USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Topsfield > History of Topsfield Massachusetts > Part 33
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As in the case of Samuel Marsters, Michael Holdgate was living in Ipswich when he married Sarah Curtis, June 6, 1734 and may have lived there for the first six years of his married life. He then moved with his two children to Topsfield to make his home and he was warned out of that town in 1739. In April, 1740 the court records show he was at the house of Samuel Perley in Ipswich, moving later to a small house of his own nearby. The Ipswich authorities claimed their resi- dence was Topsfield and warned them to return there. Their house may have been in the Linebrook Parish near the Tops- field line for the baptisms of eight children are given in the Topsfield vital records from 1741 to 1754. He died before 1759 when his widow married Jacob How of Ipswich.
When John Bradstreet's son John and his wife Rebecca ( Andrew) returned to Topsfield from Windham in 1729, they were ordered to depart from the town. In 1745 Boxford or- dered them to Topsfield or Louisburg. The next year James Lesslie and his wife Margaret, also George Cowan and wife Sarah, with their children were told to return to Ireland from whence they had emigrated a short time before. The Lesslies had come from Colraine, County of Londonderry, in 1729 and were the parents of Rev. George Lesslie. They made their home in Topsfield until 1754 when they moved to Linebrook Parish where their son had built a house. The Cowans apparently did not remain long in Topsfield. Although Margaret King was warned to return to Salem in 1735, her death is recorded in the Topsfield records as occurring at the house of John Hovey, May 1, 1737. Richard Stevens, his wife Dorothy and three children, Martha, William and Susanna, came in 1736 from Ipswich to live in John Pritchard's house but were warned out after nine weeks' residence there. A family came from Lynn to live in Phineas Redington's house about the same time and received a similar notice.
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The widow Clough was warned out by Constable Daniel Clark in 1739, and Matthew Peabody was reimbursed for having a warrant recorded to warn Jane Bartoos to leave town in 1742 and return to Ipswich. Several persons were warned out by Capt. John Wildes in 1747-8 when the town allowed him £1. 4s. for making returns to the Court. They were Mary Hobbs and her son Nathaniel, to Middleton; Jane Leverett alias Welcome, to Ipswich; Jacob Dresser, wife Rach- ael and son to Rowley. Benjamin Rogers, his wife Alice and six children were ordered to return to Boxford in 1749 and Jona- than Perley and wife Mary the next year. At the same time John Hood was told to carry a child named Jane to where it properly belongs. Samuel Potter, his wife Abigail, and Daniel, Solomon and Samuel, Hannah, Prudence and Mary Davis, living in a house belonging to Thomas Perkins were warned to return to Ipswich.
John Grant and John Lefavour and his family were warned out in 1759. The former had lived in Linebrook Parish, just over the line from Topsfield. He married Mary (Dwinnell) Perley, the widow of Jonathan Perley of Ipswich, Dec. 7, 1756. It is said he later moved his house to Grant's Hill on the west side of the road nearer the pond. There is a tra- dition that on May 13, 1758, Mrs. Grant, poverty stricken and hungry, went fishing on the pond in an old boat, one end of which was packed with sods to keep the water out, and by some accident was drowned. A few months later John Grant, married Lucy (Passmore or Pessimore) Dwinnell, the widow of Joseph Dwinnell. They may have returned to Ipswich to live for we find the widow Lucy Grant died at the Ipswich Almshouse in 1808, at the age of about one hundred years. John Lefavour served for a short time in the French and Indian War. He was impressed into Col. Daniel Appleton's regiment Apr. 6, 1759 which was a short time after he was warned out of town. His name is frequently found in the town records after that date, so he must have continued his residence here until 1770 when he was again legally warned out. The selectmen were allowed for their time and expenses in carrying on a lawsuit with Ipswich respecting John Le- favour's being an inhabitant of Topsfield. His residence was given as Topsfield when he married Mary Cooke of Mar- blehead, May 30, 1733 and the births of fourteen children are recorded in the Topsfield records. Finally, in 1786, Capt. John Baker was paid for carrying John Lefavour and his wife to Ipswich with their effects.
