History of Essex County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. I, Part 98

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 98

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multitudes who are so engrossed with money-making plans that they can sec no good in them. Why, a while ago the writer had occasion to ask a man some- thing about his grandfather, and got the abrupt reply, "But I don't even know who my grandfather was, and don't care; there's no money in it !"

And now as to Lynn : Though not able to boast of any very eminent persons at present within her borders, ex- cepting in the merc business relations of life, in which she stands remarkably well, and excepting those who are "great in their own eyes," she yet can point to many living descendants of her earlier families who have made a mark in their generation. Let us give an example or two: GEORGE BANCROFT, the eminent historian, is a direct descendant from John Bancroft, one of Lynn's early settlers. GEORGE WILLIAM CURTIS, of New York, so prominent in the literary world, is a direct descendant from Ebenezer Burrill, who, July 29, 1725, married Mary Mansfield, and lived in the house that stood on Boston Street near the northeast corner of North Federal. Mr. Curtis's mother was a daughter of Hon. James Burrill, chief justice of the Supreme Court of Rhode Island and United States Senator, who died on Christmas Day, 1820, and whose father, also named James, was a son of Ebenezer, and born in the old Boston Street mansion. HORACE GRAY, a judge of the Supreme Court of the United States, and late chief justice of the Supreme Court of Massachusetts, is a grandson of William Gray, who was born in the two-story gambrel-roof house, the most easterly on the south side of Marion Street, formerly known as the Dr. Flagg house. The bold and chivalrous JOHN J. IN- GALLS, now a member of the United States Senate from Kansas, and one of the "best dressed " members of that body, is a lineal descendant from Edmund Ingalls, one of the first five settlers of Lynn. The catalogue need not be further extended, though many other honorable names press upon the memory. And then, if deceased ones should be brought to notice, the list could not easily be limited. There was TIM- OTHY PICKERING, the friend of Washington, the sagacious and prudent counselor and co-worker on the foundation of the republic ; his grandmother was a Burrill, of the same lineage from which Mr. Curtis sprang. THEODORE PARKER, the learned theologian and accomplished scholar, was a direct descendant from the sober old Lynn settler, Thomas Parker. The two Bishops HAVEN were lineal descendants from Richard Haven, whose house was on Boston Street, corner of North Federal, near that of the Burrills, the ancestral home of Curtis and Pickering just named. Then there was Rev. SAMUEL KERT- LAND, who, by request of the Provincial Congress, induced the Oneidas and some other Indians of the Six Nations to espouse the American cause in the dark, opening days of the Revolution; he was a di- rect descendant from Philip Kertland, the first Lynn shoemaker. Then there was NATHANIEL P. WILLIS,

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or, as he preferred to write it, when that style was fashionable, N. Parker Willis, the poet, a descendant of Thomas Willis, who was among the first Lynn settlers, locating at what we now call Tower Hill. He was a co-representative with Captain Nathaniel Turner and Edward Tomlins in the first General Court, 1634. And, being a man of consequence, he had allotted him, in the land division of 1638, " up- land and medow, 500 acres, as it is estimated," while many of his neighbors received not above sixty. He does not appear to have spent the remainder of his days here, and it is not probable that descendants of his remain. It is at least hoped that the line was not tainted by " Old Willis," who, many years ago, kept the famous dance-house at North Bend, though he had the distinction of being a soldier of the Revolu- tion. But this trail cannot be further pursued.

The narration of prominent events as they occurred in one's own neighborhood is seldom without absorb- ing interest. But when the actors in those events are introduced, the interest is greatly enhanced. It is the fashion with local historians and quasi histor- ians to give chapters of biography ; and those chap- ters are always interesting, at least to residents. But in view of the fact that, as before remarked, many sketches are scattered about elsewhere in these pages, a different plan must he pursued here. A few of those who have not been spoken of in other connec- tions, but are thought entitled to special remembrance, will here receive attention. It will, of course, be borne in mind that it is not the purpose even to name all who have contributed to the prosperity of Lynn, for that would include a large portion of her popula- tion. Genealogies of a number of the old families have been published in one shape and another, and the "History of Lynn " contains many pages of such matter.

