History of Essex County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. II, Part 228

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 228

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).

About 1651, the road ever since known as Mill Street was laid out; and for more than a hundred years, it was known as the " Great Road" leading into the village.

In 1652, the town voted Mr. Ward, the "Teacher," a salary of fifty pounds ; also, "that if any one or more shall be disenabled to pay his proportion, that then the rest of the inhabitants shall pay it for him or them to Mr. Ward."

In that year the General Court changed the time for elections iu towns from November to March ; and with the exception of a short period, the town meet- ings were held in March, so long as there were town meetings.

A prison, the second in the colony, was that year built at Ipswich. Haverhill donated four pounds seven shillings, to Harvard College. According to the custom of their Saxon, ancestors, the flocks and herds were pastured together; and in 1652, James George was appointed town's herdsman ; his pay was twelve shillings and six pence a week, in Indian corn and butter. "He was to keep ye herd faithfully as a heard ought to be kept ; if any be left (strayed) on the Sabbath when ye towne worship, they who keepe are to goe ye next day, doing their best indeavore to find them." He was not permitted to turn his flock into

the pasture on the Sabbath, until the "second beat- ' Haverhill "to take church notice thereof?" and the

ing of the drum"-when the people would be gone to meeting.

In 1654 died Thomas Dow, the first adult to die in the settlement.

The ox-common (south of Kenoza) was enlarged

and the whole ordered to be fenced. "All those that will join in the fencing of it, shall have a proportion in it according to the fence they make and maintain, provided that none shall keep more than four oxen in it." Thirty-four persons helped to build the fence and were entitled to keep an equivalent of ninety-two oxen within it. Only oxen, steers and horses were to pasture there. There were other ox-commons, but none so large as this. Some were of only a few acres, for single individuals; others for a number. But this was the great ox-common.

There being no ferryman in 1655, the General Court ordered Robert Haseltine, of Bradford, to keep a ferry, charging " 4d. a person, if they pay presently ; and 6d. if bookt ; and keepe entertainment for horse and man, for one yeare, unless the General Court take further orders." The year previously the General Court enacted that ministers should be respectably maintained in the several towns; in case of neglect the county courts were directed to assess a tax for that purpose. Notwithstanding the liberal vote of 1652 as to Mr. Ward's salary, there were some, as speedily as 1656, who thought it exorbitant. So great was the disturbance that the council of magis- trates intervened August 14th, 1656. Difficulties also existed at Salisbury. The order recites the existence of differences in the two churches, that the council has hereto advised them to convene councils from the neighboring churches to which they have not in- clined, and orders the churches in Boston, Cambridge and Ipswich, to send each of them respectively two messengers to meet at Haverhill, August 27th, at 8 o'clock A. M., and "at Salisbury the day after their issuing or rising from Haverill for ye ends above ex- prest." Mr. Robert Clements, of Haverhill, and Mr. Samuel Hall of Salisbury, "shall take care for the entertainment of the sayd councill & all persons concerned therein who shall be sattisfied by the Treasurer." One member of the council was that able but bigoted John Norton, who had been colleague at Ipswich with Nathaniel, John Ward's father, and who, in this very year, was called to the first church in Boston, whom the Quakers scornfully called "the chief priest."

There were other than pecuniary difficulties at Haverhill, as appears from the minutes of the coun- eil which, upon the second branch, Chase prints at length. There were knotty points of casuistry, which may be more briefly stated. Henry Palmer, a mem- ber of the church in Haverhill, having been by a public arbitration censured as a delinquent in point of defamation of Robert Swan, a member of the Rowley Church, was it the duty of the church of

council held that it was. But, second, the church at llaverhill is not concluded as to its determination by "the censure of ye arbitratours, . " Because their institution, meanes & ends are divers."

Third. Goodman Palmer did well in presenting the

1926

HISTORY OF ESSEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

case, and "there was too great appearance of mu h iniquity on Goodman Swain's part." Yet as "the witnesses are detected of such falsehood " as renders them incompetent to establish a matter before the church ; therefore "Goodman Palmer was not without sin." The acknowledgment hereof is commended to Brother Palmer; "so we desire it may be accepted of the church, and that in such manner as his infirmity herein (too common unto ye best) being forgiven, all regular zeale against sin both in them and others may receive dne encouragement."

