USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Newbury > History of Newbury, Mass., 1635-1902 > Part 19
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. . . that the inhabitants of Rowley living on the northwest side of the Bridge called Rye Plain Bridge, and on the northwest side of the hill
*"Ould Newbury," pp. 339-356.
t'Ibid., pp. 287-290 ; also pp. 392-393. House No. 184, on map of West Parish, p. 393, "Ould Newbury," was owned and occupied by John Brown in 1695.
# Newbury Town Records.
230
HISTORY OF NEWBURY
called Long hill and joined with the farmers of Newbury that doth border on us in building a new meeting house for the worship of God shall be abated their rates in the ministry rate in the town of Rowley if they maintain with the help of our neighbours at Newbury an Athoro- dox minister to belong to and teach in the meeting house that they have built, until such time as it is judged that there is sufficient number to maintaine in the northwest part of our towne a minister without the help of our neighbours of Newbury that doth border on us .*
February 20, 1703-4, the inhabitants of the parish, having met for consultation at the residence of Rev. Moses Hale, decided to call the place " Byfield " in honor of Col. Nathaniel Byfield, of Boston .; The Newbury part of the parish was set off October 21, 1706.
Upon reading the petition of the Inhabitants of The falls in ye town of Newbury, It was voted yt ye Dividing Line in reference to their pro- curing and maintaining a minister amongst themselves and for yt only, said Line shall begin att Rowley Rivers mouth, and so up said River to Rowley line & so all thence of the Southwardly side of the falls River & of the Northwardly side of the falls River, taking in John Cheney wth his land he lives on, and Mr Moodeys ffarm, and the ffarm com- only called Mr Longfellows ffarm, and MIT Gerishes farm, and the westerly part of ye farm called Thirlow farm until it comes to the Dividing line between Francis Thirlow farm & Thomas Thirlow farm, -for so long a time as they shall maintain an orthodox minister amongst them. #
May 13, 1707, the bounds and limits of the parish on the Rowley side were established.
Beginning at the great rock in Newbury line, at the head of the great swamp lots, and so along by the northwest end of those lots to Thomas Jewett's land, and so on between said Jewett's land and Rye plain land to the bridge called Rye plain bridge and so [on] the way that runs to Long hill, being at the path this side of Francis Nelson's house, and so to Long Hill, and so along to the road at the elder's plain that goeth to Samuel Brocklebank's farm and following on to the farm laid out as the right of Thomas Barker and so to Bradford line, and along as Brad- ford line runs to Newbury line.§
The parish was incorporated in answer to a petition signed by John Dummer in behalf of the inhabitants of Newbury
* Massachusetts Archives, vol. xi., pp. 344, 345.
t " Ould Newbury," pp. 291-300.
# Town of Newbury Records. § History of Rowley, by Thomas Gage, p. 96.
231
THE SETTLEMENT AT MERRIMACK RIVER
and Rowley " of the Parish or Precinct upon Newbury Falls commonly called Byfield." The petition states that the parish has been set off by the consent of both towns, and a church organized. He therefore asks that its inhabitants may be further established by an act or order of the General Court, and granted the privileges, immunities, and powers usually granted to such parishes, and that they may be author- ized to choose assessors and collectors to levy and collect taxes, etc .*
October 28, 1710, the General Court ordered
that the Precinct or District upon Newbury Falls sett off by Newbury & Rowley, commonly called Byfield, be an established, ac- knowledged Precinct within the Intent of the Law, To have, use & Exercise the Powers and Privileges by law granted to such, for the Maintenance & Support of the public Worship of God there: And for- asmuch as the Time for the anniversary choice of Officers for this Year is past. The Clerk of the said Precinct is hereby impowered that not- withstanding to warn a meeting of the Inhabitants, and they to proceed to choose assessors & a Collector for ye same.t
The Newbury part of Byfield parish is shown on the map on page 239, " beginning at the mouth of Rowley river," num- ber 9 on the map, running up that river to the Rowley line, marked R, and thence in a northwesterly direction to a bound of stakes and stones, numbered 15, and thence by a broken line to a point on a branch of the river Parker, marked N, and thence by the branch of said river to the bound begun at.
