History of Plymouth county, Massachusetts, with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Part 238

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton)
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Philadelphia, J.W. Lewis & co.
Number of Pages: 1706

USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > History of Plymouth county, Massachusetts, with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men > Part 238

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This ferry at a later day was called Doggett's ferry, and was situated where Littlo's bridge, built in 1825, now spans the river. In 1638 another ferry was or- dered by the court to be established near the mouth of the North River, and Jonathan Brewster was its first ferryman. This ferry, which in later days was

ealled White's ferry, was sold by Mr. Brewster in 1641 for sixty pounds to Messrs. Barker and Howell, and was afterwards kept by Ralph Chapman, who ap- plied to the court for a release on the ground that the ferry would bring him to poverty. He was exeused by the court " except on special occasions as bringing over the magistrates who dwell there." Still another ferry was established before 1645, where Union bridge, which was built in 1801, is situated, and the last keeper of this ferry before the construction of the bridge was John Tolman.

On the 2d of July, 1638, one hundred acres of land were granted to Jonathan Brewster "lying on the west side of the mouth of the South River, and on the south side of the North River, to be viewed and laid forth for him by Capt. Standish and Mr. John Alden, and likewise a piece of meadow there to be laid forth for him upon their report to the Court when they have viewed the same, which by order of the Court was by Captain Standish and Mr. Alden laid forth for him, and have allowed him all the meadow land that lieth in and about the said lands upon the said North and South Rivers for meadowing to the said farm." This land was where White's ferry was established, first kept by Mr. Brewster. On the same day three hundred aeres of uplands were granted to Capt. Miles Standish and Mr. John Alden " lying on the north side of the South River, the breadth whereof to begin at the easterly side of the Beaver Pond (the said pond being inelnded) unto the westerly side of the little brook next Scituate path, on the South River, and to range in length upon a northwest line on both sides, up into the land, and all that traet of meadow lying within or at the end of the foresaid mentioned breadth." On the 7th of August, in the same year, "one hundred and twenty aeres of land were granted to Mr. Comfort Starr lying betwixt the North River and the South River, and sneh part of it to be meadow as shall be thought meet and convenient, and to be viewed and laid forth by Mr. Edward Winslow, Capt. Standish, and Mr. Alden, which were accord- ingly laid forth and rangeth west sonthwest in length and south southeast in breadth, and butteth npon the South River." On the 3d of September, in the same year, twenty aeres of land were granted to Robert Carver " lying on the northwest side of Green's Harbor River, and a garden place npon Stony River near Edward Bumpasse, to be viewed and laid forth for him by Mr. Collyer. Jonathan Brewster and William Bassett (which lands are laid forth on the northeast side of Franeis Godfrey, and upon the same points of the compass that his are."

1139

HISTORY OF MARSHFIELD.

Francis Godfrey was also granted twenty acres on the northwest side of Green's Harbor River and a garden place at Stony River. On the 1st of October, 1635. one huudred acres of land were granted " to Lieutenant William Holmes, lying at the North River, next to the lauds lately granted to Mr. Jona- than Brewster, ranging in breadth west southwest, and in length north and northwest, with a parcel of marsh ground lying to it and bounded as followeth : upon the east side from his marked tree of his np- land. over the creek next his house. and so right in the same range of his upland, and on the west side from the upland. the marked tree being the bounds, and from the marked tree east to the creek, and so by the turning of the creek to the west end of the Pine Island in the marsh, and so to follow the said ereek to meet with his east range in the meadow and marsh." On the 7th of January, 1638 9. Jonathan Brewster and William Bassett were appointed to lay forth Robert Mendlove's and John Carew's land, and on the same date an island lying at Green's Harbor was granted to Mr. William Bradford. and another island at the same place. called Spectaele Island, was granted to Mr. John Howland. At the same date it is entered in the records that " whereas a part of the marsh ground lying by Spectaele Island, on the south side. was granted to Mr. Thomas Prinee, to be meadow belonging to Mr. Allerton's farm ; the said Mr. Prince hath relinquished the same to Mr. John Howland, provided he be allowed meadowing elsewhere in lieu thereof."