This case does not require a positive decision whether or not Robert Hazleton gave testimony on oath or not. If it was so taken, it is of no consequence to the church, " Before which a matter is not to stand without two or three witnesses." There being then so much for the negative, and no positive testimony, save that of Thomas Aires, the church cannot receive it as a truth.

"Hence wee conceive the act of Thomas Aires. in charging and urging the prosecution of those Brethren in a church way, who said it was not taken, and that to the Hindrance of the celebration of ye Lord's Supper, then intended to be irregular and in the na- ture of it of much ill consequence."

The Council subsequently reported to the General Court that " through the blessing of God the differ- ences were in a good measure composed, and their ministers settled amongst them." They decided that Mr. Ward should be paid fifty pounds per annum, in wheat, rye and Indian corn. They also specified how Mr. Ward's rate should be made and collected. Men were to be appointed yearly " to cut, make and bring home his hay and wood," who were to be paid out of his salary."

For these gracious determinations, the next Court directed the constable of Haverhill to levy by way of rate, on the inhabitants of Haverhill, the sum of £12, 19%. for the satisfaction of Mr. John Clements for the charges expended in Ilaverhill " about the Council."

These events do not seem to have prejudiced the people against Mr. Ward. At a meeting in 1660, ten aeres of meadow and two hundred acres of upland were set apart as parsonage land for Mr. Ward and his successors, and when, in 1669, he made a com- plaint of want of wood, the town voted to add ten pounds to his salary (making it sixty), and that the Selectmen should annually expend it in procuring him cord-wood at six shillings per cord. This pro- vided for about thirty cords, a liberal, but not extrav- agant allowance, for those days of great open fires.

It appears that at this time the first half of Mr. Ward's salary was paid by a " collection of estates " in August, and all other charges were paid by "a col- lection of estates in November or December, annu- ally." Upon notice by the Selectmen, every man should bring in to them an account of his estate; if he refused or neglected to bring in an account, or

brought in a false one, it was "in the power of the Selectmen to rate such persons by will, and doom as they please upon account of their defect."

Michael Emerson came into the town in 1656, and settled near the White house on Mill Street. He was offered a grant of land if he " would go back into the woods," which he did. He settled not far from the corner of Primrose and Winter Streets. The land south of Winter Street was part of the tract originally granted him, and Emerson Street preserves his name. Hle married Hannah Webster, and his eldest daugh- ter, Ilannah, marrying Thomas Duston, became, eas- ily, the most famous woman Haverhill has produced. Capt. Nehemiah Emerson, a descendant of Michael, marched on the " Lexington Alarm," leaving his work behind him. He rose from a private to be captain, serving through the whole Revolutionary War, and visiting his home but once. There were also four of his brothers in that army. Chase is authority for the statement that General Washington specially commended Capt. Emerson to a well-known citizen of Haverhill, in later years.

It has been mentioned that William Simmons was ferryman from 1657 over the "Great River." The town directed that if he had only a canoe, he was to ferry single persons for two-pence, and cattle for four- pence each ; but if he provided a suitable boat, he should have six-pence a head for cattle, two-penee for sheep and hogs, and three-pence for strangers.

William Simmons was the only new-comer who shared in the third division of meadow, laid out in 1658, at the rate of half an aere to an acre of accom- modation, when forty-one persons drew lots.

At that meeting it was voted that if any person had no convenient road to his upland or meadow, upon complaint to the town, two men should be chosen to lay one out for him, whose charges should be defray- ed by the town. So many of these roads were laid out that in after years committees had to be sent out to hunt some of them up.

The first deed, apparently, brought to record, was one from Thomas Sleeper and wife to William White, October 11, 1659.

In that year a fourth division of upland was laid out beyond Spiggot River (Spicket), now partly in Salem, N. H. It was to be bounded south by the Merrimac, north by Shatswell's pond, west by the town's bounds, and to run eastward until all the lots were drawn. There were forty-nine lots, of which all but three were drawn. They were a mile long, at the rate of twenty acres to one of accommodation land or house-lot.