Several changes have been made in the boundary lines since 1785, to suit the convenience of the inhabitants of that neighborhood. Since the incorporation of Georgetown in 1838 the parish has formed a part of three towns ; namely, Newbury, Rowley, and Georgetown.
In the burying-ground adjoining the meeting-house erected by the inhabitants of Byfield parish there is a gravestone sacred to the memory of Mehetable, wife of William Moody, who died August 8, 1702. "She was the first interred in this place."
When the parish was incorporated, Stephen Longfellow,
* Massachusetts Archives, vol. xi., p. 344-
t Massachusetts Archives (Court Records), vol. ix., p. 74.
Wn Dummen
233
THE SETTLEMENT AT MERRIMACK RIVER
son of William Longfellow, paternal ancestor of the poet, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, was living at Newbury Falls, "at the place commonly known as ye high field," and Richard Dummer, jr., owned the farm, bounded on the northeast and the northwest by the river Parker (subsequently sold to Mr. Eben Parsons, brother of Theophilus Parsons), now known as the Fatherland farm .*
William Dummer, grandson of Richard Dummer, sr., was appointed deputy governor of the province of Massachu- setts Bay June 15, 1716, and held that office for fourteen years. From January 1, 1723, to July 28, 1728, while Samuel Shute, governor of the province, was in England, William Dummer occupied the gubernatorial chair ; and, after the death of governor William Burnet, September 7, 1729, he was again at the head of the government for nearly twelve months. He gave his dwelling-house and farm in Byfield parish to a board of trustees, with instructions that the an- nual income thereof should be "appropriated and set apart towards the maintenance of a grammar school master." A school-house was erected on the Dummer farm, and dedicated February 28, 1763. The next day the school, under the charge of Samuel Moody, of York, Me., as master, com- menced its regular sessions. It is still in successful operation, under the charge of Mr. Perley L. Horne, A.M. In 1782 an act of incorporation was passed by the General Court, provid- ing for the management and control of the school, under the title of "The Trustees of Dummer Academy in the County of Essex." t
The photo-engraving on the opposite page is taken, by per- mission of Mr. Joseph N. Dummer, of Rowley, from a half- tone plate in his possession. The portrait, painted previous to 1750, probably, from which the plate was taken, is the property of the trustees of the academy.
THIRD PARISH.
At a legal meeting of the inhabitants of the First parish in Newbury, held September 19, 1722, it was voted
*" Ould Newbury," pp. 305-312 and 327-330. t 1bid., pp. 313-325.
234
HISTORY OF NEWBURY
. . . that all the Inhabitants that Desire it, on the Northerly side of ye Lane called Chandler's Lane, and from the uper End of said Lane on a Strait Line to ye Northerly side of Capt John Marchs farm and thence on a strait Line to John Browns house untill it comes to ye Line of ye Second Parish for said Town, Shall Have Liberty to Build a meeting house for them selves In ye most Reasonable Place for the Convenience of said Inhabitants, and when they are Duly Quallified for it In ye Judgment of said Parish, are to be set off and freed from the Ministry for this Part of said Parish .*
The boundary line of the Third parish, beginning at the lower end of Chandler's lane (now Federal street, Newbury- port), marked E on the map on page 239, runs in a south- westerly direction to Capt. John March's farm, marked D, and thence to the line of the Second parish, marked C, and thence by the line of that parish to a point on the Merrimack river, numbered 25.
June 9, 1725, the inhabitants of the First parish voted that all persons living within the bounds and limits named in the order adopted September 19, 1722, that are willing to be set off, shall be freed from the maintenance of the ministry in the First parish. At this date a meeting-house had been erected in the centre of a triangular piece of land now known as Market square, Newburyport. It was dedicated June 25, 1725.
