History of Essex County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. II, Part 239

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 239

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The town voted to pay the expenses of his funeral, which amounted to £34 98. 6d.

This year the town's ofd book of " Grants & Order " was found to be lost, and a committee was chosen to find it. The committee each spent three days in the business and the whole expense was £4 16s.

John White attended on the committee two days, and James Sanders made a journey to Salem to hunt the volume up. The book was finally found and or- dered delivered to the town clerk. Probably it had been taken by some person in the course of the liti- gition or preparations for it, about the common and undivided lands.

In 1711, John Swett, a native of Newbury, was appointed ferrymen at the Rocks, where it is said there were not then more than two houses. Indeed. it is believed that on account of the Indian wars the population of the town had increased but little in thirty years.

The next year the town abated half the ministerial and school rates of Henry Bodwell and eight others, living in the part now Methuen, on account of their difficulty in attending upon either meeting or school, by the reason of the great distance.

Petitions also began to be received from persons living in remote parts of the town for schools in their own locality. Thus, in 1711, Joseph Emerson and fifteen others asked for a school-house in the north- west part of the town, near Job Clements', and a school one quarter of the year, " that they might have the benefit of having their children brought up to learning as well as the children of those that live in the centre of the town." John Sanders and eighteen others living in the northeasterly part of the town asked for a school-house and school "near the house of Mr. John Whittier, on the common, between the two bridges & between the house of Daniel Ela and the Country road." Both petitions were granted and the selectmen were ordered to provide a school-mas- ter; whilst a committee was chosen to build the school-houses, which were to be "20 ft. long, 16 ft. wide & 8 ft. stud & finished so as may be comfortable & convenient." In 1714 a petition was received from Peter Green and eleven others, asking for a school- house in the northwesterly part of the town, " be- tween Hogbill and the brick kill bridge," but the re- quest was denied, because "very few, if any, persons voted for it."

Obadiah Ayer, who taught the school in the village for a number of years about this time, was a son of Captain Samuel, who was killed in the fight with the French and Indians, August 29, 1708. Obadiah, born in 1689, graduated at Harvard in 1710 and studied for the ministry. He was a man of talent and power, but subject to occasional attacks of mental alienation, when he was cared for in Boston, it is said, at lodg- ings provided for him by his particular friend, John (?) Hancock.

In 1713, instead of electing tythingmen, the select- men and constables were ordered " to regulate the conduct of disorderly boys on the Sabbath in the meeting-house."

Eleven more women asked permission in 1714 to build a " women's pew " in the meeting-house. The matter was referred to the selectmen.

At the same meeting the selectmen were "desired to seat the negroes in some convenient place in the meeting- house, if they can." The pew was estab- lished, and afterwards there was always a "negro pew," as long as there were negroes. The "negroes" were slaves, though generally called "servants."

After the Indians taken in King Philip's War, who were regarded as rebels against the government, were sold as slaves, there was not much said against slavery for a long time in Massachusetts. They sent rum and pipe-staves to the West Indies and rum and trinkets to Africa, and brought back a few slaves. Some slaves were brought to Boston in slave vessels. The

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courts held that the Constitution of 1780, declaring all men free and equal, liberated the slaves. There is a letter in the Massachusetts archives from Chief Justice Sergeant, of Haverhill, on this subject.

Just before the Revolution, when people were all talking about the rights of man, men's consciences began naturally to grow more tender about holding fellow-beings in subjection, no matter by what name the relation was called. In fact, the slave in Massa- chusetts was generally a house servant or chore boy. Sometimes they were employed on the land. A few of the most intelligent were sail-makers, ship-car- penters and blacksmiths.

In 1763 slaves were more numerous than at any other time. There were then 5214 blacks, or 45 to 1 of the population, but among them were some free- men.

" Hopewell, an Indian servant of John Hutchins," died in Haverhill in 1668, Mr. Rolfe's "negro woman," Hagar, who saved the children from the Indians, "owned the covenant and was baptized," with her three children, by Rev. Mr. Gardner in 1711. In 1723 Rev. Mr. Brown had an Indian servant, as appears from his own entry, "Baptized Phillis, an Indian girl, servant of John and Joanna Brown." In 1728 Mr. Brown baptized " Mariah, negro servant of Richard Saltonstall." March 29, 1709, Colonel Richard Saltonstall's bonse was blown up in the night time with powder, as was supposed through the vin- dictive ageney of a negro wench in his family, whom he had severely corrected for some misbehavior. The Indian troubles not being over, his house was still garrisoned with soldiers, but no lives were lost.

