USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > History of Norfolk County, Massachusetts, 1622-1918, vol 1 > Part 5
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A little later came the frame house. Saw mills were not introduced for several years and the first boards were made with the whip-saw. A "saw-pit" was excavated somewhere in a convenient hillside, the log to be sawed into boards was usually hewn on two sides, so that it would rest firmly upon the timbers over the pit, and on the upper hewn surface lines were struck to show the thickness of the boards required. The whip-saw was operated by two men-one standing on the top of the log to guide the saw by the lines, and the other below in the pit to pull the saw downward. It was a slow method of making lumber, but many of the first houses in the county were constructed of boards thus manufactured. Another improvement that came with the frame house was the shingle roof. The first shingles were rived or cloven with an implement called a frow, and then shaved thin at the upper end with a draw-knife. Nails and glass were the most difficult materials to obtain and in some of the houses light was admitted through oiled paper or a piece of white muslin stretched over a framework of light sticks. Brick or stone foundations were rare. The house was usually set on posts or piles and in the fall of the year earth was banked up around it to form an "underpinning" to keep out the cold. Sometimes the upper story of a house would project beyond the walls of the first story. This gave rise to the theory that they were so constructed that the settler might fire down upon Indians trying to break in at the door, but this is hardly true, when one considers that houses of that type had been constructed in England for years before the Puritans came to America.
HEAT AND LIGHT
In the first cabins an opening was left at one end for the great fireplace. capable of taking in logs or sticks of wood four or five feet long. The chimney was built outside the cabin. It was generally of stone, though, where stone was not convenient, it was sometimes built of sticks and plastered with clay to keep it from catching fire. When people began to build frame houses, the chimney was placed in the partition wall, in order that there might be a fireplace in each of the two principal rooms on the lower floor. In front of the fireplace was a hearth of stone or baked clay (bricks were used later), and upon this hearth, extending well back into the fireplace, was a pair of great andirons to support the blazing logs. Some of these andirons were "curiously wrought and highly ornamental." Here and there a pair has been preserved by some historical society or collector of curios, but many people of the present generation probably never saw an andiron and know nothing of the pleasures of an open fire.
For light of evenings the first settlers depended upon pine knots. Then came the "betty lamp," a round, shallow metal dish with a nose or spout about an inch long on one side. The dish was partially filled with oil or grease of some kind, into which was placed a loosely twisted strip of cotton cloth, one end of which projected through the spout. The projecting end was then lighted, and although
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such a lamp emitted both smoke and odor, it gave sufficient light to enable the housewife to attend to her duties. Over the fireplace and the table were hooks, from which the lamp could be suspended.
Another lamp, called the "phebe," differed from the betty lamp only in that it was made with two dishes, the larger one being placed underneath to catch the ashes from the burning wick and the drippings of grease. Lamps of this char- acter required a great deal of attention, as the wick had to be pushed forward as often as it burned down to the edge of the spout.
A little later came the sperm oil lamp. It was made of tin and burned a round wick, which passed through a small tube to the oil. In one side of the tube was a narrow slot, in which could be inserted a pin, needle or small wire to pull up the wick when the flame began to burn low. This lamp was regarded as a great improvement over the betty and phebe lamps.
Next came the tallow dip, which was made as follows: Several soft cotton wicks, about six inches long, were fastened at one end to a slender wand, then dipped into a kettle of molten tallow and hung up over a pan until the tallow adhering to the wick became hardened. Again and again the "dips" were im- mersed in hot tallow, a little more of which was added each time, until enough had accumulated to form a fair sized candle.
Then some genius invented the candle-moulds-a group of four, six, or even more, tin tubes, one end of which was slightly smaller than the other, soldered together in a frame. A wick was drawn through the center of each tube and the moulds were then filled with molten tallow. When the tallow hardened the candles were withdrawn. Often there was but one set of candle-moulds in a neighborhood, but the owner was nearly always generous enough to lend them, and they passed from house to house until all had a supply of candles laid away in a cool, dry place for future use.