A few individuals in the vicinity of Chandler's lane, and a considerable number residing in the northerly part of the new parish, objected to the bounds and limits agreed upon, and appealed to the General Court for relief. A committee ap- pointed by the house of representatives November 26, 1725, the governor and council concurring, after careful investiga- tion reported in favor of incorporating the parish, eight fam- ilies living beyond the dividing line, on the southerly side of Chandler's lane, to be set off with their estates to the new parish. This report was read and accepted at a session of the General Court held December 18, 1725.t
March 22, 1726-7, the inhabitants of the First parish voted
* First Parish Records, p. 3.
t Massachusetts Archives (Court Records), vol. xiii., pp. 40, 87.
The report is printed in full on pp. 430 and 431, "Ould Newbury"; but the date of its pres- entation to the General Court was December 18, 1725, not November 3, 1728, as there stated.
235
THE SETTLEMENT AT MERRIMACK RIVER
.. " that the third parish (called ye water side parish) should have the first Parishes right in ye old bell wch was formerly im- proved for ye old meeting house." *
Although this vote was passed at the request of a commit- tee appointed by the Third parish, no further action seems to have been taken in regard to it. Possibly the consent and co-operation of the inhabitants living within the limits of the Second parish could not be obtained. At all events, the Third parish voted May 23, 1727, to purchase a bell weighing about four hundred pounds, and also " voted that Jonathan Woodman should treat with some gentlemen in Boston to send a bell for said parish."
In 1730, about an acre of land on the southwesterly side of Frog pond, now known as "The Old Hill Burying-ground," Newburyport, was enclosed with a board fence and set apart as a burial-place by the inhabitants of the Third parish.t
In 1736, the meeting-house was enlarged ; and September 30; 1740, Rev. George Whitefield preached his first sermon in Newbury to an immense congregation, that occupied every available seat and filled to overflowing the aisles and galleries of that spacious building .¿
During the war between France and England, Col. Moses Titcomb, who was in command of a battery at the capture of Louisburg in 1745, re-enlisted in the English army when hostilities were renewed, in 1755, between those powers. From the same pulpit Rev. John Lowell, pastor of the church, delivered a sermon, May 22, 1755, before Col. Tit- comb and the men under his command previous to their de- parture for the seat of war. Four or five months later me- morial exercises were held in the same place to commemorate the life and character of Col. Titcomb, who was killed in the battle at Crown Point September 8, 1755.§
On the unoccupied land on the westerly side of the meet- ing-house a huge gridiron was erected after the surrender of Quebec, September 19, 1759; and there with demonstrations of joy an ox was broiled or roasted, and songs were sung com- memorating the victories of the year. ||
* First Parish Records, vol. i. t "Ould Newbury," p. 453. # Ibid., p. 526.
§ Ibid., pp. 464-473. #| Coffin's History of Newbury, p. 224.
.
236
HISTORY OF NEWBURY
FOURTH PARISH.
At a legal meeting of the inhabitants of the Second parish, held August 26, 1729, it was "voted to answer the petition that was put in to ye General Court by some of the inhabi- tants of ye west precinct in Newbury on August ye 20th 1729, to have ye precinct divided into two parishes." *
A committee was appointed to prepare a statement to be presented to the General Court ; and John Brown, surveyor, was employed to make a map of the parish, showing the pro- posed line of division .¡ After considerable discussion and delay the freeholders consented, January 12, 1730-I, to the organization of the new parish, and appointed a committee, consisting of Nathaniel Coffin, Joseph Gerrish, and Henry Rolfe, to take such steps as might be necessary to carry the vote into effect.
