History of Topsfield Massachusetts, Part 34

Author: Dow, George Francis, 1868-1936
Publication date: 1940
Publisher: The Topsfield Historical Society
Number of Pages: 556


USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Topsfield > History of Topsfield Massachusetts > Part 34


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Tanning of leather was another early industry in Topsfield. One of the earliest tanyards mentioned was that of Elijah Porter who lived on that part of the Porter farm which was later known as the Ezra Batchelder farm, off Rowley Bridge Street. Other early tanners were Nathaniel Porter, David and Robert Perkins, Jr., Israel Clarke, John Lamson, Thomas Balch, Thomas Baker and Aaron Hubbard. A tanyard and currying shop owned by members of the Balch family stood near the corner of Salem and Hill Streets. Another tanyard was located on South Main Street some distance west of the Essex County Agricultural farm on the opposite side of the street. The Clark tan house and yard was on Ipswich Street not a great distance east of the Newburyport turnpike. In 1718 a sealer of leather was chosen and a man was elected to this office at every town meeting for several years.


Many cordwainers are mentioned in the early records. Shoemaking was carried on in Topsfield as elsewhere by many in their own small shops, ells of their houses or even in their kitchens. The men spent most of their time during the winter in making shoes and worked on the farms the rest of the year. This method was practised until about 1850 when the industry had increased and factories began to supplant the small workshops.


The manufacture of shoes was the only industry to be car- ried on to any extent in Topsfield in which many workers were employed. It came about in a natural way. The section of Danvers, called Putnamville, was one of the first places in the country to have shoe factories. It was near the bound-


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ary of Topsfield and many young men from the latter town went to Danvers to learn the trade. Workers could be readily found in Topsfield and surrounding towns.


An article in a Salem Gazette about the middle of the 19th century stated that only one shoe manufacturer had gained a foothold in Topsfield and even he hesitated to destroy the quiet of the village by importing foreign laborers and only employed the sons and daughters of his friends and neighbors. Some men and women came from outlying districts walking long distances to the factory, and working from seven o'clock in the morning until six o'clock at night.


Charles Herrick probably carried on the largest shoe busi- ness in town. He had a small shop built about 1837 upon the site where his large building was erected in 1850. This is now the property of Topsfield Grange. The upper floors have been remodeled into halls and stores occupy the first floor.


Another early shoe manufacturer was Richard Phillips. He was so called when the Congregational parish leased him six acres of parsonage land, May 11, 1838. He was to pay an annual rent of $22.50 for 999 years or until the lessors should decide to sell the property in order to build a new meeting house. In that event Mr. Phillips was to pay $450. for the property or forfeit his lease. March 30, 1861, he paid the required sum to the parish committee. On this land he had a small shop where he manufactured shoes for some years.


In February 1842, a meeting of dealers and manufacturers engaged in shoe and leather business was called in Boston to consider impending changes in the tariff on leather. Richard Phillips and Charles Herrick of Topsfield were among those who attended. The operatives also met in town and selected delegates to attend the convention and appointed a committee to procure statistics relative to the trade in town.


John Bailey was another shoe manufacturer. Alone and in company with others he manufactured shoes in a shop nearly opposite the Herrick factory on Main Street. During the Civil War many army shoes were made in Essex County and Topsfield had a share of the work. Sewed shoes were beginning to supersede pegged ones and the Salem Gazette on Nov. 5, 1861 made special mention of excellent work done by Lewis K. Perkins of Topsfield who was among the ingeni- ous mechanics of Essex County.


In 1867 there were four shoe manufactories in town. Charles Herrick & Co., Bailey, Saunders & Co., and Joseph Towne made women's and children's shoes while Frederick Stiles made boots and did custom work. Many of their goods


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were sold in the South and West. It has been said that at one time Topsfield shipped as many as 200,000 pairs annually. Henry A. Merriam had a shoe shop on the northerly end of Main Street near the cemetery and A. Porter Kneeland's shop stood nearby. Greenleaf Boardman carried on a small business for a few years. He was the first to use a stitching machine in his factory in Topsfield to make sewed shoes. Joseph Towne's shoe factory first stood near the corner of Maple and South Main Streets. It was built in 1856 and was moved to Main Street next to the Bailey block in 1873. Stiles built his two story factory on High Street near his home.


The shoe business suffered during the depression following the Civil War and manufacturers were forced to give up. Charles Herrick's was the last shoe shop in town, and that was discontinued in the early part of the 20th century, when his nephew, William Herrick, was the owner. There is no manufacturing of any kind carried on in Topsfield at present. About the time that shoe manufacturing was flourishing, George H. Waterhouse, a machinist, did quite a business in the manufacture of sole, stiffening and heel dies, knives, and other supplies for the shoe industry. He furnished many firms with his tools and even received orders from the West.