The following are the names of some of the settlers who appeared here before the year 1700, and who planted families which are still well represented among us, though they were not of the first comers :

Allen, 1636.

Estes, 1683 (?).

Oliver, 1692 (?).

Alley, 1640.

Farrington, 1635. :

Parker, 1635.

Attwill, 1650.

Fuller, 1614. Phillips, 1650.

Bachelor, 1632.

Graves, 1630. Pool, 1639.

Baker, 1630. Hart, 1640.

Bassett, 1640.

Hawkes, 1630.

Hood, 1640.

Rhodes, 1640. Richards, 1630. Richardson, 1679 (?). Silshee, 1651. Smith, 1630.

Burrill, 1630.

Johnson, 1637.

Stacey, 1641.

Chadwell, 1630.

King, 1647.

Tarbox, 1640.

Clark, 1640.

Lewis, 1639.

Townsend, 1636.

Collins, 1635.

Davis, 1635.

Mansfield, 1640. Newhall, 1630.

Waitt, 1650.

ALLEY .- John B. Alley, the first member of Con- gress from Lynn (1858), descended from the 1640 set- tler of the name.

BAKER .- Daniel C. Baker, the third mayor, was a descendant of the 1630 settler.

BASSETT .- William Bassett, the first city clerk, came from the family planted here in 1640. His pedigree may be found further on.

BREED .- Andrews Breed, our fifth mayor, and Hi- ram N. Breed, our ninth, descended from the 1630 settler.

BURRILL .- The Burrill who came in 1630 became the head of what was once called "the royal family of Lynn."

DAVIS .- The Davis named in the list was the an- cestor of Edward S. Davis, our eighth mayor.

FULLER .- Joseph Fuller, the first president of the first Lynn bank; and Maria Augusta Fuller, the poet- ess, were descendants of the 1644 settler.

GRAVES .- From Mr. Graves, the 1630 settler, the section known as Gravesend (now called Glenmere) took its name.

HART .- George D. Hart, our twentieth mayor, de- scended from the early settler of the nanie.

HAWKES. - An account of the Hawkes family, planted here in 1630, will appear on a subsequent page.

HOOD .- George Hood, the first mayor of Lynn, was a representative of the old Hood family.

JOHNSON .- William F. Johnson, our seventh mayor, is of the old 1637 line.

LEWIS .- Jacob M. Lewis, Lynn's fourteenth mayor, and likewise Alonzo Lewis, the poet and historian, are descendants from the settler of 1639.

MANSFIELD .- Andrew Mansfield, who came in 1640, was, in 1660, made the first town clerk. To him we are also indebted for the preservation of a record of the land allotments of 1638, which, as he certifies, he copied " out of the Town Book of Records of Lynn," March 10, 1660. Several of his descendants became prominent, two or three in the military line.

NEWHALL .- The Newhall family, planted here in 1630, and of which the first white child born within our borders was a member, has, during our whole his- tory, till within a year or two, maintained its rank as first in numbers, if for nothing else. The name is not now the most numerous, as, according to recent directories, it is slightly led by that of Smith. They are both old Lynn names, but it is evident that bnt comparatively few of the present Smiths are of old Lynn stock.

RICHARDS .- Richard Richards, who died December 19, 1851, was a descendant of the 1630 settler. He has been ranked as the most inventive genius, in a mechanical way, ever born here, some of his inven- tions proving of great value in the local business.

A brief notice of the TARBOX family will appear a little farther on.

In the sketch of Lynnfield a somewhat extended notice of the TOWNSEND family will be given.

A brief list of some of the subsequent families, that is, those which appeared after the year 1700, and made favorable marks which have from generation to generation been continued, follows : Bubier, Buff-

Berry, 1650 (?). ~ Breed, 1630.

Hudson, 1630.

Ingalls, 1629.