These warnings became a matter of form and any family
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entering town was served with a caution to leave. In 1759 James Burch, his wife Rachel and three children were or- dered to return to Ipswich. In 1760, the following were told to leave town: Alice Vernam and Joseph Lesslie and wife Mercy. Two years later Mary Hobbs was told to return to Danvers and widow Eunice Thomas to Middleton. Abigail Cummings was told to leave town in 1764 and Walter Ever- den the following year. They were married in 1765 in Tops- field. Samuel Page was ordered to go to New Hampshire at the same time. His residence is given Rindge in the Topsfield vital records when he married Mary Towne in 1771.
Sixteen people were warned out in 1765; namely, Susanna Hobbs to Boxford ; Rachel Burt to Newburyport; Amos Mas- ties, Widow Anna Hobbs and Sarah Bayley, daughter of Benjamin, to Middleton ; William Monies and family to Dan- vers; John Gould to Douglas; John May and family to Wen- ham, and Joseph Hobbs to Amherst, N. H. Fortune, a negro man was also told to leave town. He remained there never- theless. serving in the Revolution from that town. In March, 1766, Anna Porter, daughter of Hezediah Porter who had come from Ipswich the previous April, was warned to leave. Likewise Joseph Peabody who came from Falmouth, County of Cumberland, Oct. 1, 1765, was told to depart; as were Benjamin Shaw, his wife Priscilla and son John, of Salem who came to Topsfield the previous May.
John Clough married Prudence Towne in 1761. On Dec- ember 10, 1766, constable John Boardman informed Mr. Clough, his wife and three children, John, Oliver and Nathan- iel who belonged to Harvard to return from whence they had come February 19 of that year. John Sterns of Middleton married Lydia Marston there on February 18, 1767 and they came to make their home in Topsfield a week after their wed- ding. On March 10, they were warned out of town, as was the widow, Hannah Fleet.
Simon Bradstreet and his wife were warned to return to Nottingham or Londonderry, N. H. in 1773. He was probably the son of Sarah Perkins and married Susanna Hobbs of Mid- aleton, who died in 1774. Susanna Crosby was warned out of town in 1782. She was a widow and her residence was given as Beverly when her intentions of marriage to Simon Bradstreet were filed the year before. Apparently they were not married for no mention is made of a wife in the following years, until his death in 1788. He continued to live in Tops- field, however, for the records show payments were made by the overseers of the poor for supplies for him. In 1785,
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Prince York, and Patience and Phillis Sherborne were warned out by Simon Gould, Jr. They were negroes. Prince York and Phillis Sherman were married in Salem that year but were recorded as "residents of Topsfield." In 1795 the town clerk was paid for searching the court records with respect to Robert Lefavour being warned out of town. This was probably the last warning out made in town. By 1800 all laws were repealed and no further warnings were recorded.
Persons who left Topsfield to live in neighboring towns, were also warned to return to their native town, if it seemed likely they might become town charges. There were several for whom warrants were issued in 1740. Lucy Wood, an aged woman who was living with David Burnham in Ipswich and Hepsibah Wood who was at the house of Thomas Burn- ham. The latter had been living in Salem sometime previ- ously but belonged to Topsfield. Both were ordered to return to Topsfield. Joseph Cummings, his wife Martha and children Mary, John and Nathaniel were warned out of Ipswich in 1742. Abigail Gallup was likewise warned out of Boxford the same year, as was Samuel Phippen, his wife Amy and four children in September 1747. Archelaus Diwinnell and wife Martha were told to leave the same town in 1754. The same year Sarah Rhodes was ordered to Topsfield from Ipswich. Wenham ordered William Rogers back to Topsfield in 1762. Samuel Tapley was paid by the town for taking care of his mother Elizabeth Dwinnell in 1755. He died in the French and Indian war the following year and his widow Abial (Goodhall) Tapley continued to care for her until Mrs. Dwinnell died in 1759. Samuel Tapley was the son of Sam- uel and Elizabeth (Vealey) of Salem. The father died before 1710 while the son was quite young and the mother must have married a Dwinnell. Samuel lived some time in Boxford before coming to Topfield to make his home.
William Gallip (Gallup) was paid for taking care of his sister Abigail in her last sickness in 1759. Anna Wallis be- came a public charge about 1761 and was an expense to the town until she died in 1793. She had no permanent home but was boarded out with any person who would keep her and apparently moved frequently from house to house. After her death the town paid a bill for expenses during her last sickness and for her funeral. The latter amounted to 30s. 6d.