May 20, 1731 voted to desire ye Honourable General Court to con- firm and establish ye division which they [the committee] have made.#
June 1, 1731, Benjamin Hills and others opposed the re- port of the committee, and petitioned the General Court to give the new parish more territory and straighten the divid- ing line, "which is now very crooked and inconvenient." The petitioners, however, after a prolonged hearing were given "leave to withdraw"; and the bounds and limits of the Fourth parish were established as follows : -
Begining at the southerly end of the way that runs on the north- easterly side of Deacon Thomas Chases homestead where he now liveth & running up said way [Whit street or Merrill's lane] until it comes to Abel Merrill's land where he now dwelleth & thence to run on the southerly side of said Merrill's land until it comes to the next way [Downer's lane] which lies on the northeasterly side of said Merrill's land, and thence on the said way until it comes to the south way, so called, and then to run up said south way until it meets with the land of Mr John Carr or Mr Thomas Noyes and then to run across to the Brad- ford road so as to take in all the land of the homestead of the said Mr John Carr and Mr Thomas Noyes' land on the westerly side of said line
* Newbury (Second Parish) Records, p. 66.
t "Ould Newbury," pp. 391-395.
# Newbury (Second Parish) Records, p. 68.
237
THE SETTLEMENT AT MERRIMACK RIVER
and from thence to run down the lane called Baylys lane to Merrimack river, which line is to the westward of Mr Joshua Bailey's dwelling house and that the inhabitants of such Precinct be vested with the Powers, Privileges and Immunities which other Precincts within the Province have or by law ought to have .*
The division line between the Second and Fourth parishes begins at the point B on the map on page 239, and runs in a northerly direction to J, thence easterly to I, northerly to H, westerly to G, and thence northerly to F on the Merri- mack river.
December 4, 1733, this line was slightly changed in answer to the petition of Thomas Chase and others.t
Rev. William Johnson was the first minister of the Fourth parish. He was settled September 15, 1731, and retained his office until his death, February 22, 1772.
FIFTH PARISH.
May 21, 1760, a petition was presented to the General Court, asking that a portion of the Second parish, on the easterly side of Artichoke river, and a portion of the Third parish, on the westerly side of Toppan's lane extending to the Merri- mack river on a line to be agreed upon, might be set off and made a new parish.
There was considerable dissatisfaction in the Second parish at this time on account of the location of the meeting-house built during the summer of 1759. November 18, 1760, the inhabitants of the parish "voted yt Mr Enos Bartlet, Deacon James Brown, and Tristram Coffin are a commit to trye to remove the uneasiness from any if they can ... on ye account of placing ye meeting house." #
February 18, 1761, the inhabitants of the Second parish appointed a committee to draw up a statement of reasons why the petition of Moses Little and others to be set off and in- corporated as a separate parish should not be granted, and Mr. William Foster and Deacon Edmund Bayley were in-
* Massachusetts Archives (Court Records), vol. xv., pp. 82, 83 ; also, "Ould Newbury," p. 392.
t Newbury (First Parish) Records.
# Newbury (Second Parish) Records, p. 131.
238
HISTORY OF NEWBURY
structed to present the same to the General Court in the month of March next .*
At a legal meeting of the inhabitants of the Third parish, held February 11, 1761, it was voted
. that Daniel Farnham, Esq Mr Timothy Pike & Mr Charles . Hodge be a committee to make answer at the next setting of the gen- eral court to a petition lately preferred to sd court by a number of the second & third parishes wherein they pray that the general court would set them off all the westerly part of su parish as far as Mr Moses Moody's land on the north side of the highway and as far as Toppan's lane on the south side of said way. t
The General Court, however, after due deliberation granted the prayer of the petitioners, April 17, 1761, and established the bounds of the new parish, as follows : -
. .. begining at the north east Corner of Mr Moses Moody's land by Merrimack river, thence by said Moody's land on the southerly side to the country road [now High street, Newburyport]# thence eastwardly to Toppan's lane and down to the westerly end of the said lane, thence, upon a straight line to the southeast corner of Francis Brown's land, to the South way, so called, thence westerly by the said way to the south- west corner of the Second Parish, thence by said Parish to Stephen Sawyer's land on the northerly side, thence by said Sawyer's land to the Road nigh his dwelling house, thence to John Rogers' mill dam, thence to the mouth of the Artichoke river at the river Merrimack, together with Capt. Stephen Ordway and his es:ate.§
All persons living within the above-named limits, except " Edward Toppan, Samuel Cook, John Poor, Mary Morga- ridge, Elizabeth Pilsbury, William Weed, John Downing, Joseph Downer, Andrew Downer, John Rogers, junior, Peter
* Newbury (Second Parish) Records, p. 132. t Newbury (Third Parish) Records.