The old settlers had begun to draw the lines and to fortify and prepare to defend their titles. In this year they voted that no man should be taken into town as an inhabitant or " town-dweller " without the consent of the town. Also, that none should vote in town affairs without the consent of the town, except as the law gave them the right.

1927

HAVERHILL.

John Clement was probably the first citizen of Haverhill who sailed for Europe. He was drowned on the outward voyage, in 1659, and his brother John was appointed administrator, who seems to have vis- ited England and Ireland in the discharge of his duties.

Notwithstanding their best efforts, the inhabitants were still without a blacksmith in 1658, when Mr. Ward and nineteen others bought Joseph Jewett's house and land for twenty pounds, which they gave to John Johnson, before of Charlestown, provided he would live here seven years, following the trade of a blacksmith, and promising not to work for anybody who refused "to pay towards this purchase until they bring under the selectmen's hands that they will pay." Unlike his predecessors, John Johnson kept his agreement. The house was on the site of the present Exchange building, Water Street. Till 1853, the estate was occupied by the family of Bailey Bartlett, who was a lineal descendant of John Johnson. For two hundred years blacksmithing was carried on in the town almost or quite constantly by some of his descendants, near the spot of his original location.

John Heath, Thomas Lilford and Daniel Ella are names appended to the Johnson agreement, which we have not beforg met.

At the session of the General Court, in October, 1647, it had been enacted that every township num- bering fifty householders should forthwith appoint some one to teach the children to read and write, "whose wages shall be paid either by ye parents or masters of such children, or by ye inhabitants in general, as ye major part of those that order ye prudentials of ye towne shall appoint."

When any town should increase to the number of one hundred householders, they should set up a Grammar School, where youth might be fitted for the university. In case of neglect by any town for a year to discharge this duty, it should pay five pound to the next school "till they shall perform this or- der."

In 1647 the town of Haverhill had not fifty house- holders. It was fonrteen years before it provided a schoolmaster, and there were periods afterwards in which it obviously neglected its legal duty. As late as 1816 a distinguished native of the town wrote: "This town has never been remarkable for its liberal support of schools. . . No other provision has ever been made for schools than is required by law." That was seventy years ago, and it is believed much has since been done to remove that reproach, if it were then deserved.

The first instructor employed by the town was Thomas Nasse, a peripatetic schoolmaster, who, at different times, taught in Chebacco Parish of Ipswich (now Essex) and at Newbury, where he died, May 18, 1691. His salary was ten pounds from the town, and what he could obtain by private arrangement,

from the parents or guardians of his pupils. He kept school in Haverhill from 1660 to 1673, and per- haps later. Previous to 1670 the school had been kept in some private house, but in that year order was taken for the building of a school-house "as near the meeting-house that now is as may be, which may be convenient for the keeping of a public school in & for the service of a watch-honse, & for the enter- tainment of such persons on the sabbath days at noon as may desire to repair thither, & shall not re- pair between the forenoon & afternoon exercises to their own dwellings, which house is to be erected upon that which is now the town's common land or reserved for public use."

Voluntary contributions were expected for build- ing the school-house, but if not sufficient, they were to be laid aside, and the whole charge paid by a pub- lic rate upon the inhabitants. William White, Peter Ayers and Nathaniel Saltonstall, all were put in charge of the business, which perhaps, did not look alto- gether promising, as Master Nasse's salary for 1668 was then in arrear, and was not paid till some time afterward.

In 1672 it was voted "that the Selectmen shall hire Thomas Nasse for a schoolmaster, to learn such as shall resort to him to read and write as formerly, who shall be the settled schoolmaster for the town until the town take further order, provided that they do not allow the said Thomas Nasse more than ten pounds by the year, he having the like liberty to agree with the parents or masters of those that come to him as formerly." Next year the salary was " taken off, and no more to be allowed or voted for." It was perhaps thought that the amount received from parents or masters was sufficient for his com- pensation. The schoolmaster, probably, did not find it such, and threw up the job; for the records of Ipswich Court, for March, 1687, contain the follow- ing: "The court having called the presentment of Haverhill for not having a schoolmaster, according to law, in their towne, & finding that there is some provision made for the present, for teaching chil- dren, they are released upon that presentment ; but the court judging that what is now done and pro- vided by them doth not answer the law, nor is con- venient to be rested in, doe order that the town, before the next court at Ipswich, provide an able and meet schoolmaster, that may constantly attend that ser- vice, as is usual in such cases, and that the scoole be kept neare the centre of the town." The last pro- viso would indicate that here, as in many towns at that period, the school was made to meander about, for the convenience of the neighborhood or the master.

