History of Essex County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. II, Part 213

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) ed
Publication date: 1888
Publisher: Philadelphia, J. W. Lewis & Co.
Number of Pages: 1672

USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > History of Essex County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. II > Part 213

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

Thomas Barnard, born in Boston in 1716, and a graduate of Harvard in 1732, followed August 31, 1739, and served until January 15, 1751. He after- wards practiced law for a short time, and was a repre- sentative to the General Court of Newbury in 1755. Ile was finally again settled in the ministry in Salem, and there died August 15, 1776.

On the 20th of February, 1751, Moses Hale was ordained, and served until his death, January 15, 1779. He was nephew of Rev. Moses Hale, of the Byfield Church, and graduated at Harvard in 1734.

On the 20th of November, 1782, True Kimball was ordained. He was born in Plaistow, N. II., January 28, 1757, and graduated at Harvard in 1778. His ministry continued until April 4, 1797.

Samuel Tombe, a native of Salem, N. Y., followed, and served seven years. His successor, Ebenezer Hubbard, a native of Marblehead, and a graduate of Harvard in 1805, was ordained May 11, 1809, and served until October 16, 1811.

Gilbert T. Williams, born at Fog's Manor, New Jersey, October 8, 1761, and a graduate of Dart- mouth in 1784, was installed June 1, 1814, and dis-

1862

HISTORY OF ESSEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

After an interval of five years, Henry C. Wright, a native of Sharon, Connecticut, was settled June 21, 1826, and dismissed July 7, 1833. He died in Paw- theket, R. 1., August 16, 1870.

Benjamin Ober, born in Beverly April 4, 1805, and an Amherst graduate, was settled January 1, 1834, and was dismissed December 25, 1835.

After another interval extending seven years, dur- ing which Moses Welsh and N. W. Sheldon supplied the pulpit, Henry Augustus Woodman, of Newbury- port, was ordained November 30, 1842, and, on account of his ill health, was dismissed March 20, 1844. The present meeting-house was built during the interval between the pastorates of Mr. Ober and Mr. Wood- man.

Horatio Merrill, from Maine, a graduate of Dart- mouth, was settled May 7, 1845, and dismissed August 11, 1847. During the next nine years the church was without a pastor, and on the 5th of March, 1857, Charles Dickinson Herbert was installed, followed by N. Laselłe in 1869. The present pastor is Rev. Mr. Pike.

1n 1729 the inhabitants of the upper part of the West Parish in Newbury built a meeting-house on Meeting- House or Silloway's Hill, which is described as being "fifty feet by thirty-eight and twenty foot stud." With the full consent of the Second Parish they were set off as a separate parish and organized September 1, 1731, as the Fourth Church in Newbury. The four churches were the old First Church in the old town of New- bury; the Second Church, established in the West District, on the 26th of October, 1698; the Third Church, organized in 1725, in what is now Newbury- port, as its First Church; and the new church at the west end. At the time this meeting-house was built only a single house was standing on the hill, which was occupied by Stephen Morse. Several were built soon after, all of which are now standing, except one which was taken down, and another which was burned in 1884. This meeting-house was built without a chimney and had no means of heating it.

On Meeting-Ilouse Hill lived Simeon Chase, a descendant of Aquila Chase, and graduate of Harvard in 1767, who spent his life in teaching both public and private schools, and won great reputation as an instructor. lle died in 1829, at the age of eighty-four years.

After the removal of the meeting-house, Daniel Silloway became possessor of the entire hill, and it has in recent times borne his name. Mr. Silloway was a carpenter by trade, but he preferred farming, and the acres cultivated by him secured him more than a competency. He was thrown out of his car- riage and killed while riding down the hill, more than twenty years ago, and during the long settlement of his estate the farm suffered from neglect and waste, from which, in the hands of Mr. Jennings, it has only recently recovered.

The first pastor of this church was William John-

son, born in Newbury, May 31, 1706, and a graduate of Harvard in 1727. He was ordained September 15, 1731, and served until his death February 22, 1772. David Toppan, the successor of Mr. Johnson, was or- dained April 18, 1774. He was born in Manchester, Massachusetts, April 21, 1752, and graduated at Har- vard in 1771. In June, 1792, Mr. Toppan accepted the appointment as Hollis Professor of Divinity at Harvard, and was inaugurated in his professorship December 26, 1792, receiving a degree of Doctor of Divinity in 1794. He performed his new duties with an increasing reputation and died August 27, 1803.