# Moses Moody owned a large tract of land between the Merrimack river and the country road, now High street, Newburyport, extending from Moody's lane, now Woodland street, to a way subsequently laid out and named North street, now Oakland street, Newburyport.
When the Fifth parish was incorporated, the southerly side of Mr. Moody's land was taken as the boundary line. North street was evidently not laid out until 1815, perhaps later. In a deed of conveyance to Thomas Emery, dated November 21, 1796, Moses Moody mentions "land I have reserved for a road two rods wide " (" Ould Newbury," p. 687) ; and Timothy Osgood sold to Samuel Osgood, April 15, 1815, land and buildings in Newburyport bounded "northeasterly on Merrimack street, northwesterly on a new street to be laid down two and one half rods wide" (Essex Deeds, vol. ccv., p. 272). June 7, 1837, John Pearson, 3rd, conveyed to True Choate the same property, " bounded northeasterly by Merrimack street and northwesterly by North street " (Essex Deeds, vol. ccc., p. 265).
§ Massachusetts Archives (Court Records), vol. xxiu., p. 705.
--
Amesbury.
Merrimack River.
Salisbury.
River
26
PARISH
18
FIFTH
indian
H
SECOND
Newburyport c
PARISH
T
THING
31.
ATLANTIO
C
D
2.9
FIRST
PA
H
2
BYFIELD
+
PAKISH.
Parker River,
/
5
Sand Beach, 750 Acres.'
LA Jlmike.
Rowley,
100 The The role
16
Artichoke
27
QUATH
PARISH
OCEAN.
'Bradford.
MAP OF NEWBURY - 1795. SHOWING PARISH LINES.
2.5
PARISH
G
240
HISTORY OF NEWBURY
Rogers, and Abiel Rogers," were declared, by order of the General Court, inhabitants of the Fifth parish.
The boundary line of the parish, beginning at a point on the Merrimack river marked L on the map on page 239, runs by a broken line to the letter K, thence to C, thence to B, thence to the Artichoke river, thence by said river to its mouth, and thence by the Merrimack river to the bound begun at.
A meeting-house was erected on Meeting-house lane, now Noble street, Newburyport; and a church was organized July 22, 1762. The first and only minister of the parish was settled September 1, 1762, and dismissed April 28, 1784. Subsequently, a new religious society was formed in the parish, now known as " The Belleville Congregational Church and Society of Newburyport "; and a new meeting-house was erected on High street, near Moody's lane, now Woodland street, Newburyport.
The map on the preceding page is reproduced from a draw- ing made by E. March for the town of Newbury in 1795 .* A few lines showing the metes and bounds of the several parishes have been added : otherwise it is an exact copy, upon a reduced scale, of the original now on file at the State House in Boston.
The location of any house or place named in the following list can be found by its corresponding number on the map : -
1. Light Houfes on Plumb island Point.
2. Little Pine Island River.
3. Great Pine Island River.
4. Pine Island Mills.
5. Pa[r]ker River.
6. Pa[r]ker River Bridge.
7. Little River.
8. Pearsons Mills.
9. Rowley River.
10. Newburyport Woollen Manu- factory and Moody's Mill.
II. Thurla's Bridge.
12. Dumer Accadamy.
13. Thurla's Mill.
14. Byfield Meeting House.
15. Bound of Newbury, Bradford & Rowley.
16. Meeting House in the third Parish.
17. Indian River.
18. Bridge over Indian River.
19. Meeting House in the second Parish.
20. Artichoke River & Hoopers/ Mill.
* Massachusetts Archives (Town Plans), vol. ix., plan 30.