It may be conjectured that the town's compliance with the order of the court was merely perfunctory. For ten years the records were not burdened by any reference to a school.

November 9, 1685, a meeting was held " in order to supply, and the pointing a fit person to keep school

1923

HISTORY OF ESSEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

in this Town, and make it his only employ to mn- struct the children or young men, or any of the in- habitants of Haverhill, in reading and in writing, and in eyphering;" and the selectmen were given full power to provide such a person, and agree with him to keep school until the next annual meeting, provided they did not agree to give him, on the pub- lic account, more than four pounds in corn till that time. And the following agreement is recorded under the same date :

" We whose names are underwritten have agreed with Mr. James Chadwick to keep the school, to endeavor to teach such as shall resort to him, as they shall desire to read, or write, or cypher, or all of them, | checked upon finding that the town had been until the next aunnal meeting in February next, for which service of his he shall be paid by the town in general three pounds, besides what he shall have or agree with the scholars for, or their parents or masters, or for want of agreement the said Mr. Chadwick, in his demands not to exceed what usually is paid in other places for schooling, viz .: to have by the week for a Reader 00. 04, & for a writer 00. 06 (six pence).

" Dated November 9, 1685, by us. ROB'T. AYER. SIE, DAW. Selectmen. JOSI'H. GAGE.

". And consented unto by the other 2.

" JNO. PAGE, JUN. SIM. WAINWRIGHT."

Selectmen.

The vote and the agreement closely followed the lines of the law of 1647. The vote also indicates that some of the adult inhabitants might possibly be expected to avail themselves of the schoolmaster's abilities.

At the next annual meeting, the selectmen were «lirected " to agree with Mr. Chadwick or any other person, to make it his employ to keep school in Haverhill for the year ensuing." In 1695, the select- men were ordered to attend to the settling of "Schools of learning" in town, and to "settle a suit- able schoolmaster according to law."

The "Schools of learning" were hardly those of Padua or Paris, and we may judge, from the proceed- ings of the year 1700, that the town was not inelined, even yet, to go any further in this direction than the law imperatively required. In that year, a building was ordered to be erected for watch-house, school- house, and for any other use to which it might be appropriated. It was built on what is now Main Street, near the top of the hill, and faced the Merri- mae (on the then commons).

June 3d, a grammar school was ordered to be es- tablished immediately, and Mr. Richard Saltonstall was appointed to procure a suitable instructor. In July, thirty pounds were raised to be appropriated for that purpose : and the selectmen were ordered " to write a letter to the scholar that Richard Saltonstall had treated with or some other meet person, to write him to come and be the schoolmaster for this town of Haverhill." The step was a bold one, but their cour- age failed them, for September 12, 1701, at a meeting called to see about a schoolmaster, when "The ques- tion being moved by some of the inhabitants whether the town is obliged by the Law to be provided with a Grammar schoolmaster-Yea or no ; the Town an-

swers in the negative and therefore do not proceed to do it, because they do not find they have the number of one hundred families or householders which the law mentions."

Among the town charges for 1701, appears the fol- lowing item: "to the schoolmaster £6," which was ordered paid.

June 5, 1702, the seleetmen being ordered to get a schoolmaster for this year "with all the speed they possibly can," engaged one Mr. Tufts and agreed to pay him thirty-four pounds for his services. One's wonder at this hitherto uuexampled liberality is once more presented for being destitute of a school, and, notwithstanding this spasmodie effort, was made to pay its fine.

July 21, 1703, a meeting was held to see about a schoolmaster, which was adjourned to August 18th, and then to September 15th, when, " After much dis- course about getting a schoolmaster, the town, in consideration of their troubles with the Indians, re- solved to do nothing in the premises." Other towns, also urged the same disability, and, in Novem- ber, 1705, the General Court made an order, exempt- ing all towns of less than two hundred families from keeping a grammar school for three years, on account of the general impoverishment caused by the Indian Wars.