Brown, 1630.

Ireson, 1635.

Ramsdell, 1630.

Bennett, 1630.

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HISTORY OF ESSEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

um, Chase, Curtin, Kimball, Moulton, Mudge, Mun- roe, Parrott, Pratt, Spinney, Stone, Tufts, Usher, Walden, Woodbury.

This short list contains the names of five mayors, to wit .: Bubier, Buffum, Mudge, Usher and Walden. And all the families have presented substantial and useful citizens.

It may be observed that several names, conspicu- ous in former years, do not appear in these lists. In some instances they are of those spoken of in other connections, in other instances of those who left few or no descendants, and in still other instances of those who did little or nothing to promote the prosperity or enhance the fame of this their chosen home, prefer- ring rather to direct their life's labor to mere selfish ends,-a career that too many of us of the present day are prone to imitate.

HAWKES FAMILY .- This family has ever main- tained a respectable rank among the old Lynn fami- lies. Adam Hawkes, the founder, was one of the seventeen hundred Puritans who sailed with Endicott from Southampton and landed at Salem in June, 1630. He received large grants in the division of the com- mon lands, and during his busy life acquired other tracts. He was an excellent specimen of the hardy, industrious and thrifty pioncer.

The doings of many of the early comers and their successors are not matters of tradition, but of history and record so clear that one can read their lives as if they were contemporaries. Of this first Adam Hawkes, for instance, we know the little knoll where he built his house, we know of the burning of that house, of the flight through the snow with his wife and infant children ; we know when his second house was erected -a house which sheltered some of his descendants for more than two hundred years. In 1872 the old house, was taken down, and on one of the hricks of the chimney was found the date, 1601, evidently written in the soft clay with the finger, when the brick was made in England. These bricks, which were in the first house, were relaid in the chimney of the fourth, on the same farm, by Richard Hawkes, of the sixth generation from the original owner. It is a matter of history that some of the ships of Win- throp's fleet were ballasted with bricks, and it has always been known in this family that the bricks in the first chimney came from England. The farm borders upon Sangus River, and the bricks must have been carried up that stream in boats, as there was no road. Another relic of the original chimney, which has ornamented its successors, but which is now re- garded as an heirloom, is an iron fireback, some two feet square, and weighing about one hundred pounds, on which is moulded what has been supposed to be the British army, but which has since been thought to be a coat of arms-perhaps that of the Hawkes family. The " supporters," though not distinct, seem to be similar to those in the British arms, but instead of the crown, this is surmounted by what appears to

be the visors and bars of a helmet and lion. This cast- ing was evidently made to lay in masonry, as the edge is depressed and rough. The fashion of ornamenting the chimney-back above the fire with the family arms or something national was common in early colonial times, probably borrowed from home.

John Hawkes, a son of Adam, the first comer, was a man of considerable local note in his time. His descendants can trace their ancestry to one of the group who signed the immortal compact in the cabin of the " Mayflower." His wife was Rebecca, dangh- ter of Moses Maverick, the founder and for many years the only magistrate of Marblehead. The wife of Mr. Maverick was a daughter of Isaac Allerton, who was one of the "Mayflower " passengers, was Lieutenant-Governor of Plymouth Colony, and for a long time colonial agent. Isaac Allerton and Moses Maverick were conspicuous in the early days, and their blood mingled with that of the successors of Thomas Hawkes, who was burned at the stake in the reign of "Bloody Queen Mary," for his faithfulness to his religious principles.