Lanterns were sometimes made of horn, scraped thin enough to emit a faint light from the candle that was being placed inside. Others were made of per- forated tin, the holes being small enough to prevent the wind from blowing out the candle, yet large enough to throw out a tiny ray of light. Such a lantern made everything look "as spotted as a leopard."
Matches were unknown in those days and every family kept a "tinder box" filled with scorched cotton rags. Into this "tinder" a spark was struck with flint and steel. The dry tinder was easily ignited and with a little care and skill could be coaxed into a flame. Then a betty lamp or a candle was lighted, when the box was closed and the tinder smothered until it was again needed.
FURNITURE AND UTENSILS
Bedsteads brought from England, or made by the first cabinet makers in this country, contained three or four times as much timber as the factory made bed- steads of more modern times. The posts were often four or even six inches square, turned in ornamental designs, and reached almost to the ceiling. There were neither slats, springs nor mattresses, such as are in use today. Cords were drawn tightly around small pins or through holes in the rails, which were almost as large as the posts. Upon this network of cords was placed the "straw-tick," on the top of which was the feather bed. Between the posts at either end were
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the head and foot boards, frequently ornately carved or scrolled along the upper edge. In the better class of homes a canopy was fastened to the tops of the posts, and from the edge of this canopy curtains extended almost to the floor.
Then there was the "trundle bed," a miniature of the great "four poster" as to the manner of construction, though much smaller in its dimensions. It was occupied by the children at night and during the day was pushed back under the larger bed to economize space.
Tables and chairs were as massive in proportion as the bedsteads. Some of the chairs of colonial days, notably those of Governor Carver and John Eliot, the Indian apostle, have become historic. In the rooms of the Dedham Historical Society is preserved a chair once owned by Michael Metcalf, also Mr. Metcalf's chest, which he brought with him to Dedham in 1637. Both chair and chest are richly carved and so solidly put together that they have withstood the ravages of three centuries.
The more opulent of the pioneers ascertained the time by a "grandfather's" or "wall-sweeper" clock. These clocks were about six feet tall, with wooden wheels, and the cases were many times works of art. The weights of the clock were cylinders of tin filled with fine sand. If the clock ran too slow more sand was added to give greater impetus to the movement, and if it ran too fast some of the sand was taken out. Those who were not able to afford a clock depended upon a sun dial, or at least a "noon mark" on the sill of one of the south windows of the house.
Cooking stoves and ranges had not then made their appearance and the meals were all prepared at the fireplace. The principal cooking utensils were an iron tea-kettle, a long-handled skillet (sometimes called a spider), and a large iron pot. Fastened to one of the walls of the fireplace was a crane, upon which the pot could be suspended over the fire. Excellent bread was often baked in the spider, by placing it over a bed of hot coals and then heaping more coals on the iron lid, so that the bread would bake at both top and bottom. The large pot was used in the preparation of the "New England boiled dinner," which con- sisted of meat and several kinds of vegetables cooked together.
Many of the vessels and dishes-bowls, plates and spoons-were made of wood. When porcelain or earthenware dishes first came into use, many objected to them because they dulled the knives. There were also pewter porringers, teapots, etc.
Farm implements were of the most primitive type. Plows with wooden mold- boards, harrows wtih wooden teeth, rakes and pitchforks made of wood were in common use throughout the colony. Wheat was harvested with the old sickle, or "reaping hook," and threshed with the flail. Corn and wheat were ground in hand mills brought from England until some one with a little capital and enter- prise built a dam and mill on one of the streams. Settlers often went thirty or forty miles to such a mill rather than operate the old hand mill.
FOOD AND CLOTHING
Not many dainties could have been found upon the tables of the early set- tlers. Their food was plain but wholesome-beef, pork, cornbread and beans. The early mills did not bolt the meal and it was run through a sieve to separate
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the bran from the part intended for use. Game was plentiful and the family fre- quently enjoyed a feast of wild turkey or venison. Potatoes were not introduced until the early part of the Eighteenth Century. When they began to come into use many people thought they were poisonous. If any were left at the close of the winter they were carefully buried for fear some horse or cow might eat them and be killed. A story has been told of one man, who, when he saw the first potato, bit into it raw and then remarked that it "might be all right if allowed to stay in the ground until ripened by the frost." In some of the towns there was a by-law that no cakes, buns, or similar pastries should be served except at funerals and weddings.
