necessary, for there were no vehicles but ox-carts and sleds. People traveled on horseback, and went to market with their goods in saddle-bags. Persons are now liv- ing in the town who say they can remember when there were no wagons of any kind, or pleasure carriages, except a few chaises, which were introduced about the beginning of the century.

On the 14th of June, 1726, the second town-meet- ing was called at the house of Asie Swan, "to prefix a place whereon to build a meeting-house" and make other necessary arrangements for religions service. At this meeting a bitter controversy began about the location of the meeting-house. Votes being called for, the following persons voted for "a place between

James Davis' and Samuel Smith's house," supposed to be on what is now known as "Powder-House Hill:"

John Hastings.

Thomas Whittier.

Samuel Clark.

Samuel Currier.

John Messor.

Robert Swan.

Daniel Lancaster.

Ephraim Clark.

Thomas Messer.

James Emery.

Robert Corgill.

Joseph Pudney.

Samuel Smith.

Jolın Rue.

John Cross.

Asie Swan.

William Cross.

James How.

John Bailey.

Abraham Masters.

Richard Messer. Jaines Wilson.

Thomas Silver.

Abiel Messer.

Nathaniel Messer.

Daniel Peaslee.

Thomas Eaton.

Richard Swan.

The following person's entered their dissent against the meeting-house being carried from the meeting- house land or hill,-

Stephen Barker.

Benjamin Stevens.

Henry Bodwell.

James Barker.

Joha Gutterson.

Samuel Stevens.

Joseph Morse.

Zebediah Austin.

Henry Bodwell, Jr.

Joseph Gutterson.

Daniel Bodwell.

Zebediah Barker.

Samuel Huse.

Thomas Austin.

James Bodwell.

Thomas Richardson.

John Harris.

Abel Merrill.

John Guttersoo.

Ebenezer Barker.

William Gutterson.

Joshua Swan.

It is likely that these two lists comprise the names of about all the persons entitled to vote then living in Methuen. We infer also that this dispute was one concerning convenience of access to the meeting- house, and that the voters cast their ballots for the location that was nearest or would best accommodate them.

On the 26th of August another meeting was called to perfect the arrangements for building the new meeting-house. It was voted that the meeting-house should be built forty feet long, thirty-five feet in width and twenty feet stud.

It was also voted to choose a committee to procure land to set the meeting house on, to provide timber, and hire a carpenter and other workmen, and provide for the raising, "all upon the town's cost and charge." The meeting then adjourned to meet Sep- tember 6th. At this meeting the dissenters above named presented the following quaint and vigorous protest,-

" We, the subscribers, dissent against the proceedings pursuant to sun- dry of the particulars as mentioned in the warrant for this meeting, first, for that in the warrant, the day being prefixed, but the year is not. 2. For the higoess of the meeting-honse according to the warrant, to this we dissent, for the bigness cannot be known until a committee he chosen and bound ont the land, for the particulars being placed in the warrant agreeably to the old saying 'the cart before the horse,' there- fore irregular. 3. To choose a committee to procure so omch land as they shall think convenient for to set the meeting-house on, to this we dissent, for that there is Do land to be purchased. Our fathers in time past, whilst we belonged to Haverhill, voted and granted a piece of land for a parsonage for the west end of said town, which since by an act of incorporation of the General Court, is constituted by the namo of Methnen a township; and the aforesaid parsonage being most suitable and convenient for the inbabitante to build the meeting-bouse on, although in a former meeting of this town, as may be seen by the town

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HISTORY OF ESSEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