On the 3d of March it is recorded that-

" WHEREAS, there is a controversy betwixt Green's Ilarbor and Dnxbory about the lands between the fresh of Green's Har- br River and the Sunth River, it is ordered and granted by t e Conrt of Freemen to Mr. Elward Winslow and the rest of the neighborb end of Green's Harbor, a competent portion of up- lande and meadow betwixt the said rivers for a farm for a min- inter, and one other competent portion of land near unto the id lot for the minister, elther for Nehemiah Smith or some Aber, u the said inhabitants of Green's Harbor shall place in. And whereas, Mr. Thomas Prince hath a portion of land there granted to him for a farm, it is ordered also that those that view the foreraid lande shall likewise view Mr. Prince's lands, and if they find it not competent for a farm, that they shall add thereto euch further portion of lande of those that lie next it a. ball be thought competent.

This grant of ministerial land is important as show- ing what neither the church records nor tradition suggest, that before the ministry of Mr. Richard Bleuman, Nehemiah Smith must for a longer or shorter time have officiated as pastor. On the 6th of April, 1640, fifty acres of land were granted to Daniel Cole " lying next William Bassett, beyond the South River, if there will be spare lands left on either side

his lot when Mr. Kemp's land is laid forth there, and to be done by Mr. Collyer, Jonathan Brewster & William Bassett, which is accordingly laid forth from the marked tree of William Bassett, the island or neck of land lying in the marsh on the south side of the said tree and the meadow land lying afore the said island, five acres in breadth, beginning at the hum- moek where William Bassett leaves to the head of a eove on the west side the said island." On the same day one hundred acres were granted to William Bas- sett between the lands of Daniel Cole and Comfort Starr; fifty acres to Francis Sprague, on the North River. above the lands of Jonathan Brewster ; fifty acres to John Maynard, on the north side of the lands of Comfort Starr; one hundred aeres to Con- stant and Thomas Southworth at the North River, "from Mr. Vassall's range, in breadth east and by north along the said North River to a marked tree upon the foresaid range ;" fifty aeres of upland to Jo- seph Rogers, "from the aforesaid marked tree in breadth east and by north to another marked tree upon the same range, near to a eertain ereek that runneth up southward, provided that the small quan- tity of overplus upland lying betwixt the said Con- stant, Thomas, and Joseph be equally divided amongst them three, the said ereek being the bounds of it ; as also the marsh ground or meadow lying upon the north side of the said uplands to be equally divided as it lieth afore the said lands to each severally by equal proportion, with a little hummock of upland lying in the said marsh, with the meadow land about it, to each of them jointly ;" and also fifty acres of up- land to John Rogers, " from the aforesaid ereek run- ning in length southwest and in breadth southeast to a certain marked tree upon the said range (Vassall's), with the one-half of the marsh land abutting upon the aforesaid npland, together with a small hummoek of upland lying in the foresaid marsh, which lands lie next to the lands granted to Franeis Cooke and John Cooke."

On the 5th of October, 1640, two hundred aeres of upland were granted to Franeis and John Cooke, being all that parcel " lying betwixt the lands of Wil- liam Holmes and the lands of John Rogers, contain- ing two hundred and twelve acres, be it more or less, with the meadow lying before the said upland, with the one-half of the meadow lying before or any way bounding upon the upland of John Rogers; and whereas William Holmes hath part of his meadow lands lying before part of the said upland so granted to Francis and John, we have also laid unto them, the said Francis and John, the meadow or marsh lying between the said William Holmes, his meadow or

1140

HISTORY OF PLYMOUTH COUNTY.

marsh ground, and the said North River." On the 30th of November, 1640, it was concluded by the court "that all that tract of marsh ineadow lying at Green's Harbor Marsh, from Turkey Point to the wall Mr. Thomas hath made in the said marsh on the north side of Mr. Edward Winslow's land, and so down to the Great River, shall be reserved for meadow ground to the town of Plymouth." On the same day six aeres of marsh meadow were granted to Love Brewster against a traet of upland previously granted to him on the south side of Green's Harbor. On the same day the following order was passed by the court :

" Whereas, the inhabitants of the town of Scituate are greatly straightened for lands, and there is a necessity that they should be enlarged, and that at the North River, where they desire to have supply of their wants, there are five hundred aeres and upwards granted already to divers persons of Plymouth and Duxbury, the Court doth grant (that those persons to whom the said lands are granted having their several grants laid forth unto them) that the said inhabitants of Scituate shall have two miles in length from the end of the said grants up the said North River and a mile in breadth (if it be there to be had when the foresaid grants are laid forth), and if not, then to ahate of that proportion; and that Mr. Timothy Hatherly, Edward Foster, and Humphry Turner shall dispose the said lands to such persons of Seituate as they shall tbink fit to be sup- plied."