Rev. Mr. Bacheller, of the West Parish, had a negro, who died March 24, 1785, -"Nero, servant to ye Revd Mr. Bacheller." He had another named "Pomp," of whom stories are told. There were " negroes" or servants in the East as well as the West and First Parishes. Miss Rebecca I. Davis has re- cently, in her "Gleanings from the Merrimac Valley," printed interesting notes about some of the last of these slaves-Prince and Nancea, servants of Amos Davis, and Peter, whose name is commemorated in " Peter's Ridge."

The children of these negro servants were generally regarded as ineumbrances, and given away when weaned, like puppies.

In 1674 there were in Haverhill twenty-five slaves, " of sixteen years old and upwards." Speaking ma- terially, this indicated a very comfortable degree of prosperity and substance. Slaves were entered as property in the town valuation lists from 1750 to 1776. In 1761 Rev. Samuel Bacheller and Joseph Haynes, of the West Parish, bitter and life-long oppo- nents, owned slaves. In 1753 John Cogswell, John Dimond, Benjamin Harrod, John Hazzen, Colonel Richard Saltonstall, William Swanten, John Sawyer and Samuel White owned slaves in the First Parish ; Moses Clements, Nathaniel Cogswell, James MeHard,

Samuel White, Samuel White, Jr., and John White in 1766. In the East Parish, Greelee, Morse, Peaslee, Hardey, Tyler and Moors owned slaves in different years.

Chase prints a bill of sale dated liaverhill, August 23, 1742, in which, for the consideration of one hun- dred and fifteen pounds, Nathaniel Cogswell, "trader" (Water Street), sells and warrants his "negro boy, Cæsar," to Samuel Phillips, Jr., of Andover, "trader." The latter was Samuel Phillips, of North Andover, son and descendant of the eminent ministers of An- dover, Rowley and Watertown, himself the father of Lieutenant-Governor Phillips, through whom much of his substance was devoted to founding Phillips Academy and the Theological Seminary. Eminent piety, usefulness and slave-holding were at that time quite compatible in Massachusetts.

In 1714 a town-meeting was adjourned, because of a "great fire in the woods, whereby the hay was in general and great danger." This was doubtless the hay eut in the summer in meadows adjoining the woods and lett to be hauled home on sleds in the win- ter.

The stocks probably wanted repairing this year, there being an item-" iron for the stocks, 38. 10d."

In 1714 the bounds of the town were renewed by Samuel Danforth, son of Jonathan, who had settled them forty-seven years before.

After 1693 highway surveyors had been regularly chosen, but it is believed no money was paid by the town for highways, excepting for building and repair- ing bridges, until 1715, when "Jotham Hendrick, surveyor," was allowed six shillings for "mending the highway." After that melancholy precedent, highway expenses became habitual. It probably will be admitted, however, that Haverhill highways have been proverbially inferior to those of most of the towns in Essex County. A lack of suitable material has doubtless been a principal cause of this habitual condition. In 1887 very considerable highway im- provements were carried on. If the work has been done with due economy, although burdensome to the city's finances, it will hereafter be regarded as money well expended. No wise community will indulge in the extravagance of imperfectly-constructed and illy- repaired highways.

After Mr. Gardner died the pulpit was supplied by various "candidates," among whom were Mr. Robert Stanton and Mr. Jonathan Cushing. July 27, 1716, at a church-meeting to choose a minister, Mr. Cushing received 20 out of 35 votes; and at a town-meeting, held the same day, he received 102 out of 136 votes. This vote probably shows about how many male church members and how many voters there were in the town at that time, as no business could be more important in their view. The town voted to offer Mr. Cushing the same salary they had given Mr. Gardner. It appears, however, there was a minority, who not only preferred Mr. Stanton, but were very much

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opposed to Mr. Cushing; so another meeting was called to hear what the minority had to urge. Then a committee was chosen to consult the Revs. Leverett and Brattle, of Cambridge, under whose advice a committee was chosen to treat with Mr. Fiske, who had also preached in the town. But they could not agree upon MIr. Fiske, and so resort was again had to the Cambridge divines. January 22, 1717, there was a meeting " to hear the advice of the Rev. Mr. Lev- erett (president of Harvard) and Mr. Brattle." The record does not tell us what their advice was, but the following was the first vote passed at the town meeting :

"Voted that the Rev'd Mr. Moody, Mr. Parson, Mr. Wise of Chebacco, Mr. Wells, Mr. Tappin & Mr. White, be desired with the Rev'd Mr. Barnard, Mr. Cushing, Mr. Symes & Mr. Tufts, in keeping a day of humiliation in our great affairs, on Wednesday, the sixth day of February next."