During these years many others were cared for by the town. Board and doctors' bills were paid for the widow Mary, Kezia and Ruth Cree, widow Abigail Hood, Nathaniel Towne, Ruth Perkins wife of Enoch, William Reddington's widow
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Elizabeth, the widow Mary Hubbard and Joseph Masury. In 1761 Samuel Masury agreed to take care of the widow Rachel Burch's child until it reached the age of eighteen for the sum of £8. The town had voted to see if any person could be found to take the child and free them of any further cost of supporting it. However, Mr. Masury paid some of this money back to the town in 1764 and apparently gave up the care of the child. Later it was boarded with other people in town. There were also bills for clothing, shoes and funeral expenses in many cases. Sometimes necessaries were provided for the poor so they might be able to live in their own homes rather than be boarded out. After their deaths their belong- ings were sold at public vendue by the overseers of the poor and the money turned into the town treasury.
Provision was made in 1772 to pay Jacob Averell, Jr. to care for Joshua Cree, about four years old, the son of Richard, deceased, until he became of age. Benjamin Ireland and family were provided with wood and other necessaries in 1774. He was a resident of Ipswich when he married the widow Prudence Dwinnell in 1751. The next year he was living in the late Joseph Dwinnell's house and ordered to return to Ipswich. Topsfield paid for their support for some years although they belonged to the town of Ipswich. He must have returned to his native town where his death is recorded in 1778. He was supposed to be one hundred years old. Dan- iel Reddington's family was helped by the town in 1776. Six years later the town of Danvers brought suit against Topsfield for maintenanec of his children which were said to have been born in Danvers but were living in Topsfield.
Daniel Bixby was paid a dollar in 1796 for "boarding a negro woman two or three days which ran away from the County House in Ipswich." A negro woman, called Nancy, or Nancy Porter, was a considerable burden to the town for a number of years. She was formerly the property of Lieut. Thomas Emerson against whom the town brought suit in 1798 for her support. However, the town paid her board in private families until the almshouse was purchased and she died there in 1825. She had twins born in 1798, one of whom died when two years old. By the will of Dr. Richard Dexter who died in 1783, the town was given £20. the interest to be used for the support of the poor of the town. After the Revolution, many people were being supported by the town. The overseers of the poor let out these unfortunates to those who would take them to board at the most reasonable rates. In 1810 the overseers of the poor were instructed to bind out for the term
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of one year all the inhabitants "as are able of body but who have no visible means of support who live idly & use no or- dinary means to get their living; by."
The first attempt to have an almshouse was made on June 15, 1742 when an article was inserted in the warrant to see if the town would build a house "for the Conveniency of such Persons as have no house to Dwell in & put themselves upon the town to provide for them," but no action was taken. The question of having a house for the poor was not brought be- fore the town again until 1811 when the town dismissed a proposition to unite with Boxford or some other adjoining town to provide a suitable place for the poor of the towns. After 1815 the question of providing a house or farm for the poor, either by purchase or hire, was annually put before the town meeting. A committee was appointed and after con- siderable deliberation it was voted in 1822 to buy the Eben- ezer Dodge farm, so called, on Perkins Street, which was then owned by Cyrus Cummings. The house had been built by Deacon Solomon Dodge in 1768. This farm became the home of many unfortunate residents of the town. It can be seen from the vital records that the deaths of numerous elderly people occurred at the almshouse. Widows and widowers, unmarried men and women, and aged couples spent the last years of their lives in comfort there.
In 1874, the Salem Gazette reported that no less than 225 tramps were lodged at the almshouse in Topsfield that year. The average number of inmates was six and the cost of main- tenance for each was about $2.75 per week. Two tramps re- fused to get up and labor for their night's lodging at the farm as required by law. They were carted off to Salem and arraigned for vagrants. An article reprinted in the Salem Gazette from the Boston Transcript, Sept. 10, 1889, shows there were then but six occupants of the almshouse. The popularity of the place with transients was thus described : "The poor farm is pleasantly situated and is one of the most productive in the town. They have an annex for the 'walking gentry' commonly called tramps, who lodge and are fed at the town's expense. Coffee was formerly furnished them with their bread but at one time so many availed themselves of this generous provision that water was substituted." Shortly after this there were not enough poor in the town to pay for the upkeep of the farm and in 1900 it was sold to Dr. Henry F. Sears of Boston, and is now owned by Thomas E. Proctor.