The first orchards were planted with seeds brought from the mother country. When they were old enough to bear fruit a stock of apple butter was prepared in the fall for use during the winter. Cider filtered through fine sand was also put in jugs and stored until such time as it might be needed.
Everybody wore homespun clothing-woolen goods in the winter and linen in the summer. Each family had its flax-brake and hackle, and in the long winter 'evenings the housewife, after her regular day's work was done, would get out her spinning wheel and spin flax until time to retire. Woolen yarn was spun on a larger wheel, the operator walking back and forth as the thread was drawn out and then wound up on the spindle. Cloth was woven on the old hand loom, garments were cut and sewed by hand with the needle, and there was probably not a lass sixteen years of age in the Massachusetts Bay colony who was not able to make her own dresses, or to operate a spinning wheel. How many of the young ladies who graduated in the Norfolk County high schools in 1917 can make their own gowns?
In every settlement there was a tanyard, to which the farmer took his hides to be converted into leather. The shoemaker, or "cordwainer," did not have a fixed place of business. Each year he made his itinerary, stopping with each of his customers and boarding with the family while he made up a supply of shoes for the several members of the household. For his services he received about sixty cents a pair.
MISCELLANEOUS FEATURES
One of the first things to be done in a new settlement was to erect a stockade for protection in case of an Indian outbreak. For many years a sentinel was kept constantly on guard against the Indians. The signal was the beating of a drum, three shots fired from a musket, a beacon fire at night, or the firing of a cannon, if the town possessed one. Any one of these signals would cause mes- sengers to hurry to the outlying houses and warn the inmates.
Nearly every house was surrounded by old-fashioned flowers, such as holly- hocks, marigolds, larkspur, bouncing betty, sun flowers and honeysuckle, and in the gardens were cultivated a variety of plants "for physick." Thyme, sage, wormwood, spearmint, pennyroyal, tansy and various other herbs were carefully garnered against a day of sickness, for the nearest physician was often miles away.
Books were scarce and the few that found their way into a new colony were read and reread until their contents were almost known by heart. Every family had the Bible, the Catechism, Watts' Hymns and an Almanack, which consti- Vol. I-3
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tuted the principal portion of the library. As late as the middle of the Eighteenth Century there was but one newspaper in all New England, and it had only a small circulation. Pamphlets by such men as Franklin, Adams, Jefferson and Paine, treating on the political situation, were printed and circulated among the people, which helped the cause of independence.
Late in the fall of the year the Indians burned the grass and underbrush in certain tracts of woodland to drive out the game. After the white men came the cattle belonging to them would be gathered into a common herd and pas- tured in these burnt woods, or wherever there was a sufficient quantity of grass. These places were called "herd walks," and the common herd was in charge of a "herdsman."
Although the forefathers were believers in temperance, West India or Ja- maica rum was used freely on all occasions, such as the dedication of meeting houses, funerals, in harvest time, or when the pastor visited the family, and instances are recorded where parish meetings "adjourned to the nearest inn," where liquors were served. Yet an intoxicated person was rarely seen.
Travel in early days was chiefly on horseback, as no highways were opened for the accommodation of vehicles. In front of nearly every house, at the church, and before the stores in the villages were "horse-blocks," from which one could easily mount to the saddle.
A popular superstition was that if one ate of pancakes made of rye flour on Candlemas Day he would not want for money during the year. Consequently on that day rye pancakes were served at least at one meal in nearly every household.
Wolves and wildcats infested the woods and annoyed the settlers at night with their howls and cries. The story of Little Red Riding Hood had never been told to the children of that period, but many a night the little ones cuddled more closely together in their trundle bed and shuddered with fear as the howl of a wolf was heard near the frontier dwelling. But worse than the annoyance of their howls were the depredations of these prowling beasts upon the pig-sty and the sheep-fold. Bounties for wolf scalps in Norfolk County ran as high at one time as two pounds.