A committee was chosen to invite the ministers before named, and to receive their advice, and also to make provision for their entertainment on the day of the fast. Shall we hope that the "entertainment" was Lenten, as well as the day ?

The outcome of the fast was that the church selected the Rev. Joseph Parsons, of Lebanon, for minister. Then a town-meeting was called (May 28th ) to consider the matter. Mr. Parsons was at this time preaching in Haverhill, but as "a great many people were un- satisfied about his leaving his church at" Lebanon, papers were read in the town-meeting; among them, the determination of a council acquitting him "from crimes laid to his charge," and approving of his removal. The town voted that they were satisfied, and chose him as minister by a vote of 65 to 48, offering him a salary of one hundred pounds, with the use of the parsonage land and buildings. The minority, however, were so strongly opposed to his coming that at a meeting called August 13 the town reconsidered its former vote, with only one dissenting voice. This looked kindly, and a meeting was called October 30th " to forgiveall past offences that have been given among ns concerning the settlement of a min- ister, and agree in love and peace to consider and agree upon a suitable person to carry on the work of the ministry among us." The moderator, Ephraim Roberts, proposed that all who wished to signify " their desire for peace and love one towards another, and for the sending of a minister to preach with us," should move to the east end of the meeting-house. And all, except three or four, moved over. The meeting then adjourned. There had been a love-feast. Still there was another meeting November 12, but after "considerable discourse," it adjourned without accomplishing anything.

Sunday, October 21, 1716, was a very dark day, with much smoke, such as our generation has seen within a few years, though perhaps darker.

And Cotton Mather and others have told us great

stories about the prodigious snows between the 18th and 24th of February, 1717.

Early in February, 1718, Mr. "Samuel Chickley" was unanimously made choice of for their minister, to whom, two months afterward, the town gave a for- mal call, with an offer of one hundred pounds salary, and the use of all the parsonage land east of Sawmill River. They did not include the land west of the Sawmill River because they were now beginning to anticipate the future, "not knowing but what they may in some convenient time settle another minister there." Mr. Checkley declined the offer and became the minister at Church Green, in Boston.

Mr. John Brown, of Little Cambridge (Brighton), came next as a candidate, whom in October the peo- ple unanimously invited to settle with them, offering to him the same salary as before to Mr. Checkley. Mr. Brown, who graduated at Harvard in 1714, ac- cepted the invitation, and was ordained May 13, 1719. He married Joanna, danghter of Rev. Roland Cotton, of Sandwich. She was a great-granddaughter of the famous minister, John Cotton, of Boston, and also of John Ward, of Haverhill, through the latter's daugh- ter Elizabeth, wife of Nathaniel Saltonstall. Pastor Brown and his wife had ten children-six sons and four daughters. Four sons, educated at Cambridge, became ministers. Two died very young, of one of whom a good judge said he had " raised in his friends the fairest hopes." Thus the grand old min- isters paid their debt to learning, in educating their children. One of Mr. Brown's daughters married Rev. Edward Brooks, some time minister of North Yarmouth, Maine, through whom he had descend- ants, not only wealthy and distinguished, but some far away from the orthodox standard he upheld here.

The General Court, in 1718, granted the ferry known as Swett's to Haverhill and Newbury for forty years. The town granted all its right to John Swett if he would ferry over the inhabitants for " a penny a single person, and four pence for a man and horse."

In 1717 " Deacon John Haseltine " was moderator of one of the meetings about settling a minister, and afterwards was of all the meetings when ministerial business came to be considered, though not at other times. John White was also deacon at the same time and is said to have usually entertained the min- isters, probably at his new house, still standing on Mill Street, opposite the cemetery, one of the oldest houses in Haverhill, and probably, of its age, the best preserved. Somebody in those days, in every town, had to keep what was known as the "Minister's Tavern."