Edmund Bridges was probably the first blacksmith in town. He owned land here before 1661 when his name appears on the list of commoners. He had previously plied his trade in Ipswich and elsewhere. In 1647 he was complained against for not shoeing Deputy Governor Symonds" horse with haste when the latter was called to court. Before 1668 Mr. Bridges moved to Salem Village in what is now the Putnamville sec- tion of Danvers and sold his home to Ensign John Gould.


At this time a blacksmith was indispensable in every com- munity especially in a rural place like Topsfield. He not only did the shoeing of the animals, but made the iron work on farm tools and implements of every sort and even turned out hand-made nails. On Jan. 15, 1668, soon after Mr. Bridges had left town, the inhabitants voted to invite Samuel Howlett of Ipswich "to set Vp his trade of smithing to doe ye Townes Work." He agreed to come and "doe there Work" for which he was given four acres of common land. His home and blacksmith shop stood on what is now Howlett Street between Parson Capen's house and the Dry Bridge.


During the first half of the 18th century this trade was carried on by William and Abraham Redington and Thomas Perkins. They were followed by Jacob Kimball, who came from Andover and had a shop on Main Street near the center


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of the village. Later, William E. Kimball had a shop on the same street. Moses Wildes, Jr., followed Mr. Kimball and Henry Long took over the shop before 1850. The business was carried on by his son Ira P. Long, until after 1900. James and John Gould and George Staples were also blacksmiths in town about the same time. The latter soon moved to Dan- vers where he carried on the same trade.


Since the advent of automobiles, tractors and other ma- chinery, the "village smithy" has few calls for shoeing of horses and many blacksmith shops have disappeared. Tops- field still has two who serve the community. Fred W. Dingle and John R. Gould continue to do the work for the farmers in the vicinity as well as the shoeing of riding horses for the many summer residents.


Wagon and carriage making was a profitable business a century or more ago, before the automobile age. Men engaged in this industry supplied the well-to-do with carriages and buggies, business concerns with delivery wagons and the far- mers with carts and other equipment. One of the earliest wheelwrights was Thomas K. Leach. His shop was built in 1830 near the present railroad track on the western side of Main Street, and was later moved to Central Street. In the early days most of the parts of a wagon were hand-made. All the bolts and nuts were carefully adjusted by hand labor. Many hours were spent in a personal effort to turn out an excellent completed job which is in great contrast to the Im- personal attitude and methods used in the high speed produc- tion of today. Mr. Leach supervised all the work turned out from his shop. His name upon a wagon or sleigh was a guar- antee of its superior stock and excellent workmanship. Later Mr. Leach took James Wilson in as a partner and they did a thriving business for several years. After Mr. Leach's death in 1892, Mr. Wilson carried on for some time. The decrease in the number of horse-drawn vehicles caused this industry to vanish. In connection with these trades, harness makers were needed, also. In the nineteenth century Silas Cochrane and John S. Barr did business in Topsfield. The latter moved to Danvers where he had a shop on Locust Street. Later Jacob Hardy made harnesses in Topsfield or did repair work on them for the people of the community.


From the time the first buildings were erected in New Meadows we find carpenters referred to frequently in the records. They were sometimes called millwrights, house- wrights, cabinet-makers, joiners, etc., but all served the same purpose. Among the first men to carry on this trade in town


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was Robert Andrews, as early as 1654. He lived near the Boxford-Topsfield line. John Wildes, whose home was near the first meeting house on Meeting House Lane, was another carpenter at this time. William Averill built his house in Topsfield in 1663 and was the first of numerous members of this family to serve the community as a carpenter. His sons, Nathaniel and John, bought 200 acres of the Governor Brad- street grant and built a sawmill on Mile Brook. A wheel and millwright shop stood nearby. Several other Averills lived in this vicinity, later known as the "Colleges." Jacob, Elijah and Jeremiah Averill plied their trade there, the latter having a cabinet-maker's shop near his house.


