USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > Quincy > History of old Braintree and Quincy : with a sketch of Randolph and Holbrook > Part 43
USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > Braintree > History of old Braintree and Quincy : with a sketch of Randolph and Holbrook > Part 43
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*There appears to be some mistake here, but we have given it as wo found it.
452
IRON WORKS.
a committee of the town of Braintree, at public sale, with the other common lands, in 1765.
Another version of the disposition of these lands is to be found in Vinton's Memorial, page 471, and is most probably the correct one :-
"Dec. 7th, 1682. Capt. Ephraim Savage, shopkeeper, of Bos- ton, and Sarah, his wife, for £500 current money of New Eng- land, sell John Hubbard, of Boston, merchant, 2400 acres of land
" And whereas the Petitioners say in the Preamble to their petition that they have lately purchased, &c.
"1st. The Respondents answer, That it was purchased by some few of the inhabitants of the town of Milton, as private persons, and not by the Town of Milton.
" 2d. That the greater the Tract of Land is, the more unreasonable it is that the Petition should be granted.
"3d. First Reason That the scituation of said land is (as they say) by some miles nearer to Milton than any other Town, the greater and best part of it lying within a mile and a half of the Milton meeting-house.
"The Respondents, answer That the matter alleged in this reason is by no means true. But if they had said it was nearer to Milton than any other town, excep Braintree, it had been well enough for that purpose; the best part may ly near Milton, yet the far greater part of the land lie nearest Braintree.
" As to their 2d Reason, The Respondents answer, That the Township of Braintree being lately divided into two Precincts, are under as great, if not greater, difficulties and discouragements than the Town of Milton can pretend to be. No doubt but the addition they pleaded for, would enable and encourage them &c., so it would encourage and enable the Respondents if such a part of the Town of Dorchester or Milton were added to their Township, but believe the Great and General Court will not judge it reasonable, so have not yet Petitioned for it.
" As to their third reason, the truth of which is therein asserted, depending upon the first which is not true, it must fall with it, but supposing it may be true with to some few particulars, it is but the common misfortune of some few private persons in all Towns whatsoever. As to the Fourth Reason, The Respondents say, admitting the matter therein contained to be true, yet it is but a common kindness, and the Town of Milton do now pass through Braintree to go to the salt meadows. As to the fifth reason, it is answered already in the answer to the first, in the preamble, in part as to what remains the Respondents cannot for the reasonableness of it, That they who have the property, should have the jurisdiction, for as much as that would alter the constitution of mnost Towns in the Province. All which with what else may appear your Respond- ents humbly hope this great and General Court will see full cause to dismiss the said Petition .- Edmund Quincy, John Cleverly, Neamiah Hayden, Peter Adams, Committee in behalf of the Town of Braintree."-Mass. Arch., Vol. CXIII, pp. 592-595.
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IRON WORKS.
in Brantery, commonly called Iron Works Land, and is part of that 3000 acres formerly granted by the town of Boston to the company of the Iron Works, according to a plot thereof drawn and signed by the Selectmen of Boston, bounded east on land of Capt. John Holbrook, (which was part of said land) ; west on Boston Common Lands; North, part on Manatient River, part on land of John Hull, Esq .; South, on Boston Commons."
The General Court, on the 7th of March, 1643-4, granted the undertakers the monopoly of manufacturing iron within the jurisdiction of the Massachusetts Colony, for twenty-one years, providing that in two years they would fabricate a sufficient quantity to supply the Colony.
As soon as suitable arrangements could be made, the follow- ing gentlemen were organized as the company, viz :-
Lionel Copeley, Esq., of York County, England; Nicholas Bond, Esq., of Westminster, England; Thomas Pury, Esq., of Westminster, England; John Bex, merchant, London; Wil- liam Beauchamp, merchant, London; Thomas Foley, gentleman, London ; William Greenhill, Stepney, County of Middlesex; · Thos. Weld, minister, Gateshead, Durham; John Pococke, mer- chant tailor, London; William Beeke, merchant tailor, London; Wm. Hicock, citizen, London ; Mr. Winthrop, Jr., Henry Webb and others of this country, were added. These gentlemen estab- lished iron works at Lynn and Braintree.