CHAPTER VI ORGANIZATION OF NORFOLK COUNTY
FIRST COUNTIES IN NEW ENGLAND-OLD NORFOLK COUNTY-DIVISION OF SUFFOLK- THE SECOND PETITION- A THIRD EFFORT-THE FOURTH PETITION-THE FIFTH PETITION-THE SIXTH PETITION-A LONG DELAY-UNDER THE CONSTITUTION- SUCCESS AT LAST-LOCATING THE COUNTY SEAT.
In the settlement of New England, especially in Massachusetts, townships or towns were established before the counties, and for a score of years the town- ship formed the unit of political action on all questions of public policy. In 1642 the people of New Hampshire voluntarily united with Massachusetts, and on May 10, 1643, the whole territory was divided into four counties-Essex, Middle- sex, Norfolk and Suffolk. These were the first New England counties.
OLD NORFOLK COUNTY
The County of Norfolk established in 1643, and which has since become known as "Old Norfolk County," embraced the towns of Dover, Exeter, Hampton, Haverhill, Salisbury and Strawberry Bank (now Portsmouth), all lying north of the Merrimac River. The Town of Amesbury was afterward erected and added to the county. In 1679 New Hampshire was made a royal province, taking four of the towns from Norfolk County. and on February 4, 1680, the General Court of Massachusetts issued the following order :
"This Court being sensible of the great inconvenience and charge that it will be to Salisbury, Haverhill and Amesbury to continue their County Court, now some of the towns of Norfolk County are taken off, and considering that these towns did formerly belong to Essex County, and attended at Essex courts, do order that these towns that are left be again joined to Essex and attend public business at the Essex courts, there to implead and be impleaded, as occasion shall be; their records of lands being still to be kept in some one of their own towns on the north of the Merrimack, and all persons according to course of law are to attend in Essex County."
By this order "Old Norfolk County," established in 1643, passed out of existence, and the name was not revived until more than a century later, when the present Norfolk County was erected. The territory comprising the Norfolk County of the present day was included in the County of Suffolk in 1643, and remained a part of that county for one hundred and fifty years.
DIVISION OF SUFFOLK
The first movement for a division of Suffolk County was made early in May, 1726, when "A memorial of divers persons, representatives of ye country
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towns within the County of Suffolk, praying that said towns be set apart by themselves and made a distinct county, was read in the House of Representatives of the Province," etc. (See State Archives, Court Records, vol. 13, p. 225.)
The memorial at that time presented, and in which seven towns joined, set forth the following reasons for the establishment of a new county :
"First-The hardships on the country jurymen attending a week or a fort- night together to causes they know little of by reasons of their ignorance of affairs of trade and merchandise. The allowance for the actions they try does not defray the charge of their attendance. The hardship to the parties who have actions in the courts that they are obliged to attend until the Boston cases are tried.
"Second-The vast business of the Sessions and Common Pleas coming together prolongs the court, and not about eight country causes in one hundred actions.
"Third-If the country towns were a distinct county, it is probable that four days in the year would be sufficient for the dispatch of their business, and the juries would be concerned only in titles of land.
"Fourth-The country towns are at great charge in maintaining the Boston prison.
"Fifth-The greater number of justices of the county live in Boston, and so cannot be presumed to be knowing in country affairs.
"Sixth-It is observable that the country people are at great charge in trav- elling to Boston for probate of wills, etc."
After this memorial was read in the house, it was ordered that the Town of Boston be served with a copy thereof, "That they may show cause (if any they have), on or before Thursday, the ninth day of June next, why the Prayer of the petitioners shall not be granted."
On May 25, 1726, the selectmen of Boston-John Baker, Nathaniel Green, Henry Dering and Timothy Prout-sent in a partial reply and asked for further time in which to prepare a full answer. They were granted until the following November. On November 26, 1726, the reply of the town, which had been pre- pared by the selectmen "with much skill and dexterity," was read in the House of Representatives. On the 30th the House voted in favor of granting the peti- tion, but the next day the Council refused to concur. Thus the project to establish a new county was defeated.