About 1700 several carpenters were referred to in various records. Among them were John Nichols who lived south of Nichols brook in what is now Middleton, William Smith, Thomas Perley, Nathaniel and Joseph Boardman, Daniel Clark, who was also an innkeeper, Jacob Stanley and John Burton. Men who finished the interior of buildings or even made articles of furniture were called joiners. Men engaged in this trade in the early 1700's were John and Nathaniel Capen, Thomas Goodale, John Pritchard and Jacob Averill, Jr. Later all who were engaged in any kind of carpentry work were designated as carpenters. About the middle of this century there were many other carpenters in town. They included Jonathan Wildes, John and Nathan Hood, Samuel Marsters, who died in the French and Indian War, Jeremiah Towne, Jacob Cummings and Uzziel Rea. A little later Stephen Adams, Othniel Thomas, Samuel Hood, Archelaus and Thomas Towne did the work in the town. In more recent times Jacob Foster and John H. Potter built many houses, the latter building the Methodist Church and Town Hall.


It is generally supposed that labor organizations origi- nated about the time of the Civil War. Before 1800, however, a labor union existed in Topsfield. The following record furnishes proof of this fact and gives an interesting list of prices in various manufactured products and the rate of wages.


Topsfield, February 28th, 1793 At a meeting held By the Carpenters Housewrights and Wheelwrights of the Town of Topsfield David Towne was Chosen Clerk and Mr. Elijah Averill was chosen Moderator and the following Resolves Here past


1stly it was voted that this Society agree to Stand By Each


other in articles that should be agreed to By the Major part 2dly voted that the price of Day Labour Be 3s. 6d. per Day


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3rdly it was voted that Double Sleighs complete the wood work Six Dollars


4thly it was voted that Single Sleighs complete the wood work be 36d.


5thly it was voted that making a sleigh the wood work be 24s. 6thly it was voted that any window frame of 15 squares be 4s. per frame finding stuff


7thly it was voted that making window frames at home the owner finding stuff 2s. 6d.


8thly voted that Sashes be 3d. pr Light finding stuff 9thly making Sashes the owner finding Stuff 2d. pr Light 10thly voted that Coffins of a Common Size for Grown Persons


made of Clear Stuff and the Lidd hung with iron hinges be 12s. of Merchantable Stuff - Ten Shilling


11th making a Sled at home the owner find Saw'd Sides and Saw'd Shews 12s.


12th Shewing a Sled the owner finding Saw'd Shews 1s. 8d. 13th It was then voted that this meeting Be adjourned to


Friday the 8th Day of March Next at 4 o'clock in the after- noon at the house of Mr. Jacob Kimball in Topsfield.


Coopering was also necessary in the early days. Isaac Estey was probably the first cooper in town, plying his trade here before 1661. A few years later there were at least eight other men in Topsfield who earned their living in this work. They were Benjamin and Joseph Knight who lived in what is now Middleton; Jacob Reddington, Edmund, Richard and Thomas Towne, Nathan Wildes, Joseph Cummings and in the latter part of the 18th century, Asahel Smith.


The butchering of animals for Salem, Lynn and other mar- kets was one of the principal businesses of the town during the nineteenth century. Nehemiah Cleveland in his address given at the 200th anniversary of the incorporation of the town in 1850, estimated at that time that 20,000 animals, mostly sheep and calves, were killed each year in the town. While many of the animals were bought from local farmers, large droves were driven over the turnpike from Boston. In 1858, it was said T. P. Munday killed about 8000 sheep, and lambs, 2000 calves and 400 cattle annually, besides pigs, poultry, etc. Other well known butchers were Ariel and William Gould, William Munday who probably began butch- ering in Topsfield about 1820, Eugene Hussey, Charles H. Leach, Isaac Woodbury and Richard Ward. In an early record, dated Aug. 8, 1705, Henry Lake's occupation was given as that of a slaughterman.


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THE HISTORY OF TOPSFIELD


Malt beer was a common drink among early settlers. No special reference is found that this was made in Topsfield except that a malt house is mentioned in the will of John Redington in 1690. In a division of property between Eph- raim and John Wildes in 1726, three-quarters of a malt house was mentioned. Cider, beer and wine were used freely in early times as shown in the testimony in the Quarterly Court records concerning difficulties at the inn of Daniel Clark.


Many a will probated at Salem bears silent witness to the loving forethought of the deceased husband, who provided that the widow annually receive from his estate a certain number of gallons of rum or barrels of cider, in addition to other necessities for her comfort. As late as 1761, David Cummings provided in his will that his estate should annually supply his widow with five barrels of cider.