After the establishment of the furnaces and forges, they seem to have been in a prosperous condition up to 1645, when they issued the following document, which sounds very much like incorporations of the present day, who desire to water their stock, by issuing loud-sounding circulars to inform the commu- nity of the great importance to those who would subscribe to the stock of the company and become rich; as it appears to us it was the case in this instance, we give their own statement, which will better illustrate the subject, viz :-
"Whereas, it is now found by sufficient proof that the iron work is very successful, both in the richness of the ore and the goodness of the iron, and like to be of great benefit to the whole country, especially if the inhabitants here should be interested therein in some good proportion,-one-half at the least; and
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IRON WORKS.
whereas the time limited for adventurers to come in will be expired in the ninth month (November) next, this court taking the same into serious consideration, and being careful that such an opportunity for so great advantage to the Commonwealth might not be let slip, have taken orders that speedy notice thereof should be given to every town within this jurisdiction ; expecting that all such persons as are of sufficient ability, and intend their own benefit with the common good, will forthwith appear to come in to share in the work, according to their abili- ties ; and for their better instruction and direction herein, they are hereby to understand that there is already disbursed between £1200 and £1500, with which the Furnace is built, with that which belonged to it, and good quantity of Mine, Coal and wood provided, and some tons of sow iron cast, and some other things in readiness for the forge, etc. They are also to know that no adventurer is to put in less than £100; but divers may join together to make up that sum, so it come all under one name. There will be need of some £1500 to finish the forge, &c., which will be accepted in moncy, beaver, wheat, coals, or any such commodities as will satisfy the workmen, and these are to be paid in to Mr. Henry Webb of Boston, by such direction as they may receive from the undertakers, Mr. John Winthrop, Jr., Major Sedgwick, Mr. Henry Webb, aforesaid, and Mr. Joshua Hewes. The new adventurers are also to know that they must bear their part in such loss as is befallen the first stock, by for- bearance or otherwise, to the time of the new adventurers pay- ing in their adventures ; and all such as will venture are desired to hasten their resolutions, that the work may go on speedily." -Mass. Archives, Vol. LIX, p. 16; Colony Records, Vol. II, p. 103.
A few months after, they received their charter from the court, granting them a monopoly and all the privileges they de- sired.1 This, like many other early enterprises in the Colonies, struggled on with varied success until about 1653, when they became so embarrassed as to be obliged to give up the under-
1. The following is a copy of the charter granted the Iron Works :-
" At a session of the General Court, the first of the 8th month, 1645, Inprimis, that the undertakers, their agents and assignes, are hereby granted the sole
1
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IRON WORKS.
taking as utterly bankrupt. The contemporary writers of that day give an account of this unfortunate project. Johnson, in his Wonder-working Providence, written in 1652, makes the fol- lowing mention of them :- "The land affording very good iron stone, divers persons of good rank and quality in England, were stirred up by the provident hand of the Lord to venture their estate upon a iron work which they began at Braintree," etc. He further says, that the operations of the forge were not at-
privilege and benefit of making iron, and managing of all iron mines and workes, that now are or shalbe discovered and found out, or hereafter shalbe in this iurisdietion, for the tearme of twenty-one yeares from the former graunt; provided, that the said adventurers, their agents or assignes, do, within three years fro' the former date, use their best endeavo' to their utmost skill to perfect so many of the said workes that the inhabitants of this jurisdiction be furnished with barr iron of all sorts for their use, not exceeding twentye pounds per tunn; provided also, that it shalbe in the liberty of any within this iurisdiction to be adventurers with the undertakers, if by the last day of this October, they being in their adventures, not lesse, in one mans name, then fifty pounds with alowance to the adventurers for the stock of one thousand pounds by them already disbursed.
"2d. The court doth hereby grant to the said undertakers, their agents and assignes, in all places of wasts and lands not impropriated to any towne or person, that the said undertakers, their agents or assignes, at all times during the said tearme of 21 yeares, shall and may, freely and at their own discretion, have and take all manner of wood and timber, to be converted into coales, or any other uses for the service of the undertakers, as also all manner of earth, stoanes, turfe, clay and other materialls for buildings and reparation of any of their workes, forges, mills, or houses, built or to be built, or for making or moulding any manner of gunns, potts and all other cast iron ware; and for con- verting wood into charcoale; and also to get, dig and carry away, of all manner of stone, iron ore and wood of all sorts, and any other materialls or things of use for their workes, and it is hereby also granted to the said undertakers, their agents or assignes, that they shall have free liberty to make all convenient wayes and passages, as also all manner of pooles, dams, water courses, sluice- ponds for water, in all wast grounds or other conveniences to, from, and for the service of the said workes built or to be built, not impropriated to any towne or person, during such time as the said workes shall continue; provided if, by any pond, sluce, water-course, dam, or any other worke, (though in land unimpro- priated, ) they should spoyle, or any wayes preindice, the land appropriated to any towne or person, the said undertakers shall make due and iust satisfaction.