241
THE SETTLEMENT AT MERRIMACK RIVER
21. Artichoke Bridge.
22. Meeting House in the fourth Parish.
23. Amesbury ferrey.
24. Sweats ferrey.
25. Efsex Merrimack Bridge.
26. Friends Meeting Houfe.
27. Meeting Houfe in the first Parish.
28. Meeting House Pond.
29. Mill Bridge.
30. Trotters Bridge.
31. New Bridge.
The double prick'd lines exhibit the roads.
Reputed distance from the Centre of the Town to Salem, 24 Miles ; to Boston, 42 Miles.
AREA OF WATER IN THE TOWN.
Acres.
Flats around Woodbridge's Island
853
Plumb jsland River
359
Little Pine Island river
25
Great Pine Island river 30
River Parker 490
Little River 77
Indian River 19
Artichoke River 38
Meeting Houfe
5
1 896
TOWN-HOUSE AND COURT-HOUSE.
A new meeting-house, the third one "sett up on the knowle of upland by Abraham Toppan's barne," was erected during the year 1700. July 22, 1702, the selectmen were instructed "to consider and report what it will cost to re- move the old meeting house farther from the new meeting house, and to fitt it up for a court house, towne house and school house." *
March 17, 1702-3, the town voted to repair the building and make such alterations as were necessary for the accom- modation of the Court of General Sessions and the pupils of the town school ; but after further consideration this plan was abandoned, and May 23, 1705, "the old meeting house was granted to Richard Brown with liberty to remove it." *
Twenty years later, February 25, 1724-5, the freeholders voted to build a town-house at the upper end of Greenleaf's
* Town of Newbury Records.
242
HISTORY OF NEWBURY
lane, now State street, and appointed a committee to make an estimate of the cost of the land, labor, and materials needed.
At a meeting held May 13, 1728, the subject was again under consideration ; but no definite action was taken at that time. February 22, 1730-31, the town reconsidered its vote to build a town-house "at ye uper end of Greenleaf's lane," and voted to build it in Chandler's lane, now Federal street.
The estimated cost of the new building and the dissatis- faction arising from the change of location created a strong feeling of opposition to the measure. Subscription papers were circulated for the purpose of raising money to build a court-house and town-house near the tavern at the head of Muzzey's lane, now Marlborough street ; and May 11, 1733, the First parish of Newbury was granted " liberty to build a convenient town house within two years at their own cost and charge near lieutenant John March's house." *
May 7, 1734, Benjamin Morse, jr., sold to the First parish a lot of land "bounded westerly & northerly by land of the said Mors, easterly by a way, and southerly by land reputed to be Mr. Fowlers," to build a town-house upon.t
September 18, 1734, the inhabitants of Newbury voted that the interest received from the bills of credit issued by the state should be applied " toward the finishing the Towne House now in building, provided the inhabitants of ye first parish go on & finish said House without asking anything more of the Towne and that said House shall be made sure to the Towne and County by a vote of the first parish as may be reasonable after it is finished."
November 11, 1734, the parish voted that the town house " now standing in Newbury near ye Dwelling house of Lieut John March shall be for ye use of the town of Newbury and for ye use of the County of Essex for ye keeping and holding of Courts &c." #
January 28, 1734-5, James Noyes and John Pearson con- veyed to a committee of the First parish in Newbury, consist-
* Town of Newbury Records.
t Essex Deeds, vol. Ixix., p. 3 ; vol. cxxxii., p. 34 ; and " Ould Newbury," pp. 198-200.
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