At first, nearly every farm had its own crude mill for mak- ing cider. Later a few carried on the business commercially, grinding apples for their neighbors or buying them and making cider and vinegar which was sold in surrounding cities and towns. There was a cider mill on the Bixby farm as early as 1751. Perhaps it was the one sold to George Averill of Hill Street who bought a mill on the Bixby farm. He operated a mill on his farm for several years during the latter half of the nineteenth century. In the direct tax of 1798, cider mills were mentioned as belonging to Zaccheus Gould, Thomas Emerson, Solomon Dodge, heirs of Richard Dexter and Daniel Bixby. Cider houses were on the farms of Sylvanus Wildes, Josiah Lamson, Simon Gould, Jr., Thomas Cummings, Joseph Cummings and David Cummings and one noted in a deed from Zebulon to Ephraim Perkins in 1811.


David and Lorenzo Towne probably had the largest cider manufactory in town. The mill on Rowley Bridge Street was built about 1812 by their uncle David Towne. An old account book kept by the Towne brothers from 1844 to 1850 is still in existence. Names of many well-known men are found therein, as well as storekeepers and individuals in Danvers, Salem, Beverly, Marblehead, and Lynn. They had regular customers whom they supplied with vinegar and cider as well as others who brought their apples to them to sell or for grinding. David Towne specialized in champagne cider which brought a higher price than the ordinary product sold by his brother Lorenzo. David's son-in-law, John Peter- son carried on the business until the mill burned in 1880.


The Towne brothers' account book shows a very curious method of bookkeeping. On Jan. 6, 1844, the first entry stated


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that David Towne had received $379.80 more than he paid on the settlement of the old books while Lorenzo had received $510.96 more. For the next six years each brother entered his daily items of cash received and cash paid, beginning each entry with his initials. No balance was made until the book was filled. On Apr. 6. 1850, they "reckoned & settled all our company cider and vinegar accounts for money received and money paid and find due David Towne, $100." Just previous to this settlement Lorenzo paid Joseph Towne his bill of $222.72 and $100, for teaming cider. $40 was charged to David for use of barrels in 1844 and $90 for use of the mill that year to make 1000 barrels of cider at nine cents a barrel. For the next five years David paid $342 for use of the mill and barrels, $120 labor of one hand making cider, $100 for horse labor.


The price received for cider varied during these years. The usual price for making cider for a person who furnished the apples was 35¢ a barrel. The charge for a single gallon of cider was 10¢ to 12¢ and 121/2 ¢ to 16¢ for a gallon of vinegar. Stores paid less than private customers for a barrel of cider, the price ranging from $2.00 to $3.50 the latter being for the best cider. A barrel of vinegar was $3.75 to $4.00.


During this period the Towne brothers paid from five to 18¢, or an average of about 10¢ a bushel for apples. Many farmers in the vicinity brought their poor apples to the mill in quan- tities from a few bushels to as many as 625 bushels in a single year. In later years the apples were shipped to them in icarload lots from New York and elsewhere. Labor in the making of cider was not high. About $10 a month and board reckoned at $1.75 a week was the average pay, or 50¢ to 75¢ a day. In the busy season it was necessary to hire a horse or oxen to carry their products to market or bring apples to the mill. 75¢ was the cost of horse to take a load to Lynn, 25¢ to Middleton and 67¢ to Byfield. Oxen cost 50¢ for a trip to Beverly, $1.00 to Marblehead and 75¢ to Byfield.


The brothers paid 62¢ for shoeing a horse, while one shoe on the old mare cost 20¢ and setting two shoes, 16¢. They paid the following prices for feed for the horse, $1.12 for two bushels of corn, 85¢ to 90¢ for one bushel of meal and 80¢ a hundred for English hay. Other prices were 25 to 75¢ each for cider barrels, 50¢ for a keg, $1.50 for an iron bound hogshead, and 5¢ each for bottles in which champagne cider was sold and 62¢ a gross for corks. Candles cost from 10¢ to 13¢ a pound ; sheeting, 9¢ a yard; straw used in the cheeses in pressing cider 35¢ a hundred pounds, and sand for strain-


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THE HISTORY OF TOPSFIELD


ing, 25¢ a load. A cask of lime cost $1.05 and a set of tin measures, 65¢. Insurance on cider and vinegar in the mill cost $5.55.


It was estimated in 1850 that the aggregate quantities of certain agricultural products raised in Topsfield in a year was about 5000 bushels of corn and about twice as many potatoes. Other grains, such as rye, barley and oats were raised in smaller quantities. Nearly 26,000 pounds of butter were made on the farms yearly and 4500 pounds of cheese.