In 1718 there came to Boston one hundred and twenty families from the North of Ireland. They were descended from Scotchmen who emigrated to Ireland about the middle of the seventeenth century. They were rigid Presbyterians, and, in the latter

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days, are very proud of being known as "Scotch- granted by the General Court in 1720. Trustees were appointed to receive it, and were directed to let it out to individuals, inhabitants, in sums of £10 to £20, at five per cent. interest, payable annually. Like most grants of the character, it proved a delu- sion and a snare, and made trouble only. Irish." April 2, 1719, sixteen families landed from boats at Haverhill. Unluckily, the boats capsized, and men, women and children were upset in the river, much to the amusement of the villagers, who seem to have despised the poor Irishmen, whose ap- pearance and speech probably seemed to them nn- couth and ontlandish. One of their own countrymen had written some years before, "But Lord ! to see the absurd nature of Englishmen, that cannot for- bear laughing and jeering at everything that looks strange.'

Hearing of a fine tract of land about fifteen miles away, called Nutfield, from the abundance of chiest- nut, walnut and butternut trees, the men left their families in llaverhill and went to view the place. Being well pleased with it and finding it unappropri- ated, they concluded to locate there, having before had authority from the Assembly to make a settle- ment elsewhere. Building rude huts, they removed their families and took possession of their new homes April 11th (O. S.). In 1722 their settlement was in - corporated by the name of Londonderry, in memory of the famous siege. They introduced the potato into this region. Tradition says that William White first planted them in Haverhill; but when he had raised four bushels, did not know what to do with so many.

There were afterwards dealings and quarrels be- tween the Haverhill and the Nutfield people, and a branch of one at least of the Londonderry families has had strong root here for more than a century and i- regarded as " to the manor born."

In July, 1719, Henry BodweH and others petition- ed the town to grant or set them off a certain tract of land lying in the township of Haverhill, that so they might be a township or parish, but the request was denied. This was the beginning of a movement for a new town in the far west of Haverhill, which was only reasonable, but which was, of course, opposed as long as possible, according to the almost invariable usage in such cases.

At March meeting, 1719, Joshua Swan, Henry Bodwell and twenty-six others, petitioned the town to set aside and grant for "a privilege for the min- istry" about "fifty or sixty acres" in the west end of Haverhill, near " bare meadow," " together with a piece of land lying on a hill called meeting-house hill, in times past reserved by our forefathers for the use of the ministry, (and) which might in hard times make a convenient parsonage." This petition was granted "according to the proposals therein made," and in July following a committee was chosen to lay out the land. It is pleasing to observe that commoners and non-commoners laid aside their quarrels in this instance and made the grant by common consent.

October, 1720, a meeting was held to see about the town's proportion of the £50,000, "bank money,"

This year there was a new "seating of persons in the meeting-house." Death and changes had prob- ably made it necessary. It took the committee four days. llow long it took a second committee to seat the first, we are not told.

There seems to have been peace in church matters for a time after the settlement of Mr. Brown. Feeling had run very high. During the previous difficulties the people had at one time (1717) consulted some of the neighboring ministers-Revs. Thomas Symmes of Bradford, Moses Hale of Newbury, and Edward Payson of Rowley, who in their reply thought it "advisable " that the town should lay aside " their awful animosities." What with church quarrels and commons quarrels, the frequently occurring and stormy town-meeting must have given them plenty to think and talk about. After the questions about commons lands were settled-and there came a time when there were no more commons to fight about- there were plenty of other questions: the setting up of new towns, loss of territory, establishment of parishes. A Haverhill town-meeting doubtless ex- hibited a fierce democracy.

In 1720, the old writers say, " tea began to be used in New England." Some friend sent to Mr. Gile, of Haverhill, a pound of tea. His wife had heard that it was to be cooked by an infusion of water, so she set all of her tea boiling in a pot of water. Then, under the impression that it was to be used after the fashion of a vegetable, she added a solid piece of corned beef-with a result which can only be im- agined.