The successor of Mr. Toppan was Leonard Woods, born in Princeton, Mass., June 19, 1774, and ordained over this church December 5, 1798. Mr. Woods was intended by his father to be a farmer ; but owing to his feeble constitution, his path was directed to the ministry. He studied first with the pastor of his native town, and, after a short term at the Leicester Academy, finished his preparatory course under Ebenezer Adams, afterwards professor in Dartmouth College. He graduated at Harvard in 1796 with the highest honors, and his oration at commencement, as well as that three years later, when he took the Master's degree, were both published. After leaving college, he taught school at Medford eight months, after which he studied theology, and was approbated by the Cambridge Association in the spring of 1798. The parish voted to give him five hundred dollars at settlement, and four hundred dollars a year, with eight cords of wood annually and the use of the par- sonage lands. Permission also was given him to visit his parents two Sundays in each year. His pastorate continued until September 28, 1808, when he was inaugurated Professor of Theology at the An- dover Theological Seminary. His professorship closed in 1846, and he died at Andover, August 24, 1854.

After the departure of Dr. Woods, an interval of eight years elapsed, during which the church was without a pastor. At the very close of this interval, in 1815, a new meeting-house was built on its present location. It was dedicated January 3, 1816. On the 12th of June, 1816, John Kirby was settled, born in Middletown, Conn., June 30, 1783, and a graduate of Union College in 1807. In 1818 he sailed for Charles- ton, S. C., to regain, if possible, his impaired health, and the vessel in which he sailed being wrecked on Ocracoke Bar on the coast of North Carolina, he was waslied overboard and drowned on the night of the 5th of December in that year.

Elijah Demond, of Rutland, Mass., where he was born November 1, 1790, was ordained March 7, 1821. He graduated at Dartmouth in 1816, and at the An- dover Theological Seminary in 1820. He served about five years, and was dismissed September 3, 1826.

Paul Couch was ordained March 21, 1827. He was born in Newburyport, June 20, 1803, and grad- uated at Dartmouth in 1823. His ordination followed

1863

WEST NEWBURY.

soon after his graduation from the Andover Seminary in 1826. He was dismissed at his own request Au- gust 18, 1828, and after several short pastorates, he was settled over the First Congregational Society in Stonington, Conn., where in 1885 he had preached for twenty years, and was still in active service.

John Quincy Adams Edgell was ordained Septem- ber 19, 1832. He was born in Westminster, Vt., August 15, 1802; graduated at the Vermont Univer- sity in 1827 and at the Andover Theological Semi- nary in 1831. He was dismissed October 27, 1853, and for some years, until his death, acted as agent and assistant secretary of the Society for Promoting Collegiate and Theological Education at the West.

Davis Foster succeeded Mr. Edgell, and was ordain- ed November 1, 1855, remaining until his resigna- tion, September 1, 1867. He was born in Hanover, N.H., October 26, 1822, and graduated from Dartmouth, in 1849, and from the Andover Seminary in 1855. During his pastorate the removal of the meeting- house to its present position, which has been referred to, was made.

Another interval occurred after the resignation of Mr. Foster, during which the church was without a pastor, and which was not terminated until the instal- lation of Seneca M. Keeler, on the 13th of June, 1872, who was dismissed in 1878, and followed hy M. A. Doherty. Rev. Francis II. Boynton is now supply- ing the pulpit.

These parishes, the only ones which had been or- ganized in what is now West Newbury at the date of its incorporation, have been sketched somewhat in detail because they formed the nucleus round which a population gathered, which in time saw that its property and welfare demanded that the management of its affairs should be entrusted to its own separate municipal government. The first movement towards the incorporation of a new town appears to have been made in 1794, and in that year the town of Newbury voted to set off the three northwesterly parishes into a separate town by themselves, and to choose a com- mittee of nine persons, to see it equitably done, and on April 7th voted to choose a committee to petition the General Court to set them off. This vote was re- considered on the 23d of April. One of these three parishes was the Fifth Parish, incorporated in 1761, and located on the plains east of Artichoke River, and now a part of Newburyport.