On the 28th and 29th days of July, 1880, there took place a notable reunion on the grounds of Louis P. Hawkes, who occupies the very place where the father of the family established his abode in 1630. Some three hundred were present, from all parts of the country-representatives from all classes of so- ciety, the learned, the diplomatic, the mercantile, the laboring. The Hon. Nathan M. Hawkes, of Lynn, acted as master of ceremonies, and all the proceed- ings began, continued and ended in the most satis- factory manner. The literary exercises were of a high order, eminently appropriate and interesting. There were devotional exercises, poems, addresses, genealogical sketchings, music, and, for the younger portion, lighter diversions of various kinds. The principal address was by Senator Hawkes, the master of ceremonies, and it- terse periods were enriched by historic allusions and family incidents, such as proved of absorbing interest to all present. The sentiments expressed in the closing passages must have found a response in the minds of the elder ones present; in the minds of all not cankered by worldly ambition, nor closed to the beautiful in nature and the concep- tion of life's higher duties :

"This day is a mile-stone that marks our march of a quarter of a thousand years of American life. Individuals and generations lay down tho burdens, the failures and the triumphe of life; others stand ready to go on with the duties that citizenship and family command. Let ne signalize this occasion as a family by new reverence for the memory of our ancestors, and by new resolves to make our name a still better name in the future than in the past. Let us sanctify the present by making it worthy of the past, ever hopeful of the unseen, wonderful futuro.

" Within five miles of the ebb and flow of the Atlantic, whence civiliza- tion took its westward course, this sylvan rotrent has hitherto escaped the rush und crush of busy mercantile pursuits; the snort of the loco- motivo is unheard ; the primitive solitude is undisturbed, save by the peaceful pursuits of agriculture.

" The oratories of the Jews were beneath the shadow of olive trees ; the ancient Druids of Gaul, Britain and Germany were accustomed to per- form their mystic rites and sacrifices in the recesses of the forest ; and our Pilgrim Fathers worshipped God under a like canopy.

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"We meet to-day under the shade of the walnut. May this spot be spared from the sordid pursuits of business ; may this grove he unvexed by the demands of utility for another period of two hundred and fifty years, that our successors may gather here in 'Nature's noblest sanctu- ary ;' and may our kin in all coming time resort to this Mecca of the Hawkes family in America."

The family name, like all the surnames of colonial days, was spelled in a way to suit the user ; but there were not so many variations as in most of the familiar names. In England we find it spelled Hawkes, and that has generally been followed here. Some branch- es of the family in America, however, spell it Hawks. This saves a letter, but does not make the word hand- somer. No full genealogy of the family has yet been arranged. The materials, however, are ample, and space may be allowed for the tracing of one line as a sample. For this purpose we will take our well- known fellow-citizen, Hon. Nathan M. Hawkes, who was master of ceremonies, as before mentioned, on the occasion of the great family gathering.

1. Adam Hawkes arrived in 1630, died 1671.

2. John Hawkes, son of Adam, married Rebecca Maverick.

3. Moses1, son of John, born 1659, married Margaret Cogswell.

4. Moses2, son of Moses1, born 1699, married Susan- nah Townsend.

5. Nathan1, son of Moses2, born 1745, married Sarah Hitchings.

6. Nathan2, son of Nathan1, born 1775, married Elizabeth Tarbell.

7. Nathan D., son of Nathan2, born 1811, married Tacy P. Hawkes.

8. Nathan M., son of Nathan D., born 1843, mar- ried Mary Buffum.

JOHNSON FAMILY .- The Johnson family has been among the most prominent and respectable of the Lynn families almost ever since the settlement com- menced, and it would be agreeable to give the gene- alogy somewhat at large, were it practicable. As the next best thing, however, it may be well to trace the line of a single individual, as a family representative, from the first settler. Others, by their relationship to him, may trace their own lines.

For this purpose, then, let us take the line down to the late Otis Johnson, who died at his well-known residence on Federal Street, February 17, 1870, at the age of sixty-eight years.

Richard Johnson1, the first of the family in Lynn, was born in England in 1612. He came to America with Sir Richard Saltonstall, in 1630, and after resid- ing for seven years in Watertown and for a short pe- riod in Salem, settled in Lynn in 1637, being made a freeman the same year. He was a thrifty farmer, and owned a considerable tract of land at the eastern end of the Common, including the site of the present City Hall. His children were Samuel, Elizabeth, Abigail and Daniel.