book, and a number of freeholders and other inhabitants, did, by a pre- tended vote, contrary to law, or rather by a petition, carry the meeting- honse to another place, which we then gave our dissent against, and do now dissent against the proceedings consequent upon said vote or peti- tion. For a Committee to have the disposal of our estates after the inanner ne is set forth in the warrant to purchase any land is unreason- able, for that by the warrant they are invested with a power too great. Our estates ought not to lie at their will and doom. The great Charter of England lately confirmed to us by our sovereign lord, king George, wherein is contained liberty, right and property, reference thereto be- ing had, gives ns the disposal aod ordering of our estates, all debts and demands to our sovereign lord the king being paid first. What commit- tee then shall assess onr lands by tax to pay for the purchase of land without our free consent? 4. That the said committee may procure one acre of land in some convenient place for a burying-place,-to this we dissent. Our right and property that we have in voting and procuring such a place, we deny the giving of it into the hands of a committee in the manner as is expressed in the warrant. For that it is every man's right and property that belongs to the towo to have his vote in the choice of a committee, or rather to vote the place where, and not to have them appointed by the Selectmen. 5. The said committee are to provide timber and to draw it to the place, or hire it drawn ; we dissent ; for that there is no need of making a laod tax for such a thing, when every man by consent may draw his own proportion of timber, cartiog, &c. 6. To see whether the town will agree that every man in this town shall have an equal proportion of the common land within this town, according to what rates he shall pay in the town ; we dissent first, for it ie unreasonable that an hired servant, who is rated only for bie head, and hath oo freehold, shall have an interest in our right and property ; and, farther, the Province law provides that all persons that reside in any town for the space of twenty days, if they trade, shall be rated. By this you will give our right and land to strangers. To the particulars as above, and for the reasons aonexed, we offer our dissent as freeboro subjects to the Crown of Great Britain having an interest in the whole- some lawe and liberties by and from which we expect to be protected."

It seems, however, that this protest failed to con- vince the obstinate majority of their injustice, but work on the meeting-house went on, and the building was raised on Powder House Hill. As a last resort, the minority then appealed to the "Great and Gen- eral Court," in a petition that the town be ordered to set the meeting-house on Meeting-House Hill. It seems that a committee of the Legislature was then commissioned to visit Methuen to examine the im- portant question. The only record we find of their visit is, that Richard Swan was afterwards allowed by the town one pound, ten shillings for the entertain- ment of the visiting statesmen. But the result of it all was, that the town was ordered by the General Court to set the meeting-house on Meeting-Honse Hill, and, accordingly, in 1727 the town voted to re- move the frame to that spot, and the minority tri- umphed. We find from the town records that nine town-meetings were held during the first year, and that the principal business was locating the meeting- house, and perfecting the necessary arrangements for religious service. At that time, and for many years after, the minister and meeting-house were supported by a town tax, as schools and highways are now. The town records show that the Sunday services, as well as the town-meetings were held at the house of Asie Swan until the meeting-honse was ready for occu- pancy. Asie Swan seems to have been one of the men prominent in town affairs, and his house is said to have been situated a little east of Prospect Hill. The meeting-house frame was moved in the fall of 1727, and raised on "Meeting-House Hill" on the

common, a little south of the " Frye place," where it stood for nearly seventy years. It was finished in the spring of 1728, and it appears from the town records that a town-meeting was held in the new meeting- house on Wednesday, August 28, 1728, among other purposes, "To see if the Town will order that the public worship of God should be exercised in said meeting-house," and it was voted "that the meeting for public worship should be removed from the house of Asie Swan, and held at the meeting-house next Sabbath." It strikes one now as a little strange that a community so devont should have begun to use their house of worship withont any dedicatory exer- cises.

The next business of the town was to get a minister

To that end a town-meeting was called December 16, 1728, of which the first business was to "appoint a day of fasting and prayer to spread our united sup- plication before the Lord, for his gracious assistance and conduct in our endeavors to settle a minister amongst us, and to act such things as may be neces- sary in order thereunto," and Wednesday, January 2d, was appointed for that purpose. A committee was also appointed to agree with the neighboring ministers concerning keeping this fast. The records do not tell us how the fast was kept, but Robert Swan was paid twelve shillings for providing for the minis- ters on the day set apart for fasting and prayer.

On the third of March, 1729, it was voted "That a committee be chosen to discourse with Mr. Christo- pher Sargent in order to his settlement with us in the work of the ministry." Mr. Sargent was a young man, then twenty-six years of age, a graduate of Har- vard, and had been acting pastor of the congregation for some time.