No further action was taken until 1819. At that time the population of the town of Newbury was 4950, of which 1279 were resident within the district proposed to be set off. There was no striking dissimilarity in the occupation of the two parts of the town ; most of the people in both were engaged in farming and the in- dustries of hoth were small. Carriage-building and the manufacture of horn combs were carried on to a certain extent, but the value of the product was much less than at a later period. Many men of substance and character were resident in the westerly section,

whose families in one or another branch have become prominent in the Commonwealth. The Emerys, the Robinsons, Moultons, Pillsburys, Littles, Tenneys, Tukesburys, Smiths, Newells, Bayleys, Poors, Browns, Stanwoods, Kimballs and Ordways were men who knew in what direction to seek the welfare of their community, and were conscious of their capacity to regulate their own concerns. On the 18th of February, 1819, the following act of incorporation was passed by the General Court :

"AN ACT TO INCORPORATE THE TOWN OF PARSONS.

"Sec. 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Conrt assembled and by the authority of the same: That all that part of the town of Newhury in the county of Essex which lies within the following bounds to wit: Beginning on the river Merrimac where the river Artichoke empties into the same, and thence running up the said river Artichoke and through the middle thereof about 577 rods and 22 links to the New Log so called ; thence running south 25 de- grees east about 360 rods to the boundary line between the first and fourth parisbes in said town of Newbury ; thence running south 521% west by the said parish line to the southerly side of the road leading from Newburyport to the West Parish of Rowley ; thence running on the southerly side of said road to Great Rock so called ; and thence by the southerly side of said road to Johnson's corner, 528 rods and 2 links ; thence running by the honndary line of the 3d Parish of Newbury 385 rods and 24 links to the boundary line of the town of Bradford ; thence by said Bradford line to the said river Merrimac ; theore down said river Merrimac to the bound first mentioned ; be aud the said part of said town of Newhury hereby is incorporated into a town by the name of Parsons, and invested with all the powers, privileges and immunities, and subject to all the duties and liabilities to which other incorporated towns are subject by the constitution and laws of this Commonwealth.

" Sec. 2. Be it further enacted that the said town of Parsons shall be holden to pay one-third of all taxes which have been heretofore assessed by said towo of Newbury and remain unpaid at the time of the passage uf this act, and also the like proportion of all debts due and owing by said town of Newbury.

" Sec. 3. Be itfurther-enacted that the said towns of Parsons and Newbury shall respectively support and maintain the several persons and their families and all such as shall have a derivative settlement under them or any of them who are now chargeable and mentioned as allotted to said tow os respectively in a certain schedule thereof, entitled a state- ment of the expense of the poor of the town of Newbury agreed to on the 11th day of February, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and nineteen, and signed by the committee of the said town of Newbury of the one part and by the committee of divers inhabitants of the 2d and 3d Parishes of said Newbury being petitioners for the incor- poration of said Parsons of the other part ; and all other persons who shall hereafter be found chargeable to said towns shall be supported and maintained by tbem respectively, according to the general laws in this behalf, provided always that nothing in this act shall be construed to af- fect any agreement heretofore made between the towns of Newbury and Newburyport respecting the support of paupers ; but the said town of Parsons shall contribute its just proportion of all sums of money which said Newbury shall pay by force of such agreement ; said proportion to be ascertained by the State valnation from time to time made of the said towns of Parsons and Newbury.

* Sec. 4. Be it further enacted that the inhabitants of the said town of Newbury shall have, hold and enjoy to their own use and benefit forever all the real and personal estate belonging to the said town at the time of the passage of this act, excepting any real estate which may fall within the limits of the town hereby incorporated, and the said town of Par- sons shall pay to the said town of Newbury the sum of $4100 within twelve months froot the period last aforenamed.

" Sec. 5. Be it further enacted that the said town of Parsons shall contribute its just proportion to be ascertained as in the third section of this act of the expense of making a certain highway lately laid out in said Newbury and known by the name of Noye's Road whenever the said town of Newbury shall be compelled to muko the same.

" Sec 6. Be it further enacted that any Justice of the Peace of said county of Essex is hereby authorized to issue his warrant, directed to any freeholdler in the said town of l'arsons, requiring him to warn the in- habitants thereof to meet at the time and place therein appointed for

1861

HISTORY OF ESSEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

the purpose of choosing such town officers as towns are by law required to choose at their annnal meetings."

The name of the new town specified in the act not proving satisfactory to its people, on the 14th of June. 1820, the General Court passed the following :

"ACT TO CHANGE THE NAME OF THE TOWN OF PARSUNS.

" Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives, in General Court assembled nud by the authority of the same, That the name of the town of Parsons, in the County of Essex, shall cease, and the said town shall hereafter be called and known by the name of West New- bury, any law to the contrary notwithstanding."