Samuel 1 was known by the title of Lieutenant, and was a cornet in the King Philip War, 1676. For his

services he received, in 1685, a grant of land from the General Court. He died in 1723, at the age of eighty-two, and was buried in the old ground, where his grave-stone may still be seen. He married Mary Collius Jannary 22, 1664, and had nine children.

Richard2, the sixth child of Samuel1, was born November 8, 1674; on July 3, 1705, he married Eliz- abeth Newhall, and died September 26, 1754. He was town clerk for several years onward from 1722, was for three years a representative in the General Court and a deacon in the old church at the time of his decease. His sons were Samuel, known as Cap- tain, Joseph and Benjamin.

Samuel2, Captain, the eldest son of Richard 2, was born March 17, 1708, and married Ruth Holten, of Lynn, in or about 1731. His will was probated Jan- uary 7, 1772.

Richard 3, the eldest son of Captain Samuel, was born September 25, 1731, married Lydia Batchelor March 21, 1756, and died September 27, 1765, from a fever resulting from haymaking on the marsh. He had sons,-Samuel, Enoch, Rufus, Timothy.

Enoch, son of Richard 3, was born January 16, 1761, married Elizabeth Newhall June 8, 1790, and died March 17, 1815. He was a deputy sheriff. Sam- uel, his son, was born April 30, 1793, married at Nas- sau, N. P., and long resided there, dying July 11, 1841. George, his son, was born June 7, 1796, and died October 17, 1849. He was a shoe manufacturer, and married Eliza, a danghter of Dr. Aaron Lum- mus.

Otis, the youngest son of Enoch, was born Jannary 26, 1802, and died at his residence on Federal Street, Lynn, on the 17th of February, 1870, at the age of sixty-eight years, as before stated. He was married in Savannah, Ga., March 18, 1824, to Miss Virginia Taylor. They had nine children, only three of whom are now (1887) living-namely, Enoch Stafford, Maria Lillibridge and Elliott Clarke. The eldest son of Mr. Johnson was William Otis, who died August 17, 1873, aged forty-eight. He was a graduate of Har- vard College, and in due time became established as a physician of more than ordinary reputation, having studied under the venerable Dr. Jacob Bigelow. His literary talents were also of a high order, his articles in the North American Review attracting marked at- tention.

BASSETT FAMILY .- William Bassett, the first of the name here, was a farmer and settled on Nahant Street on land still owned by his descendants. He married Sarah, daughter of Hugh Burt, who died in 1661. He was an ensign in the company of Captain Gardner, of Salem, in the Indian War, and was at the "swamp fight." For his services the General Court made him a grant of land. Captain Wil- liam Bassett, supposed to be the same individual was one of a council of war, with Major Benjamin Church, at Scarborough, Me., November 11, 1689. His name often appears in the oldest town records of

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HISTORY OF ESSEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

Lynn, where, in 1691, he is called Quartermaster Bassett. He died March 31, 1703. His daughter Elizabeth was the wife of John Proetor, of Danvers, who was exeented for witchcraft. She, too, was con- demned, but pardoned. The wife of his son William was likewise imprisoned seven months for witchcraft. She had a child, when taken to prison, less than two years old ; and the next child she had, after her re- lease, she named Deliverance. The following gives the line of descent down to the children of the late William Bassett, our first city clerk, who was cashier of the First National Bank, and had been for many years at the time of his sudden decease, June '21, 1871 :

(2) William Bassett, son of William, the first Bassett here, married Sarah Hood, October 25, 1675, and had children,-Sarah, born 1676, who married Joseph Griffin, for her first husband, and a Newbold for her second ; William, born 1678, who married Rebecca Berry in 1703 (his father's lands were divided be- tween him and his brother John) ; Mary, born 1680, who married a Hill ; John, born 1682, who married Abigail Berry, of Boston ; Hannah, horn 1685, who married John Estes, of Salem ; Ruth, born 1689, who married Abraham Allen, of Marblehead; Joseph, born 1692, lost at sea ; Deliverance, born 1695, who, in 1719, married Samuel Breed; Abigail, who, in 1728, married Samuel Alley.