The land contained in the last grant is what has been ever sinee ealled the " Two Miles," and was made by the grant a part of Seituate. It extended from what is now the Pembroke line a mile deep along the river to the old " Ford Farm." Among its earliest settlers were Robert Sprout, Thomas Rosc, Richard Sylvester, and members of the Hatch family. To complete the history of this territory, in 1778 its inhabitants petitioned the General Court to be an- nexed to Marshfield. The town of Scituate consented with a condition, which was not accepted by the pe- titioners, that they should release all their right, title, and interest in the common lands of the town, and pay their share of the town debt and of taxes pre- viously assessed. In 1786 another movement in favor of annexation resulted in failure ; but on the 10th of March, 1788, the following bill was passed by the General Court, with the approval of the petitioners :

"Whereas, it appears to this Court convenient and reasona- ble that the said Two Mile should be set off from tho town of Seituate, and annexed to the town of Marshfield, be it thore- fore enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, that the territory belonging to the town of Scituato, commonly called tho Two Milc, bounded westwardly by tho north rivor (so called), southwardly by tho town of Pombroke, and north- wardly and eastwardly by the town of Marshfield, togethor with the inhabitants thereon, be and they are heroby separated from said town of Scituato and annexed to tho town of Marshifiold, and shall forever after be considered as a part of and bolong-

ing to the said town of Marshfield, provided that the inhabi- tants of the said Two Mile be still held obliged to pay their proportion of all the taxes which have been already laid on the town of Scituate; that tho inhabitants of the said Two Milo shall be still held obliged to pay their ratable propor- tion of all debts duo from the said town of Scituate to indi- viduals, and which wero contracted previously to the 31st day of January, in the year of our Lord, 1787, in the same manner as if they had not been set off from the town of Seituate, in ease the same shall be apportioned by the assessors of the town of Scituate, on the polls and estates of the said territory called the Two Mile, according to law, within two years after the passing of this act, and that the said inhabitants be excepted from paying any part of the debts contraeted by the town of Marshfield previously to the passing of this act; provided, also, that the inhabitants of the said Two Mile relinquish all their right, title, and interest in and to the com- mon lands of the town of Scituate : and that the said inhabi- tants shall not be ineluded or charged in any future tax for maintaining the poor of the town of Scituate. And be it fur- ther enaeted by the authority aforesaid, that in all future taxes granted by this Commonwealth and assessed on the present valuation the sum of five shillings and sixpenee on each thou- sand pounds be taken from the town of Scituate and added to the town of Marshfield."

On the 7th of January, 1640/1, the General Court

" granted unto William Thomas, gentleman, all those lands laid out by Mr. Edward Winslow, Mr. John Alden, and Mr. William Collyer, viz., all that whole neek of upland, with all the points extending themselves into any the marshes before the same, from the upper end of the great fresh marsh, ealled Green's Harbor River Marsh, southward, and from Green's Harbor Freshett, east and hy south, as it is marked fortb by the said Edward Winslow, John Alden, and William Collyer, to the southwest corner of a swamp abutting upon Carswell Marsh, near the highway leading betwixt Duxbury and Carswell, the easterly side thereof, adjoining to Carswell, being the lands of the said Edward Winslow ; the said Edward Winslow, his heirs and assigns being allowed so mueh upland, wood-stuff, or tim- ber as to set and maintain a fence hetwcen Carswell Meadow or Marsh and the upland of the said William Thomas; the north- erly side of the said upland hereby granted abutting upon Green's Harbor River Marsh, and from the northwest point of upland between the said Edward Winslow and William Thomas, to an island granted to the said William Thomas, hefore their bounds upon a straight line to Green's Harbor River, with the marsh land and moadow between that and a point of upland called tho Eagle's Nest ; the western bounds of the said lauds abutting upon Groen's Harbor Fresh Marsh aforesaid, provided and always resorved and oxcepted, that if any meadow be granted to any that abntteth upon tho uplands hereby granted, the said William Thomas, his heirs and assigns, do allow wood- stuff or timber, from convenient places of tho said npland, to fonco and maintain tho same about tho said moadows ; to have and to hold, all and singular, tho said lands, meadows, marshes, and premises, with all and ovory part and parcol thereof and their appurtenances, unto the said William Thomas, his hoirs and assigns forever (oxcept the wood-stuff or timber for feneing beforo oxcepted), and to the only proper uso and behoof of him, tho said William Thomas, his hoirs and assigns forover:"

The lands contained in this grant to Mr. Thomas contained about fifteen hundred acres, and included the northwesterly part of the Webster farm, being bounded along the ridge, nearly in the rear of the

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1141

HISTORY OF MARSHFIELD.