"3d. The court doth hereby further grant to the said adventurers, their agents or assignes, in all the grounds that are or shall be appropriated, that the said adventurers, their agents or assignes, shall have free liberty at all times during the said tearme to digg, gett, carry away all manner of stone or iron ore, and to make and use all convenient wayes and water-courses, pooles, dans,
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IRON WORKS.
tended with profit, but loss, which he attributed in part to the high price of labor, and in part to the want of skill and experi- ence in the manufacture of iron, but expresses a hope " that the owners may pick up their crumbs again ; hopes they will perse- vere, and expresses a great satisfaction in the thought that in addition to these commodities which the people of New Eng- land were already to export,-as wheat, rye, oats, barley, peas, beef, pork, fish, butter, cheese, timber, masts, tar, soap, lumber,
sluces, ponds for water and other conveniences to, from, and for the service of the said works, through all the said grounds that are or hereafter shalbe im- propriated, (except houses, or orchards not exceeding three acres, and yards,) giving such due and full recompense for the same to the owners thereof, for the time being, as three indifferent men shall adiudg, whereof one to be appointed by the said court at the next generall meeting after the undertakers, their agents, or assignes, shall make or use any of the said wayes or water courses, or other perticulers herein mentioned for the services aforesaid, and one other by the owner of the land for the time being, and the third by the undertakers or adventurers.
"4th. The court doth hereby further graunt unto the said adventurers and to their heires and assignes forever, so much land now or hereafter to be in this jurisdiction, as aforesaid, as shall containe in sixe places, three miles square, in each place, or so much in quantity as containeth three miles square, not ex- ceeding four miles in length, to be set out in such places and parcels as the said undertakers or their agents shall make choyce of, not being already impropri- ated, as aforesaid; upon which said land the said adventurers shall have free liberty, and hereby do undertake, that within the said tearme of - years, to search, sett and find out convenient places within the said compas of land, for the building and setting up of six forges, or furnaces, and not bloomaries onely, or so many more as they shall have occasion for, for the making of iron as aforesaid, which they shall (the iron, stone and other materialls p'ving proper and fit for the making of iron, as aforesaid) build and set up w'in the tearme aforesaid; provided, that ye court may graunt a plantation in any place where ye co't thinketh mute, the adventurers or their agents there residing haveing first notice thereof, and not making choyce of the same for part of the land to be set out and graunted to them, for the designe of planting the said iron works, and making iron, as aforesaid.
"5th. It is graunted and ordered, that what quantity of iron, of all sorts and qualities, the said adventurers, their agents or assignes, shall make more than ye inhabitants shall have neede and use of, for their service, to be bought and paid for by the said inhabitants, as aforesaid, they shall have free liberty to transport the same by shiping to other parts or places of the world, and to make sale thereof in what way and place the said adventurers shall please, for their best advantage, provided they sell it not to any person or State in actuall hos- tility with us.
"6th. That it is graunted and ordered that the said erktuers, their agents and
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IRON WORKS.
etc., they were likely to be able to export iron and lead." Mr. Hubbard, in his New England histories, makes the following quaint allusion to the cause of the breaking up of this unfortu- nate project, viz. :- " Which was projected and strennously car- ried on for some considerable time, but at length, instead of drawing out bars of iron for the country's use, there was ham- mered out nothing but contentions and lawsuits, to the great disadvantage of the undertakers."
It is useless for us to go over the extensive field of contro- versy in reference to whether Lynn or Braintree erected the first iron forge in America. It is of little moment to us whether Lynn or Braintree began their works one or six months previous to the other, as they were one and the same company, and most probably their works were established as near together as the nature of the circumstances would admit. We are, however, of an opinion that the evidence preponderates to Lynn; still it is an open question, and we think will ever remain as such.
The first branch forge and furnace, for the manufacture of iron ware in America, (as it was one branch, the other having been
servants, shall, from the date of these presents, forever have and enjoy all lib- erties and immunities whatsoever, p'sent or to come, equall with any within this jurisdiction, according to the lawes and orders thereof for the time being, and according to the rightes and priviledges of the churches.