(3) William Bassett, son of (2) William, had chil- dren,-Rebecca, born 1709; Miriam, born 1712, who in 1732, married David Northey, of Salem ; Joseph, born 1715, who inherited his father's lands and mar- ried Eunice Hacker ; Elizabeth, who, in 1729, mar- ried Benjamin Hood.

(4) Joseph Bassett, son of (3) William, had chil- dren,-William, born 1738, who died young; Isaac, born 1741, who, in 1769, married Mary, daughter of Joshua Collins, was a farmer and shoemaker, and in- herited one-half of the lands of his father, and died in 1829; Nehemiah, born in 1749, who married Abi- gail Fern; Rebecca, born 1754, who married James Breed; Sarah, born 1757, who married Abraham Breed; Eunice, born 1759; Hannah, born 1763, who married William Breed, of Nahant.

(5) Isaac Bassett, son of (4) Joseph, had children, -Elizabeth ; William, who died young ; Ennice ; William again, who also died young; Isaac, who married Ruth Breed; Eunice again, who married Ezra Collins ; Hannah, who married Samnel Neal.

(6) Isaac Bassett, son of (5) Isaac, resided on Na- hant Street, on the site occupied by his forefathers, and was long held in repute as a citizen of energy, enterprise and wealth. He died May 24, 1867 ; had children,-William, born March 4, 1803, died June 21, 1871 ; Jeremiah, who died young; Elizabeth, who died young; Elizabeth again, who married Samuel Boyce; Mary ; Jeremiah again, who also died young; Eunice, who married W. S. Boyce; Lydia, who married James B. Kite, of Philadelphia ; Han- )

nah ; Joseph, who died young; Anna Green, who died April 17, 1863.

(7) William Bassett, son of (6) Isaac, died June 21, 1871, aged sixty-eight. He was the first city clerk of Lynn, and a man much respected ; was prominent in the early anti-slavery movements, and a co-worker with those leading spirits, William Lloyd Garrison and Wendell Phillips, both of whom were present at his funeral. His children were Susanna Smith, who married Cyrus M. Stimson ; Eliza ; Mary Ann, who married Thomas Herbert; William Herschell, who died young; Joseph, who also died young; Sarah, who married William W. Kellogg; William, who died young ; William, again, born September 30, 1839; Edmund Quincy, who died young.

(8) William Basset, son of (7) William, now head of the banking firm, Ba-set, Whitney & Co., of Bos- ton, had children, -- William ; Ruth ; Edith, who died young.

Note .- The ancient spelling of the name was with one "t;" but in later years the final letter was doubled ; recently, however, a desire has been manifested to return to the old orthography.

TARBOX FAMILY .- John Tarbox. the first settler of the name here, came as early as 1640. He was a farmer, and among his landed possessions had seven acres of upland on Water Hill, where he appears to have lived, having an orchard near his house. And upon the premises, before the coming of the whites, there was probably an Indian settlement or eneamp- ment, as ahout there were found numerous arrow- heads and other relies. He was evidently a re- spected settler, active and thrifty. Though farming was his principal occupation, he turned his attention to other pursuits, and was a small proprietor in the iron works, He died May 26, 1674. His will is dated November 25, 1673, and to his son John says, -"I bequeath my house and housing, with orchard and all my land and meddow, with a greene rugg and a great iron kettell, and a round joyned table." He also says,-"I bequeath unto every one of my sonn, John Tarbox, his children, and my son Samnel's children, one ewe sheep apeeee." The wife of his son John was a daughter of Richard Haven, who lived on Boston Street, corner of North Federal, the site on which George O. Tarbox recently erected a dwell- ing-house and store. Mr. Haven was ancestor of the two Methodist Bishops, Gilbert and Erastus Otis, and George O. Tarbox, just named, was a lineal de- scendant from the early settler, John.

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History of Essex County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. I, Part 98

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