THE SECOND PETITION
Another petition asking for a division of Suffolk County came before the House of Representatives on June 19, 1727. It was signed by W. Dudley, John Chandler, Joseph Write, Thomas Tileston, Jonathan Ware, Joseph Ellis, Samuel White, John Morse and John Brown, "in behalfe of ye Inhabitants." They also asked, in the event a new county was impracticable, "That the Inferior Court of Common Pleas and the Court of General Sessions of the Peace may be removed into the country part of Suffolk County, one to Braintree and the other to Medfield or Dedham."
No action was taken upon this petition by the General Court until the 26th of the following December, when the House of Representatives granted the
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petitioners power and instructed them "to bring in a bill for constituting the country towns into a separate county," but the Council refused to concur. The following month the House of Representatives voted "That two of the Courts of General Sessions of the Peace and Superior Court of Common Pleas be kept as follows, viz., one at Braintree and the other at Dedham." Once more the Council nonconcurred, thereby manifesting a disposition to grant no favors whatever to the country towns.
In this connection it may not be amiss to offer a word of explanation regard- ing the attitude of the Council on the question of establishing a new county. Under the charter of the Province of Massachusetts Bay, the General Court was composed of the Governor, appointed by the King, the Council and the House of Representatives. The Council was at first appointed by the King, but the members of the House of Representatives were elected by the qualified voters in the respective towns. After the Court was established, the members of the Council were elected annually by joint ballot of the two branches of the Court. The councilmen, twenty-eight in number, were generally able to secure their reelection, and having first been placed in office by royal favor, they did not recog- nize any obligations to the people. Their refusal to recognize such obligations, or to show the common people any favors, added to the general discontent that culminated in the Revolution some years later.
A THIRD EFFORT
On October 2, 1730, the towns of Abington, Braintree, Hanover, Hingham, Hull, Scituate and Weymouth presented a petition asking that they be organized into a separate county. Evidently this movement was not regarded with favor by either branch of the General Court. It was laid over until the next session and on April 7, 1731, was dismissed without further consideration or ceremony.
THE FOURTH PETITION
The next request for the establishment of a new county came from the towns of Bellingham, Dedham, Framingham, Holliston, . Medfield, Medway, Sherborn, Walpole and Wrentham in the form of a petition which was presented to the General Court on June 8, 1733. The petition respectfully asked "That said towns, and any other town adjacent, which the General Court shall think fit to join within the counties of Suffolk and Middlesex, may be erected into a separate county." The petition was referred to the next sitting of the Court, and there the matter appears to have ended, as no further record can be found.
THE FIFTH PETITION
In the House of Representatives, on June 19, 1735, was presented another petition "of divers towns in the County of Suffolk, praying that the county towns be set off from Boston." This petition was received and referred to the next sitting of the General Court, when Boston offered a lengthy argument, giving various reasons why the County of Suffolk should not be divided. One of these reasons was as follows:
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"The more we are united, the more our judges, by the recompense now allowed them, will be able to study the law and furnish themselves still further with power agreeable to their place and duty. The bigger our counties are, the more contracted will the business be, the fees and profits of the judges shared among the fewer, and the more business despatched in less time, and that con- tinued without interruption and wasteful vacancies interposed."
The House of Representatives refused to be converted by this argument and on January 2, 1736, passed a bill granting the prayer of the petitioners and authorizing the establishment of a new county. Again the Council noncon- curred and the question lay dormant for about two years. On January 10, 1738, a bill providing for the formation of a new county by the division of Suffolk reached the third reading in the House of Representatives and was ordered to be engrossed. It was then sent to the Council, where it was "indefinitely post- poned."
THE SIXTH PETITION
On December 30, 1740, a petition signed by a large number of the citizens of Braintree, Dedham, Dorchester, Hingham, Medfield, Milton, Needham, Rox- bury, Stoughton and Wrentham came before the General Court, asking for a division of Suffolk County; that the towns above named be erected into a new county ; and that Boston and Chelsea be made a separate County. The House of Representatives voted in favor of granting the petition, and, to the great astonishment of the petitioners, this time the Council concurred.
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