" 7th. It is also graunted, that the undertakers and adventurers, together with their agents, servants and assignes, shallbe and are hereby free from all taxes, assessments, contributions and other public charges whatsoever, for so much of their stock, store or goods, as shall be implied in and about the said iron works, for and during the tearme of - years yet to come, from the date of these presents.
"Sth. It is hereby graunted and ordered, that all such clarks and workmen, as miners, founders, finers, hamermen and colliers, necessarily implied or to bo implied in and about the said workes, built or to be built, for any the services thereof, shall, from time to time during the said tearme of - years, be, and hereby are, absolutely freed and discharged of and from all ordinary trainings, watchings, &c., but that every person at all times be furnished with arms, pow- der, shott, etc., according to order of court.
"9th. It is lastly ordered by the court, that in all places where any iron worke is set up, remote from a church or congregation, unto which they cannot conveniently come, that the undertakers will be pleased to provide some good meanes whereby their families may be instructed in the knowledge of God, by such as the court or standing councell shall approve of."-Mass. Records, Vol. II, p. 125.
59
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IRON WORKS.
built at Lynn, by the same company), was constructed in that part of Braintree which is now called Quincy, on what has ever been known as the Furnace brook. My reason for this asser- tion against all written authorities, is as follows :-
In 1653, the general iron company became embarrassed and failed. It appears in the apprizement of their effects, made at that time, that there was but one forge or furnace belonging to them in the town of Braintree.
In 1674-5, after twenty years litigation with the company, Mr. Thomas Wiggin obtained possession, in satisfaction of a judgment of a certain tract of land ; he conveyed the same to one Thomas Savage, who sold it to Gregory Belcher and Alex- ander Marsh, and it appears below that a furnace was located upon this land held by Belcher and Marsh; it also appears that this land included within its bounds, Furnace brook.
We have searched the records in all directions for the sale of detached portions of the other landed estates enumerated in the company's apprizement, belonging to them, to ascertain if any other forge was to be found in the possession of this association in Braintree, and have been unable to find the least intimation that there was. This forge was constructed in the most sonth- erly part of the Hall Cemetery, on the Furnace brook, a short distance south of the Catholic Church, on Cemetery street, West Quincy, where the relics are to be seen to this day. It is hoped that the town, or some public-spirited individuals, will have a monument erected over this mound to perpetuate this noted locality where the first iron forge was established in the United States.
Mr. Vinton, in his memorial, gives an extended account of the iron works in Braintree, in which he endeavors to make it appear that the first forge and furnace in the United States was erected on the Monatiquot river, in this old township. To establish this point, he has based this assertion upon a false conclusion, by making the great and fatal mistake in asserting that the Fur- nace brook was the Monatiquot river, which is not the case ; as the Furnace brook is now, and always has been in that part of old Braintree, now called Quincy. The old petrified foundation timbers can be seen to this day embedded in the
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IRON WORKS.
banks of this quiet stream ; slags of iron, and old cinders can be seen in this locality at any time, which to our mind clearly proves that the manufacture of iron was carried on here. Tra- dition relates that the forge on the Furnace brook was more successful than it would have been if it had been erected on the Monatiquot river, on account of sow iron being more easily ob- tained, of better quality and in a greater supply, from the exten- sive swamps that surrounded this locality.
Mr. Vinton commits another error in stating that Mr. Belcher and Mr. Marsh were not able to hold the furnace land after they had purchased it. Mr. Alexander Marsh, the progenitor of the Marsh family in this town, came into possession of Mr. Belcher's share of the furnace land by inheritance through his wife, who was the daughter of Mr. Belcher. It can also be proved by the inventory of Mr. Marsh that he held this estate at the time of his decease. To show that he was in possession of this property at this time, we will give the following item as taken from his executor's account to be found in the Suffolk Probate Court Records, Libro VIII, folio 123, viz : - " The furnace land at Crane's Plaine containing two hundred and fifteen acres valued at four hundred pounds, and also the Barnabas Dorifield's lot adjoyning the furnace land, containing sixteen acres."