Coffee, Chase says, came in later. A party of gentlemen, about 1757, " put up "-not registered-at Lieutenant Ebenezer Eastman's tavern. They had brought a quantity of coffee with them as a luxury, which they transferred to the landlady to be pre- pared. Too proud to confess hier ignorance, Madame prepared it as she did her beans, by soaking a due time in cold water, and baking in the bean pot. Nevertheless, from a comparatively early day, the people of Haverhill village got into comfortable cir- eumstances, and a few of them had relations with the great world at Boston. There have been well-reputed taverns in Haverhill in former days, at least as early as the period we are now speaking of. New Hamp- shire began to be settled, people passed to and fro, and Haverhill, seated at the crossing of the river, was a convenient stopping-place. In 1718, Samuel Sewall, who had for twenty-five years been a justice of the Superior Court, was promoted to be a chief justice. Going circuit next year, he makes the following entry in his diary: " May 11, 1719. Set out with

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HISTORY OF ESSEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

Scipio " (negro ' servant ') " for York. ... Got over the ferry to Haverhill about sunset. The river there is very charming. Eat excellent salmon at Pecker's, carried a bushel of oats with us to Kingston, where we baited. Then took leave of Capt. Jno. Wain- wright, our pilot." This was undoubtedly John, the son of Sinon, killed by the Indians in 1708.

It has been mentioned that February 6, 1716, a great council and fast was held about the ministerial difficulties. " Rev. Mr. Moody's" name heads the list of ministers. A short time before, Judge Sewall minuted in his diary : " December 31, 1715-16. Mr. Moody of York goes home. Came in last night at 10. Is to preach at Haverhill to-morrow." One may conjecture that at this visit Mr. Moody suggested the solemn fast " for wisdom of heaven."

In 1723 three new school-houses were ordered built-one in the north part of the town, one in the northwesterly and the other in the westerly. It was also voted to hire a school-master, " to move for the town's benefit to the several parts of the town." Richard Hazzen kept school "three quarters "-one quarter at the house of Widow Mary Whittier. HIe was paid eleven pounds per quarter.

Four young gentlemen of the East Parish, Nathan- iel Peaslee, Jr., and others, asked leave to erect a seat in a "vacant place" in the meeting-house. They lived so far away "that, at anytime being belated, we cannot get into any seat ; but are obliged to sit sqneased on the stairs where we cannot hear the minister and so get little good by his preaching, though we endeavor to ever so much." Several young women asked a similar privilege to build a pew of their own. These were two Hazzens, two Clements, two Peaslees and Rachel Sanders.

Abiall Messer was allowed to keep a ferry near his house for five years. Messer lived, doubtless, in what is now Methuen.

In 1723 the selectmen ran the lines of Haverhill with the selectmen of Kingston, N. H., which then joined it.

In this year the town refused Captain Joshua Bayley, Ebenezer 'Eastman and others, liberty to fish in the river with a net, of which this is the first mention.

In the spring of 1721, Stephen Barker, and others, of the extreme west, petitioned the General Court for a new town, to be formed out of that portion of Haverhill above Hawke's Meadow Brook. The town appointed Capt. John White agent to oppose the petition. This, as has been intimated, has always been the course of things in Massachusetts. The Haverhill planters wanted a "Great town." They had one, but could not properly govern it. The people could not come ten miles to Sabbath and town meetings, and lectures, not to speak of schools. But the old town resisted dismemberment. Parti- tion has ever been resisted as long as possible in such cases, and countless woes predicted, both for

old and new. The old people are willing to do any- thing rather than let the children go and try their own fortune.

Thus, in November, 1725, the inhabitants of that section petitioned the town for a school there, which was voted ; also "ten pounds to pay a minister to preach there," if they got one that year. Still, the people above Hawke's Brook wanted to be a town of themselves, and the General Conrt made them one by the name of Methuen, December 8, 1725. Four years afterward a church was formed there and Rev. Christopher Sargeant was ordained its pastor, Nov- ember 5, 1729. In January following, the society petitioned the " Proprietor, of the common and undi- vided lands in Haverhill, and that part of Methuen formerly contained within the ancient bounds of Haverhill," for a parcel of land for a parsonage. The proprietors not only gave them the land for a parsonage, but gave the minister a piece for him- self.

In May, 1737, the inhabitants of the " second parish in Methuen, being about to buikdl a meeting- House," also asked the Haverhill proprietors for land. The proprietors voted them fifty acres, and also voted fifty to their first ordained minister. These lands were all in Methuen.

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History of Essex County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. II, Part 239

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