Pursuant to the foregoing act of incorporation sundry inhabitants made application to one of the justices of the peace within the county, as follows :

" To Daniel Emery, Esq., one of the Justicos of the Peace within und for the County of Essex :

"We, the subscribers, freeholders and other inhabitants of the town of Parsons, judging a Meeting of said inhabitants to be necessary, do hereby request yon to issue a warrant for the calling of n meeting of said inhabitants, to be bolden at the East Meeting-Ilouse, in said town, ou Monday, the 8th day of March next, nt one o'clock in the afternoon, to act ou the following articles, viz. :

" To choose a Moderator to govern said meeting. To choose a Clerk, Selectinen, overseers of the Poor, and other town officers, as the law directs.

" l'arsons, February 24, 1819.

" Moses Brown. John Kimball.

Joseph Bayley, Jr. Caleb Kimball.

Benjamin Merrill. Charles Kimball.

Edward Ilogan, Benjamin Stanwood.

Joseph Stanwood. David Ordway, Jr. "

The warrant was duly issned, and at the meeting held on the 8th of March, 1819, Daniel Emery called the town to order, and was chosen moderator, and Thomas Hills was chosen clerk.

A board of three selectmen was chosen, and the following list shows who have served on the board from the incorporation of the town to the present town :

Moses Newell.

1861. N. F. Emery. Ichabod Titcomb. Eben P. Stanwood. 1862. Ichabod Titcomb. Moses Newell. N. F. Emery. 1863. Wm. Merrill. leo. Emery. Dean R. Stanwood.

1841. Moses Newell. Eliphalet Emery. Hiram Rogers.

1842. Eliphalet Emery. Ethinund Little. Moody Brickett.

1843. Moses Newell. Moses Carr. John Coker.

1844. Thos. S. Ordway. Moses Newell. John Bartlett.

1845. Edinnnd Little, Jr.

Ira Blake. Samuel Rogers, Jr.

1867. Samuel Rogers. Win. Merrill. Jos. Newell.

1868. Samuel Rogers. Denn R. Stanwood. W'm. Merrill.

1869. Geo. W. Carr. W'm. Merrill. Chas. W. Ordway.

1870. Geo. W. Carr. Chas. W. Ordway. Edmund Little.

1871. Win. Merrill. Chas. W. Ordway. Geo. W. C'arr.

1872. Chas. W. Ordway. Geo. W. Carr. Edumind Little.

1851. Moses Newell.

John L. Plminer. George Emery.

1873. Chas. W. Ordway. Geo. W. Carr. Edmund Little.

1852. Eliphalet Emery. N. F. Emery. David Smith.

1833. Nehemiah F. Emery. Eliphnlet Emery. Ichabod Titeomb.

1854. Ichabod Titcomb.

N. F. Emery.

1876. Same.

John Moody.

1877. Chus. W. Ordwny.

1855. N. F. Emery.

Henry D. Lay. llenry T. Bailey.

M. Il. Poor. . Ichabod Titcomb.

1878. S:Line.

1856. Ichabod Titcomb.

1879. Chas. W. Ordway.

W'm. Pilsbury.

1831. Moses Newell.

Stephen C. Noyes.

1857. N. F. Emery.

1880. Same.

Eliphalet Emery. Edmund Little.

Sammel Rogers, Jr.

Ichabod Titcomb.

1881. Same.

1822. Eliphalet Emery.

1832. Sminuel Rogers, Jr. Daniel Moulton. Otis Little.

Calvin Rogers.

1882. Chas. W. Ordway. Jos. Watson. Richard Newell.

1823. Moses Newell.

1833. Moses Newell.

Samuel N. Bailey.

1883. Same.

Eliphalet Emery. Joseph Stanwood.

John Coker.

Ichabod Titcomb.

1885. Same.

1824. Eliphalet Emery.

1834. Mopce Newell.

Thos. C. Thurlow.

1886. Same.

Samuel Tenney. Thomas Chase.

Otis Little.

1825. Sammuel Tenney.

1835. Ofie Little.

David Sawyer.

Eliphalet Emery. David Ordway, Jr.

Eliphiulet Emery.

1826. Eliphalet Emery.

1836. Eliphalet Emery. Moses Newell. Otis Little.

1827. Samuel Tenney. Mhphalet Emery.

Eliphalet Emery.

Dean Robinson,

1825-29

Moses Newell 1853

Daniel Emery.