Slight efforts were made to supply the lack of public grants by private enterprise. September 2, 1707, Thomas Ayer petitioned the commoners " for a small piece of land to set a house on near the meet- ing-honse that so said Ayer's wife might be the better accommodated for the keeping of school to teach chil- dren to read." The selectmen were empowered to Jay him out a piece for that purpose, to enjoy during her life-time. Alas ! Ayer's wife, born Ruth Milford, with her youngest child, Ruth, was killed by the Indians, August 29, 1708. The disconsolate widower, marrying the widow Blasedell, they gave to their only child, in 1711, the name of the massacred mother and child.

Obadiah Ayer kept a school half the time in 1710 and 1711, for which the town paid him £15 each year. Ilis did not rise, however, to the dignity ofa grammar school, as he only taught "reading, writing and cyphering."

Obadiah Ayer, of Haverhill, graduated at Harvard in 1710.

Much is said, in these days, about the general dis- position to neglect civie duty, especially as to muni- cipal affairs. Our fathers took summary measures to check this tendency. We have seen two respectable citizens fined tor not getting to town meeting in sea- SOI. In 1650, it was voted that the name of every freeholder should be kept in the town's book, and he should attend town meeting when legally named : "and having lawful warning he is to come within " half an hour after the meeting is begun and continue

1929

HAVERHILL.

until sunset if the meeting hold so long, under the penalty of halfe a bushel of Indian corn or the value of it."

It has been stated that in the beginning, it was voted that lands should be divided according to the estate possessed by each man, up to two hundred pounds, and that rates or taxes should be assessed ac- cording to the land allotted to each. There being only one or two persons who reached the maxi- mum of estate, and only one, so far as appears whose property went beyond it, this was a sufficiently con- venient and equitable way of making taxes. At first all were shareholders, partners. Then there began to come in persons without estate, of whom not much account was taken at first. But, as their number in- creased, the original settlers and partners finding that their township was popular and that new settlers were arriving fast enough so that there was no longer occa- sion to offer them inducements, came to the not un- natural conclusion that those who had ventured out into the wilderness and endured privations, ought to enjoy the fruit of their enterprise. In other words, they determined that to them, their heirs and succes- sors alone, belonged not only the lands already divided, but the common lands still remaining. Not- withstanding great opposition, to be dealt with more at length in another place, they carried their point, and maintained their ground. But this condition of things, while it recognized them as owners of all the lands, left them as such liable also to bear in taxation all the burdens of the community. It was necessary to take another step. Accordingly, in 1657 it was voted that if any person moved into town who was not a freeholder, he should be taxed for the support of church and State, according to his “ visible es- tate," or by estimation of the Selectmen.

In 1662, the great ox-common was divided into lots which were distributed to those entitled to pasture in it ; and although smaller ox-commons continued to exist, every man had a right to have his share set off to him in severalty, and the tendency now was strongly toward individual ownership.

The following order, adopted by the town of Ipswich, March 15, 1660, shows very clearly that his- torically the general course of things in the colony was such as we have indicated for Haverhill. The pioneers in the day of small things offered induce- ments by the grant of lands to insure themselves useful citizens and good neighbors ; when their towns became firmly established, they looked upon new-com- ers with jealousy, as seeking to obtain privileges they had not labored for, and determined to secure the residue of their common lands to themselves. "For as much as it is found by experience, that the com- mon lands of this town are overburdened by the mul- tiplying of dwelling houses, contrary to the interest and meaning of the first inhabitants in their granting of house lots and other lands to such as came among them ; to the end such inconveniences may be pre-

vented for the future, it is ordered that no house, henceforth erected, shall have any right to the com- mon lands of this town, nor any person, inhabiting such house, make use of any pasture timber or wood growing upon any of said common lands, on pretext of any right or title belonging to any such house hereafter built, without express leave of the town. It is further ordered, that the Seven men, in behalf of the town, petition the next General Court, for the confirmation of this order." In accordance with the petition thus outlined, and, undoubtedly in concur- rence with the desires of the major and most wealthy and influential portion of Haverhill and other towns similarly situated, the General Court passed a law, May 30, 1660, that " no cottage or dwelling shall have commonage, except those now built, or which may be by consent of the commoners or towns."

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 228

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