Phillips estate. from the lands granted to Edward Winslow, which contained about twelve hundred acres.

Up to this time Green's Harbor was simply a par- ish, some of its occupants of lands having houses and homes there, and others owning and cultivating farms or herding their cattle, while they retained their dwellings in Plymouth or Duxbury. About six thousand acres of land, including the two miles, or more than one-third of the present territory of Marsh- field, had been granted to individual proprietors. In addition to the above, at various times before 1640, tracts of land varying in extent from fifteen to eighty acres were granted to Joseph Beadle, John Rouse, James Lindall, John Ford, Arthur Howland, William Sherman, John Phillips, Roger Chandler, Samuel Tompkins, Edmund Weston, Ralph Chapman, John Gardner. John Hardmer, Edmund Hawes, John Winslow, Stephen Tracy, George Partridge, Henry Sampson, Experience Mitchell, John Paybody, Abra- ham Peirce, and William Tubbs. These extraets from the records show clearly enough who were the settlers and occupants of land in Marshfield before its incorporation. In later days, after the incorporation, John Adams. James Adams, Robert Waterman, An- thony Snow, John Branch, Christopher Winter, John Hewett, John Gorham. James Pitney, John Dingley, John Somers, Samuel Baker, Timothy Williamson, John Foster, John Walker, John Low, Thomas Chil- lingworth, Samuel Spraguc, Edward Stevens, Thomas Doggett, Josiah Keen, William Shurtleff, Thomas Little. and John Jones either bought or obtained grants of lands, and may perhaps properly be called second comers.

On the 2d of March, 1640/1, it was enacted by the court " that Green's Harbor shall be a Towneship and have all the priveledges of a Towneship that other Townes have, and that it shall be called by the name of Rexhame but now Marshfield." The ter- mination " hame" meant simply " town," and Rex- hame or Rexhain was another name for Kingstown. The Indian name for the territory was Missauea- tucket.

It was first called Marshfield in the records under date of March 1, 1641/2, when the entry was made that Francis West was appointed and approved con- stable and surveyor of highways for that town. It has been taken for granted that this name was sug- gested by the great extent of marshes within the boundaries of the town, to which it was applied. While of course it is possible that such may have been the case, neither history nor tradition has any- thing to say on the subject. It may be, however, per-

tinently asked, if the first syllable of the name had its origin in the physical characteristics of the terri- tory, why the second syllable, "field," was added. There is nothing in the present meaning of the word " field," an inclosed piece of land, which would make it applicable, while the Saxon field, or feld, indicated an unincloscd, barren, stony district, and would have been singularly inappropriate when applied to the well-watered and fertile lands of Marshfield. The name of Marrysfield, Marysfield, Marsfield, Maesfield, and Maresfield, borne by a parish in Sussex, England, may throw some light on the subject, and may have given the name to the new town at Green's Harbor, as Plymouth, Sandwich, Barnstable, Taunton, Yar- mouth, Duxbury, and other places in England fur- nished names for other carly settlements in the Old Colony. Rev. Edward Turner, an accomplished Eng- lish antiquary, says, "I am disposed to derive the name which has been gradually corrupted from Marys- field to Marsfield from its being a district early dedi- cated to St. Mary, as we find the ancient chapel at Nutley (a part of the Marsfield district) to have been, and as was a chantry also, which is mentioned in the ancient lists of Sussex."

But the four names, Missaucatucket, Green's Har- bor, Rexham, and Marshfield, are not the only names which have been applied to this territory. When John Smith, who explored and made a chart of the Massachusetts coast in 1614, returned to England and showed his chart to Prince Charles, that prince affixed names to different localities, of which only Plymouth, Charles River, and Cape Ann have sur- vived. The name given to the territory included within the boundaries of Marshfield was Oxford. A copy of this chart with the names suggested by Prince Charles, afterwards Charles I., may be found in the first volume of Palfry's " History of New England," and besides its general interest it is valuable as setting at rest the still lingering belief that Plymouth derived its name from the Pilgrims.