There was no reason why Mr. Marsh could not hold this land, as he was at that time one of the three wealthiest men in the town, the other two were Mr. Edmund Quincy and Mr. Joseph Crosby, whose respective estates were apprized as follows :- Mr. Quincy's, a little rising twenty-two hundred pounds; Mr. Cros- by's, rising fifteen hundred pounds, and Mr. Marsh's something over twelve hundred pounds. But to settle this question beyond a doubt, we will give the bounds of this land as sold by Mr. Savage to Belcher and Marsh in 1674-5 :-
" The old furnace at Braintree with all the houses thereon belonging, with all the land thereto, being in estimation two hundred acres, be it more or less, being bounded on the land of Elder Kingsly on the north, (Mr. Kingsly's estate was in West Quincy, adjoining East Milton, and he was the first Elder of the First Church, and afterwards removed to Milton) ; on the west by the Common lands of Braintree, (which were the Blue Hill
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IRON WORKS.
lands) ; on the south and east on the Furnace brook, with land obtained by Thomas Wiggin, by judgment against the estate of the undertakers of the iron works, levied by execution and sold by said Wiggin unto said Savage, with the wood, under- wood, trees, timber lying and being thereon, together with all the privileges, appurtenances, belonging thereto, as also sixteen acres of land abutting upon the said furnace land which was lately in the occupation of Barnabas Dorifield."
Another fact which goes to corroborate its having been estab- lished on the Furnace brook at this early period is, that a few years ago, in making an excavation at the old forge, a sign plate of iron was found bearing date of 1646, which to my mind is conclusive evidence that the furnace was in this locality at this time. Then again the facility and access for procuring and trans- porting fuel for the forge from their supposed grant of three thou- sand acres of woodland, (one-half of which was in East Milton, embracing what is called the Scotch Woods, and the other fifteen hundred acres were the Blue Hill lands in Braintree,) was decid- edly more convenient to the Furnace brook than to the Monat- iquot river, as doubtless it was here the coal was manufactured for the use of the furnace. The consumption of so much wood caused an opposition to arise among the inhabitants of the town to the iron works; as they considered that if the works continued many years they would not have sufficient fuel for domestic and other purposes.
The greater part of the capital and principal business was at Lynn, as at the time of the failure of the iron company the apprizements of their estate at Lynn amounted to £3295 2s. 6d., and at Braintree, £666 3s. 3d. The following is an abstract of the apprizement at Braintree, which contains the principal effects belonging to the company at the time of their failure, in 1653 :-
£
" A little house,
S. D. 350 loads of coal,
2 10 0
197 10 0
The forge, dam, water courses, flood gates, pond, and all things belonging to it, 297 10 0 Tairs (or Thayers) Lott, 1 accor 17 rods, 2 15 0
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IRON WORKS.
£
S. D.
Penns Lott. 78 accors, - -
17
17 6
Old Ruggles Lott. 20 accors,
3 0 0
Young Ruggles Lott. 30 accors,
4 10 0
Martin Sanders Lott. 29 accors, - -
-. 7 5 0
Good (man) Newcombs. 18 accors, - 4 10 0
Chapmans. 1 accor, - 2
17 6
Levitts House Lott. 41 Rods, 1 0 0
Widow Hunns Lott. 20 accors, -
5 0 0
6 tun of Cast Iron, at £6 the tun,
36 0 0
10 of barr Iron, - - 10 0 0
John ffrerck. 60 rods, -Mass. Arch., Vol. LIX, p. 47.
1 0 0"
The remaining portion of the apprizement is made up of anvils, hammers and other implements connected with the works. By this inventory it appears that there is but one forge mentioned as being in Braintree, as we have before stated; this was the forge purchased by Belcher and Marsh. The names of the workmen that we have seen recorded appear to have been Scotchmen. It was the custom at this period for individuals to be sent from Great Britain to America and sold into limited ser- vitude by indenture as a matter of speculation, and the laborers of the iron works were procured in this manner. Servitude by indenture continued to exist in the Colonies and Provinces down to the Revolutionary period. At the time of the failure of the iron company, this system of servitude left the workmen very poor and without money for subsistence, and liable to become a town charge. To relieve the town of this exigency, they peti- tioned the General Court for assistance, as follows, viz :- " In answer to the petition of Braintree humbly desiring some relief to several persons brought in by the owners of the iron works, yet are likely to be chargeable to them, especially in relation to Jun Frauncis, his poor condition calling for present reliefe, &c., so this court refers this part of their petition to the next County Court in Suffolk, where all parties concerned may have liberty to present their respective pleas and evidence."
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