1830-31

Dean Robinson

1854-55

David Sawyer.

Hanson Ordway.

1838. David Sawyer.

George Thurlow. Otis Little.

Otis Little

1840

Denn Robinson 1858-60

Eliphalet Emery.

1829. Addison Brown.

1819. Daniel Emery.

Joseph Stanwood.

Eliphalet Emery. David Sawyer.

Thomas ('base.

1830. David Sawyer.

1820. Joseph Stanwood. Thomas Chase.

Most's Newell. Samuel Carr.

Moses Newell.

Henry D. Lay. Richard Newell.

Moses Newell. Edmund Little.

Sumuel Rogers, Jr.

1859. N. F. Emery.

1884. Same.

1860. Ichabod Titcomb. N. F. Emery.

1887. Same.

The following persons have presided as moderator of the annual town-meetings :

Daniel Emery

IS19-20

Benj. F. S. Griffin. 1×47-48

Denn Robinson ..

1821-23

Moses Newell

1819-51

Samuel Tenney. .. 1824

Dean Robinson 1852

1837. George Thurlow.

Denn Robinson 1832-39

Moses Nowell. 1856-57

Moses Nowell 1841-46

Geo. W. Curr I861

1864. Gro. Emery. W'm. Merrill. N. F. Emery. 1865. W'ın. Merrill. N. F. Emery. Dean R. Stanwood.

1866. Dean R. Stanwood. W'm. Merrill. Geo. W. Carr.

1846. Eliphalet Emery. Moses Newell. Edmund Little, Jr.

1847. Moses Newell. Eliphalet Emery. Ilanson Ordway.

1848. Moses Newell. liauson Ordway. Edmund Little.

1849. Moses Newell. Win. II. Collin. Moses P. Stanwood.

1850. Thos. S. Ordway. Edmund Little.

Benj. Edwards.

1874. Clas. W. Ordway. Henry T. Bailey. John M. Poor.

1875. Chas. W. Ordwny. Henry T. Bailey. John M. Pour.

1821. Joseph Stanwood.

David Sawyer.

1858. Geo. Emery.

N. F. Emery.

Samuel Rogers, Jr.

Samuel Tenney. Mowe Newell.

1828. Smivel Tonney. Thomas Chase.

1839. Otis Little. Eliphalet Emery. Samuel Rogers, Jr. 1840. Samuel Rogers, JJr. Otis Little. Lucien A. Emery.

1865

WEST NEWBURY.

Nehemiah F. Emery ...... .1862-65 Moody E. Boynton, ... 1879

J. Gardner Tewksbury ..... 1866-70

Moses C. Smith .1880

Lawrence II. Bailey 1881 Haydn Brown .. 1871

James II. Durgin. 1872

Isaac N. Lane .. .1873

Ezekiel G. Nason 1887 Haydu Brown ... 1874-78

The town clerks have been as follows :

1819-33. Thomas Ilills.

1886-87. Eben P. Stanwood.

1834-85. John C. Carr.

At a town-meeting held on the 18th of March a committee of three, consisting of Daniel Emery, Jo- seph Stanwood and Thomas Chase, was appointed to mect a committee of the town of Newbury and settle all legal demands under the act of incorporation. At the same meeting the school districts were established and at the two meetings all town officers necessary to perfect the municipal machinery were chosen.

Up to and including 1856 the town system pre- vailed in the choice of Representatives to the General Court. During that time the following Representa- tives were chosen in West Newbury in the years set against their names :

1819-21. Daniel Emery.

1422. No Representative.

1823. Joseph Stanwood.

1824-25. Daniel Emery.

1826. Moses Newell.

1842. None.

1843. None. 1844. Enoch Bailey.

1845. Otis Little.

1846. None.

1847. None.

1835. John E. Bartlett.

Moses Carr.

1850~51. Benjamin Edwards. 1852. None.

1853. Jolın C. Carr.

1854. None.

1855. Joseph Z. Gordon.

1856. Benjamin Edwards, Jr.

In the election of 1850 a singular state of things existed. The whole number of votes was 246 and 124 was declared necessary for a choice. Mr. Edwards had 123. Three of the 246 votes were for John B. Alley, who was a candidate for Congress, and the meeting voted to throw out these three votes, leaving the whole number 243, of which 122 would be neces- sary for a choice. The effect of this was the election of Mr. Edwards, and he was declared chosen.