Before the incorporation of the town it was "con- cluded and agreed betwixt Capt. Miles Standish, Mr. John Alden, Jonathan Brewster, and William Bassett, and Mr. Edward Winslowe, the xxviii. day of De- cember, 1640, that from a great rock that is flatt on the topp, called Parting Rock, shalbe the present bounds between Greene's Harbour & Duxborrow, and shall rang from thence norwest to the South River, & on the contrary South cast to the payth between Scituate & Duxborrow, and from thence, the payth to devide them, to the bridg over Green's Harbour Fresh." On the 7th of June, 1642, at a General Court, it was ordered " that the bounds of Marshfield

1142

HISTORY OF PLYMOUTH COUNTY.

from Green's Harbour Fresh be from thence to the trey called Poole's, provided it come not upon any part of Mr. Thomas' particular lands, and from Poole's by a line to the water side, taking only the lands of John Rowse." That the westerly bounds of Marsh- field, formerly set by Captain Standish, John Alden, Jonathan Brewster, William Bassett, & Mr. Edward Winslow, " shalbe from a great roek flatt on the topp,

norwest to the South River, & from thence to the leiftennant's ground by a straight line, provided that Mr. Starr, Job Cole, Daniel Cole, William Bassett, John Maynard, &e., shall not by Marshfield men be rated or assessed to any publike changes untill they or any of them there come to inhabitt and do close with Marshfield men."

In 1683, the following entry is found in the re- cords :

" Whereas, we whose names are underwritten are appointed by the towns of Duxbury and Marshfield to run the lines and settle the bounds between the townships of Duxbury and Marsb- field, as by the records of said townships doth appear,-we have aeeordingly run the said lines, and settled the bounds as fol- lowetb : From the roek that is flat on the top near the bouse of Clement King, Northwest to the North River, and have marked several trees in the range, and about twelve or fifteen rods Northeast of Samuel Ilack's house, we moved a heap of stones and from the said rock Southeast to the cartway between Samuel and Seth Arnolds, where we raised a heap of stones and from thenee to Green's Harbour (fresh) the path to be the bounds, and on the Eastward side of said fresh, just above where the said way goes through it, we raised a heap of stones; and from thence in a straight line to a tree of white oak with the top broken off, called poles, wbieh said tree stands by the cart- way just where an old foot-path turns out of it towards Cars- well, and between the said way and from thenee in a straight line to the Southwest side of Edward Bumpus' land, so called, wbere he formerly lived, at Duck Hill, taking in the said land, sometimes the said Edward Bumpus', to the said township of Marshfield; and these bounds aforesaid to be the bounds be- tween the said towns of Duxbury and Marshfield for ever- more. In witness whereof we have herennto set our hands the three and twentieth day of February, 1683.

"WM. PABODY. "JOHN TRACY. " NATHANIEL, THOMAS. "SAMUEL SPRAGUE."

A recent law, passed June 14, 1813, provided that " that part of the dividing line between the northeast corner of Duxbury and the southeast corner of Marsh- field, viz., beginning at a heap of stones on the top of Duck Hill and running north 663 cast to the seashore, shall, from and after the passage of this act, be the boundary-line between the two towns, any law, nsage, or eustom to the contrary notwithstanding."

In connection with the incorporation of Marshfield it will not be out of place to refer to the title to its lands derived from the Indians. A large part of its territory had been occupied, in common with Plymouth

and Duxbury, by the Patuxet tribe, which had been swept away by a pestilence several years before the arrival of the Pilgrims. This part was included in the cession of lands to the English made by Massasoit, in his memorable treaty of April, 1621. The remain- ing part was, in 1620, claimed by Chiekatabut, the chief of the Massachusetts tribe, and occupied by the Matakeesetts, who were under his control and sov- ereignty. The principal encampment of the Mata- keesetts was in the neighborhood of the ponds in Pembroke, and the names Assinippi or Snappet, Conihassett, and Satuit or Scituate, are names which remain as their memorials. It is probable that the territory now ineluded in Scituate, South Scituate, and Hanover was within their jurisdiction. By a law of the Plymouth Colony, no land could be taken from the Indians without purchase, and no purchase could be made without the approval of the Colony Court. Neither charter, nor patent, nor grant estab- lished any title. They merely conveyed a pre-emption right, which it was necessary to reinforce and confirm by a purchase from the natives of the soil, approved by the government of the colony. Thus, in 1653, Josias Wampatuck, the son of Chickatabut, conveyed the territory occupied by the town of Scituate, which, as it included the Two Miles now a part of Marshfield, should form a part of this narrative.

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History of Plymouth county, Massachusetts, with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Part 238

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) Publication date: 1884 Publisher: Philadelphia, J.W. Lewis & co. Number of Pages: 1706

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton)
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Philadelphia, J.W. Lewis & co.
Number of Pages: 1706