It is a fact of interest showing how permanent the pastoral office was regarded in those days, that at the annual town meeting, held on March 12th, it was voted to give Mr. Sargent eighty pounds a year for the first four years, ninety pounds a year for the next. four years and after that one hundred pounds a year. Mr. Sargent's proposal was, that they should pay eighty pounds a year for the first two years, ninety pounds a year for the next two years and one hundred pounds a year, and also thirty cords of wood yearly from the time he began to keep house. After considerable discussion between Mr. Sargent and the people, the terms of settlement were agreed upon, and he was ordained pastor over the church Novem- ber 5, 1729. Of the festivities which attended that occasion we have no record, but there is no doubt that the day was celebrated according to the customs of the time, with great rejoicing, and by all the peo- ple round about.

The new town now seems to have fairly started on its career, and little is to be found in the records worthy of notice. The town meetings were frequent, and the business transacted in those meetings in the different years much the same. The officers of the

777

METHUEN.

town were chosen then, as now, in the month of March.

The officers were about the same as now, with the addition of tithing men and the exception of School Committee.

Persons were annually chosen "to clear the fish- ways" and "to take care that the fish have a con- venient course over Mr. Huse's Mill Dam that is in Spicket River."

Two persons called deer reeves were also chosen annually for many years, to take care of the deer, and a reward was generally offered each year for the killing of a grown wolf, and a smaller one for "a bitch wolf's whelp."

Each bill against the town, however small, seems to have been presented to the town meeting for al- lowance ; and there was, nearly every year, one or more roads laid out by the selectmen and accepted by the town.

The amount of money annually appropriated for town charges, ontside of the minister rate, for the first fifty years, ranged from forty to one hundred and seventy pounds. This does not include the highway tax, which was paid in labor, and of which we find the first record in 1736.

In 1735 Henry Saunders and twenty-eight others living in the north part of the town, -probably most of them in what is now Salem, N. H., presented a pe- tition to the town setting forth that

" Whereas we, the subscribers, live at so great a distance from the pub- lic worship of God in this place, that we cannot attend upon it with our families without a great deal of difficulty, we have therefore been at the charge to hire a minister to preach to us in a more convenient place, which we think is hard for us to do, so long as we are obliged to pay our full proportion towards the support of the public worship of God in this place ; and although we have of late made our application to this town for some help under our difficult circumstances, we have been denied any. We therefore pray that you would set us off a distinct precinct by ourselves. . . "

This petition was presented to the town December 15, 1735, and the record says :

" That the town, by a majority vote, manifested their willingness to set off the north part of this town for a precinct by themselves, viz. : Beginning at the north side of the World's End Pond, so running easter- ly to the south side of Peter Merrill's land, and so to Haverhill line, and from World's End Pond, to a wading place in Spicket River by Jonathan Corliss', and so running with a straight line to a pine tree standing in the line between Dracut and Methuen, on the south side of Porcupine Brook."

The territory north of this line formed what was afterwards known as the North Parish of Methuen, and most of it soon after fell within the limits of New Hampshire.

The relative number of inhabitants in the two parishes at that time cannot be exactly determined.

The nearest approach to a correct estimate may perhaps be made from the statement that the number of highway tax payers in 1736, in the whole town, was one hundred and thirty-six. The number of tax payers of the minister rate in the First Parish in that year was ninety-eight, leaving thirty-eight in the North Parish.

The next important event in the history of the town occurred in 1741, when the State line was run, thereby depriving Methuen of a large part of her ter- ritory. Previous to 1740 there seems to have been much controversy between the Province of Massachu- setts and New Hampshire about the boundary line between them. The charter first given to the Massa- chusetts colony granted "all that part of New Eng- land lying between three miles to the north of the Merrimack and three miles to the south of the Charles river, and of every part thereof in the Massachusetts Bay ; and in length between the described breadth from the Atlantic Ocean to the South Sea." Under the charter the Massachusetts colony claimed that their northern boundary was three miles to the north of the northernmost point of the Merrimack, and they fixed upon a rock near the outlet of Lake Winnipis- seogee, as the most northern part of the river. This would have given to Massachusetts a large part of Vermont and New Hampshire, and a large section in Maine. The New Hampshire grantees claimed that under the Massachusetts charter the line could not extend in any place more than three miles from the river. The territory between these lines became dis- puted ground concerning which there was constant contention.