From 1857 to 1866, inclusive, the district system prevailed, and Newbury, West Newbury and Rowley formed the Seventeenth Representative District of Essex County. The Representatives from this dis- trict were as follows :

1857 .- Benjamin Edwards, Jr., of West Newbury.

1858 .- Gorbam P. Sargeut, of Newbury. 1859 .- Moses T. Whittier, of Rowley. 1860 .- Calvin Rogers, of West Newbury. 180I .- Nathan Adams, of Newbury. 1862 .- Amos Bishop, of Rowley.

1863 .- Eben P. Stanwood, of West Newbury. 1864 .- Wm. M. Rogers, of Newbury. 1865 .- Edward H. Potter, of Rowley. 117}

From 1866 to 1875, inclusive, Amesbury, West New- bury and Salisbury formed the First District of Essex County, aud the following were the Represen- tatives :

1866 .- Amos Buswell, of Salisbury; Addison A. Sawyer, of Amesbury. 1867 .- J. R. Huntingdon, of Amesbury; J. G. Tewksbury, of West Newimry.

1868 .- Joseph N. Clark, of Salisbury ; Wm. IT. Haskell, of Amesbury. 1869 .- William Merrill, of West Newbury; Wm. H. Ames, of Salis- bury.

I870 .- John Hume, of Amesbury; Charles L. Allen, of Salisbury.

1871 .- B. F. Sargent, of Amesbury; James H. Durgin, of West New- bury.

1872 .- Charles W. Morrill, of Salisbury; Richard F. Briggs, of Ames- bury.

1873 .- Joseph M. Eaton, of Salisbury; Moses Carr, of West Newbury. 1874 .- William Chase, of Amesbury; Charles M. Brown, of Salisbury. 1875 .- George W. Morrill, of Amesbury; Enoch Sawyer, of Salisbury.

From 1876 up to 1887, inclusive, Amesbury, Salis- bury, West Newbury and Merrimac have formed the Eighteenth District of Essex County, and the follow- ing Representatives have been chosen :

1876 .- Orlando S. Bailey, of Amesbury; Frederick W. Merrill, of Salis- bury.

1877 .- James D. Pike, of Merrimac; Samuel Coffin, of Salisbury.

1878 .- Albert S. Adams, of Amesbury ; Oriu Warren, of West New-

bury.

1879 .- William Smeath, of Amesbury; Charles P. Collins, of Salisbury. 1880,-Benjamin L. Fifield, of Salisbury; Richard Newell, of West Newbury.

1881 .- Albert Sargent, of Merrimac; Oliver A. Roberts, of Salisbury. 1882 .- Mark D. T. Steene, of Amesbury; David L. Ambrose, of West Newbury.

1883 .- John L. Little, of Salisbury; John B. Judkins, of Merrimac. 1884. - Alexander H. Huntingdon, of Amesbury; M. C. Smith, of West Newbury.

1885 .- Hiram Walker, of Salisbury; George O. Goodwin, of Merrimac. 1886 .- Alexander Smart, of Merrimac; John H. Paisland, of Ames- bury.

1887 .- John C. Risteen, of Amesbury; Charles Goss, of Amesbury.

At the time of the incorporation of West Newbury its industries were unimportant, yielding a product of not more than forty thousand dollars per year. They have increased largely since, and consist chiefly of establishments for the manufacture of shoes and combs. The comb manufacture was the earliest per- haps of all, dating back to the year 1770. It origi- nated in an enterprise projected by Enoch Noyes, a farmer, for the manufacture 'of horn buttons. He worked in the kitchen of his house during the winter, having as his only tools a hatchet, a saw, a bit of glass and a woolen polishing rag. After the battle of Bennington he hired a IIessian comb-maker, who was a deserter from Burgoyne's army, who taught him the use of the grail, the guarrett and other con- trivances for the manufacture of combs and their prep- aration for the market. The business thus begun by Mr. Noyes has been continued by his son, grandsons and great-grandsons. About the year 1830 there were twenty-five or thirty shops in West New- bury in which combs were made, and the manufac- turers would take them to Boston and sell them and bring back horns in their one-horse wagons. There are now but two establishments; but these, by the use of steam, turn out a much larger product than all

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

History of Essex County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. II, Part 213

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) ed Publication date: 1888 Publisher: Philadelphia, J. W. Lewis & Co. Number of Pages: 1672

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) ed
Publication date: 1888
Publisher: Philadelphia, J. W. Lewis & Co.
Number of Pages: 1672