CHAPTER XXI TRADES AND OCCUPATIONS
Farming was the chief occupation of the first settlers here and has continued to be through all the years. The rich lands stretching near the Ipswich River tempted the people of Ipswich and elsewhere to push westward into "New Mead- ows." The large farms granted to prominent citizens of the Colony were sold in smaller sections to men who built their houses on them and cultivated the land. As the years passed, sons of these pioneers, grew up and married and in many instances the fathers gave them part of the homestead farms on which to establish their own homes, so the original farms decreased in acreage while the population of the town in- creased. The settlers were at once occupied in supplying themselves with food, clothing and shelter, as they were al- most entirely dependent on their own resources.
Corn was one of the principal crops and the grinding of it became an important industry. At first the people of Tops- field were obliged to carry their grain to the grist mill at Ipswich but the roads were bad and the villagers soon felt the need of a mill in their own town. Francis Peabody, who came from Hampton, about 1650, when he bought half the Samuel Symonds grant, was given the right in 1664 to set up a grist mill1 on Pye brook. Later the Howletts built a grist mill on Howlett's brook, and these two mills served the towns- people for many years.
One of the first needs of the early settlers was timber for their houses and other buildings. As early as 1677 it was necessary to preserve timber on the common land. At that time the town voted that no trees were to be cut without per- mission and as time went on further regulations were ordered to prevent the wasting or destruction of their wood supply. Permission was granted by the town for the erection of saw- mills on brooks and streams where dams could be built. In 1667, William Averill and Daniel Boardman were granted
1 For a full account of this mill see Topsfield Hist. Coll. Vol. I.
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the right to build a dam on Mile brook where a sawmill was erected. This may have been the first such mill in town. It was owned by the Averills until 1835 when it was sold to Porter Bradstreet. The building then standing on the site was burned in 1891.
In March, 1671 Lieut. Peabody was given permission to set up a sawmill provided it does not do damage to any of the townsmen in their meadows, and the mill was built in 1672. The records show that damages were received the following year by Thomas Dorman and sons, who had in 1690 erected a house within a few rods of the parting of the brook. This house was occupied for several years during the latter part of the eighteenth century by Asahel Smith, and here was born on July 12, 1771, his son Joseph, who was the father of the celebrated Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism in this country. The house, 185 years old, was torn down by Frank C. Frame in 1875 and another built on the same spot. The mills were run by Peabodys until February 1829, at which time they had been in the Peabody name for 164 years. At this time the mills were sold and were afterwards carried on by different owners until 1892 when they were closed. In August, 1897 the mill stones were taken out and later sent to Boston where they were cut down and shipped to Birming- ham, England to be used in a chocolate mill. The property passed into the hands of Thomas E. Proctor, the present owner, in 1909.
The date of the erection of the Howlett grist-mill2 may be placed as nearly as can be ascertained from the records, be- tween the years 1738 and 1740. The sawmill was built some two or three years later. A deed of these mills was given by Thomas Howlett to Nathaniel Hood, July 22, 1746. Nathaniel Hood, who was a grandson of Richard, the first Hood in these parts, lived here and owned the mill three years. Later the property passed into the possession of the Hobbs family, who were so numerous that this part of the town was known as Hobbs city. As they passed away their name was dropped but the term city has remained. The mill and accompanying estate passed into the hands of the Perkins family in 1826. The mill was retained by them till 1878 when it passed to Wellington Donaldson. In 1905 Mr. Donaldson sold to John S. Lawrence, the present, owner, one acre of land with mill privilege, grist mill, machinery and buildings.
Another early sawmill was Porter's which was standing near Nichols brook in the early part of the eighteenth century.
2 See Topsfield Hist. Coll. Vol. III.
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The old dam is still discernible in the northwestern corner of the pasture on the farm recently owned by Elmer E. Allen of Danvers. The mill may have stood on land now a part of the Sills farm. Its site was near the Danvers-Middleton-Topsfield line at the southeast corner of the Porter farm. This mill is referred to as being one of the bounds when committees from these towns perambulated the lines. It was there before 1733 when it was mentioned in the town records. The line between Salem and Topsfield ran to a heap of stones near Nichols brook a little above the sawmill & so on the same course to Nichols brook. After 1760 it was always referred to as the remains of an old sawmill commonly called Porter's sawmill.
Ephraim Dorman was allowed to dam Pye brock before 1692 where he probably had a sawmill. Daniel Reddington mentioned a sawmill in his will in 1750, and undoubtedly there were other sawmills in different parts of the town.