In 1720 the New Hampshire colonists modified their claim, so far as to propose that the line should begin at a point three miles north from the mouth of the Merrimack, and thence run due west to the South Sea. The Massachusetts colony refused to agree to this, and the contention became more violent, until finally the Legislatures of the two colonies met-the New Hampshire Legislature at Hampton Falls and the Massachusetts at Salisbury-for the purpose of settling the difficulty. They appointed committees of conference, but were unable to agree, and after several weeks of angry discussion by agreement of both parties the whole subject was referred to the King of England for decision. The matter was decided by the king in council in 1740, and it was decreed that the northern boundary of the Province of Massachu- setts Bay " is and be a similar curved line, pursuing the curve of Merrimack River at three miles distance, on the north side thereof and beginning at the Atlantic Ocean." The king also decreed that the line should be run and established by the two Provinces, but if either should refuse to act the other might fix and establish it.

Massachusetts was dissatisfied with this decision, and refused to have anything to do about running the new linc. New Hampshire appointed George Mitchell to run the line from the ocean to a point three miles north of Pawtucket Falls, and the line was thus es- tablished by New Hampshire as it has been recog- nized by the border towns on both sides of the line ever since. Massachusetts has never formally agreed to this line, and the old controversy has been recently revived. Commissioners were appointed by both

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HISTORY OF ESSEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

States in 1885 to settle this question, if possible, and they have not yet completed their work. Tradition says that this decision was brought about by sharp practice on the part of the agent appointed by New Hampshire to lay the subject before the king; and it gave to New Hampshire seven hundred square miles more than she asked for. It cut off a large slice of the original territory of the town of Methuen, and nearly a third of the population. The northern and western boundaries of the town have remained unchanged from that time to the present. From 1740 to 1775 we find record of very few important events.

There was no census until 1765, but we judge from the increase in the number of tax-payers, that the growth was simply the slow and steady increase of an exclusively agricultural population. As the land grad- ually became cleared, it became more thickly dotted with dwellings. The produce raised upon the farms, and food taken from the river supplied nearly all the wants of the inhabitants. The money necessary for their few purchases, and the payment of taxes, was obtained partly by the sale of wood and timber which was rafted to Newburyport, partly by the production of flax which was sold to the inhabitants of London- derry, and partly, probably, by the sale of some pro- ducts, such as they could carry on horseback to Salem. We find little information of the part Methuen had in the French and Indian Wars. Two or three extra appropriations for powder and flints, some taxes abated to those who were in the service, and pay- ments of money by the town for "taking care of the French " seem to be all that shows action on the part of the town. Tradition has it that Methuen sent her share of soldiers at that time, but whether there was a company from the town, or whether the soldiers were scattered among different companies from neighboring towns we have no means of know- ing.

There seems to have been at this time a remarkable reluctance to hold office, as is shown by the fact that Methuen was fined in 1770, '72 and '73, for not choosing a Representative to the Legislature. Possi- bly, however, this may have resulted more from a dis- inclination on the part of the tax-payers to pay for the service, than from a disinclination to serve on the part of the possible candidates. In 1774 the inhabi- tants of the west part of Methuen petitioned to be set off with the easterly part of Dracut to make a new township, "so that both the above said towns may be better accommodated to attend public worship." The division line of the proposed new town commenced "on the bank of the Merrimack River about four poles to the east of' Mr. Daniel Bodwell's ferry (at the foot of Tower Hill), thence running northwesterly to the province line, about one hundred and fifty-six poles to the west of Spicket River, including all to the west of said line," thus cutting off' a large portion of the town. There was a strong opposition on the part of Methuen, and the scheme failed. About this

time we begin to find indications of the coming con- test. The first record we find of any action by the town in relation to the questions then stirring the pub- lic mind, is a vote passed in August, 1774, to pay one pound, sixteen shillings and seven pence, lawful money to defray the charges of the Congress held at Philadelphia. In December, 1774, it was voted that Mr. Enoch Merrill, former constable should pay the remainder of the province money to Henry Gardner, and also "that the Selectmen should conduct them- selves respecting the Constable's warrants according to the Provincial Congress instructions." At that time the constables collected the taxes, and paid them over under instructions of the selectmen, and the meaning of these votes probably was, that the prov- ince tax was to be paid under the instructions of the Provincial Congress rather than the English Govern- ment.

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History of Essex County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. I, Part 208

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