The nursery business was early established in town by the Lakes and Townes. Thousands of fruit trees were sold an- nually. Members of the Lake family gave the town many of the fine shade trees that line the village streets. The cus- tom of establishing the nursery at the Towne farm was to plant seeds from the pumace which remained after the apples were ground for cider at the mill. Then small trees were either sold as seedlings or budded to known varieties. Such varieties were grown there as Baker Sweet, Fall Harvey, Gen- niting, Soppsy Wine, Hubbardston, Golden Russet, Porter, Rhode Island Greening, Blue Pearmain, Eppes or Danvers Sweet, High Top Sweeting, Bishop Pippin, Gilliflower, Aunt Hannah and Stump Apple, also Cathead, Yellow Bellflower and Pumpkin Sweet.


Apple, pear. peach, cherry and plum trees were sold by the Lakes and even apricots and nectarines. In 1868, Charles H. Lake advertised such standard varieties of apples as Hub- bardston Nonesuch, Seek-No-Further, Ladies' Nonesuch, Fall Pippin, Kilham Hill, Luscomb, Gravenstein, Ramsdell's Sweet, Detroit Red, Fall Greening and Baldwin. Few of such apple trees may still be found in orchards in Essex county. Mr. Lake made special mention of the Governor Bradstreet apple which he claimed originated on the Governor Bradstreet farm in Topsfield. The fruit of this tree was described as a sweet apple of large size, rather flattened, bright red and yellow striped, ripening in midwinter and keeping through May of the following year. Other varieties of fruit trees offered for sale by Mr. Lake were Royal George, Noblesse and Manning's Red peaches; Bartlett pears and Imperial Violet, Prince's Imperial and Red Gage plums.


The early storekeeper was an important man and his store a popular place for the townsmen. The villagers brought in their butter, cheese, eggs, and other products in exchange for sugar, cloth and other things which they could not make or raise. Barter was a common method in Topsfield as else- where. Money was not plentiful but a few transactions were


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for cash. It is probable that people in town depended on stores in Danvers, Salem and Ipswich in the earliest times for their supplies. In 1835, it is said that there were three country grocery stores in Topsfield. Nathaniel and Freder- ick Perley had the building erected on Main Street for a dwelling and store about 1830. They were followed by Ben- jamin P. Adams, and Joseph B. Poor took the property over about 1886. It has been owned and operated by his descend- ants since that time. Mr. Poor had a store on the opposite side of the street in the Bailey Block previous to that time. John Bailey had a market nearby and William E. Kimball and members of his family occupied a store on Main Street.


Israel Clarke, who lived near the corner of Prospect and Main Streets, seems to have carried on a small business, selling molasses, oil, earthenware, etc. Items found in an account book kept by him from 1738 to 1749, illustrate cur- rent prices of various articles in common use at the time. The price of molasses in 1738 was 7s. per gallon and remained so until 1743 when it rose to 9s. 6d. and in 1746 to 15s. Oyl which was probably whale oil and was used for illuminating, cost 7s. a gallon in 1739, and the price was 15s. in 1748, an increase more than likely due to the French and Indian war, and the events leading up to it. In the cast iron Betty lamps hanging in the old fashioned fireplace, grease and blubber were burned and in 1743, Clarke sold 2 quarts of the latter for 1s. 6d., and in 1748 he sold for 10s. the barrel in which he received his oil. Ten years earlier cider barrels brought 7s. The considerable amounts of earthen ware that he disposed of were seldom itemized when the charge was made. Once a platter was mentioned costing 1s., and several times milk pans appear. Oct. 25, 1742, Joseph Osborn, probably the potter living in the Middle Parish of Salem, now Peabody, was credited with "Earthen ware one Load £6-8-0."


Charles S. Wiggin opened the first drug store in town and in 1877 sold his business to Benjamin P. Edwards and moved to Texas. Mr. Edwards served the town as an apothecary for many years. He sold out to his brother Joseph H. M. Edwards of Salem. Since his death the business has been carried on by a number of different owners.


Lack of space will not permit listing the small shops of various kinds but mention should be made of the milliner's store kept by J. Porter Gould in a small building near his home on Grove Street.


CHAPTER XXII TAVERNS AND HOTELS


A public house or "ordinary" was always an important adjunct to a town in the early days and this was true in Tops- field, as it lay on the route from Salem and other towns on the south to Boxford, Rowley, Georgetown, Haverhill and other places on the north, and travelers needed a place to lodge and rest their horses. As the inn was the only well-warmed gather- ing place in winter, men often assembled there to transact business, hold town meetings and public hearings. People who came from outlying districts to attend church, enjoyed its comforts between the morning and afternoon services. With the coming of the stage coaches, the inns became even more necessary as a stopping place where the passengers could obtain refreshments, and horses could be changed.




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