Bricks were another essential in the construction of the early houses. Clay pits in Topsfield are first mentioned in the town records in 1674 on the south side of Ipswich river when bounds were made on a meadow "from Mr. Endickat farme downe to the Clay pits neere to the Bridge by Joseph Townes House." Other clay pits on the eastern side of the town were not far from the Wenham causeway. In 1697 some person had made bricks from clay in the common land and Ephraim Wildes was chosen to seize the bricks and make a satisfactory adjustment. In 1738 a committee was appointed to inspect the clay ground and see that no one carried away clay or bricks illegally. This early industry in Topsfield was not carried on after bricks began to be manufactured in Danvers in a commercial way.
Mining of copper was carried on to some extent in Topsfield as early as 1648. Governor Endecott and others spent con- siderable money in working a copper mine but the enterprise was not successful. (See Chap. XXIII Topsfield Copper Mines.)
Iron was a product much needed in the homes and on the farms. Bog iron was found by the early settlers in the low and swampy portions of the town and was mined for local use but as soon as better iron deposits were found in other localities, this bog iron was not utilized. So much was being taken out and used by the townsmen and others that in 1681 the town found it necessary to regulate its use. It was voted that only men of the town could dig iron and they must pay four pence a ton either in silver or iron for all that was taken out. At that time the selectmen gave Ensign Gould liberty
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to dig 20 tons of bog iron paying 6s. 8d. for the same. Lieut. Francis Peabody was also given permission to dig an equal amount for the same price. No further mention of bog iron is found in the printed town records.
Mention should be made of the iron works established about 1668 in Rowley village (now Boxford) upon land John Gould inherited from his father. It was not far from the Topsfield line near Fishing brook. On Dec. 25, 1670, Mr. Gould sold the "owners of the iron works" for £22. 10s., 80 acres of up- land "on which the iron works standeth." Ore dug from bogs in Topsfield and surrounding towns was used here. Henry Leonard and his sons first carried on the business. John Wildes and Thomas Baker were among the men who owned shares in the business at various periods besides Mr. Leonard and John Gould. Governor Simon Bradstreet was also one of the early shareholders. There were others from Ipswich, Rowley and Salem.3 The adventure was not successful and the early court records contained many suits between the Leonards and others over difficulties that arose. Finally a part of the iron works was burned in 1674 and Nathaniel Putnam in behalf of the owners brought suit to recover damages. It was claimed that either wilfully or through negligence the forge and contents were destroyed at a value of more than £200. The building was restored but the man- ufacture was discontinued about 1680.
Many of the farms had fields of flax, and sheep were raised for their wool as well as a food supply. In nearly every home the work of spinning and weaving was an important part of the household craft. In the large kitchens this art was carried on to supply the material for clothing and other needs of the family. Today descendants of these people are proud posses- sors of table linen, coverlets and other articles made in Tops- field by their ancestors. Spinning wheels, hand-looms, cards, swifts and other implements essential in the manufacture of cloth were found in the homes and some are still preserved. While most of this work was done by the women, some men were skilled in the art of weaving and in some instances travelled from house to house, plying their trade. Henry Lake gave his occupation as a weaver at the time of his mar- riage to Priscilla Wilds in 1681. Others who were mentioned as weavers in various records between 1670 and early 1700s were John How, Joseph Esty, Humphrey Clark, Ebenezer Averill, Zaccheus Gould, John Curtis Jr., Jacob Robinson, Nathaniell Averill, Francis Symonds, Benjamin How, Na-
3 Perley, History of Boxford.
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thaniel Low and Isaac Towne. It has been said that the last hand-loom in town was used by Miss Betsey Symonds who lived on the Symonds farm on North street. She died in 1871 at the age of 88 years. When mills were established elsewhere there was no longer need for the weaving of cloth in the homes and this industry like many others became a forgotten art.
Tailors went from house to house cutting the cloth and making it into clothing for various members of the family. Anthony Carroll was one of the first men to ply this trade in town. John French, Zacheus Perkins, Jr., Jonathan Towne and Amos Hood were other early tailors here. Michael Hol- gate was also here for a short time. Toward the latter part of the 19th century Thomas Howlett, John, Joshua and Jo- seph Cree, Humphrey Clark and Nathaniel Fiske carried on this work for their townsmen. John Parkinson, an English- man, came to Topsfield about 1844 and had a tailor shop on Main Street near School Avenue for many years.
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