USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > Dorchester > History of the town of Dorchester, Massachusetts > Part 24
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June 25. The mackrel came very thick.
June 26. We gathered a mess of string beans.
Aug. 7. The hottest Day has been for 22 years as thought.
Nov. 16. I went to Boston 6 times with a team this week. Nov. 18. William King killed a hog wd. 17 score and 141b.
[In this diary are found the weights of various hogs of his that were killed. This one of King's is named, no doubt, on account of being an extraordinarily large hog ; yet it is very moderate compared with some of the present day, the breed of hogs having undoubtedly been more improved than that of any other animal.]
1772, March 5. A very smart snow storm-a foot of snow. March 9. A very smart snow storm, and drifted very much:
March 11. We dig out highways, and a smart storm comes on which filled them again by the time we got home.
March 12. The snow blowed very much.
March 13. We dig out the highway to the meeting-house, but a snow storm came on which filled the rode again as bad as ever.
March 18. Mr. Ebenezer Brown was drownded.
March 20. A violent snow storm came on.
March 21. People dig out the highway again.
March 27. We dig out the highway to the meeting-house. April 3. A violent snow storm ; the snow drifts much.
April 4. We dig out the highways ; the snow 8 foot or 10 foot deep in some drifts.
April 15. A very great rain did great damage to the dams and mill.
May 20. Town meeting. Esq. Holden offered to go repre- sentative for nothing, but they would not choose him.
[The people were very particular, about this time, whom they chose to that office.]
May 21. Sot our Sain ; catcht 12 Bass, 16 shd.
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HISTORY OF DORCHESTER.
June 22. I sot out my tobacco plants.
Aug. 10. I finis my barley and had 50 bushels. [There was a great quantity of barley used about this time. ] Aug. 28. Mr. Ebenezer Clap made captain of the loar Company. Oct. 21. Capt. Clap call'd his company together and made a treat. Nov. 15. The Pirates came on this coast and rob'd one vessel.
Nov. 22. The Pirates take a scooner and killed the hands. Dec. 21. As fine weather as ever was known. No frost in the ground.
Dec. 23. I brake up ground at blackbird swamp.
December 29. Had a town meeting to exclaim against the Duty being laid upon us, and the judges having their salaries paid from England, &c.
Dec. 30. I brake up ground for Mr. Jona. Leeds.
Dec. 31. I brake up ground at Blackbird Swamp.
1773, Feb. 1. Began to kep school, £3 5s. per week.
March 14. Mr. Boman refused to baptize Paul Halls child, altho he demanded it in public.
June 3. Capt. Clap had his training.
Aug. 31. I went out in the sloop ; there was 129 persons.
Oct. 11. We had our 18th Church meeting against Boman.
Nov. 19. Had councils four days this week; cost £150 a day.
Dec. 1. A great time of talk about the tee.
Dec. 3. The council set 4 days this week, and have not finished.
Dec. 11. Boston is full of trouble about the tee being landed.
Dec. 14. Was a church meeting, and the council dismissed Mr. Jona. Boman from this Church this day. We have had eight months controversy with Mr. Boman, but got rid of him at last by paying him £450 old tenor per year to go away.
Dec. 15. There was the destruction of the Tee ; they sup- posed there to be about 340 chests destroyed, all thrown into the dock in one Nite.
Dec. 30. There was a number of men came from Boston in disguise, about 40 ; they came to Mr. Eben Withington's down in town, and demanded his Tee from him which he had taken up, and carried it off and burnt it at Boston.
1774, Jan. 3. Was town meeting. We pass a vote against buying or drinking any Bohea Tee. S. P.
May 16. Gov. Gages Commission was Red in Boston.
..
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HISTORY OF DORCHESTER.
May 18. Mr. Lemuel Robinson was chosen to represent the town.
May 31. We had our Training and Treeting, &c. ; the Company was all here, about 100 ; we had 188 people here to dinner.
June 13. The soldiers land at Boston.
June 17. The Cort was disolved at Salem by Gage.
July 2. Eight or nine Men a War arived with forces, and Boston is in a most deplorable condition.
Sept. 1. There was an alaram; there was about 8 or 9 thousand men met at Cambridge.
Sept. 12. The greate gun was Removed from Preston's Point.
Sept. 19. We began to exercise this season.
Oct. 4. We had our trainings in Dorchester.
Nov. 9. Had a meeting of all the training soldiers, and. . gave up our commissions and were rechosen.
Nov. 17. The officers of this regiment met at Stouton to choose their field officers. Chosen for the same, Lemuel Robinson, Deacon Gill and Joseph Voce.
Nov. 28. The fortification all built on Boston Neck.
Dec. 6. Poor Elijah Tolman comes to the town, and goes about like a sad clowne.
Dec. 6. I went to Salem with a team for a load of hides. Went and got home again in 30 hours, while the whole jour- ney was 60 miles.
Dec. 27. Town meeting. Capt. Withington was chosen to represent the town in the Congress.
1775, Feb. 27. The officers met, and the field officers re- signed.
March 7. They met again and were rechosen. Capt. Clap was chosen Lieut. Colonel.
[It appears that the officers very generally resigned rather than hold commissions under the king. They were afterwards re-chosen ; at least, those in whom the people had confidence, and received their commissions from the Continental Con- gress.]
March 5. Mr. Ebenezer Baker's shase was burnt at the meeting-house ; it was sot a fire by leaving a sto in it.
March 20. The company's met in Dorchester to view arms, the same day the old Larram (Alarm ?) Men chose their officers. .
April 19. This day there was a terrible battle at Lexing- ton and Concord between our people and the soldiers which marcht out of Boston ; the soldiers fired on our people, and
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then the battle began, and there was about 40 of our people kild and 190 of the soldiers, as near as could be recollected.
April 20. The alarm was very general, and a great num- ber of People collected; it may be there was 30 or 40 Thou- sand in Roxbury and Cambridge.
May 1. There is very great confusion among us at this day, some people moving out of Boston, and some of the Tory's moving their goods in to town.
May 5. There was something of an alarm here in Dorches- ter ; a schooner came into the River, but it proved to be from Boston with som of our frinds from Boston in it.
May 9. An express came to me from the General, and I got the Company together and marcht of, but we met with interruption that night.
May 11. Was a fast kept and very strictly too.
May 17. More soldiers arrive at Boston from England.
May 21. The soldiers go to Weymouth with four vessels for hay at. Strawbery hill, but our people drive them of and burnt the barn ; twas thot to have had near 80 tuns of hay in it.
May 27. The soldiers make another attack on Noddle's Island, but our soldiers get the better of them and took a small vessell from them and burnt it.
May 28. The barn was burnt on Tomsons Island.
May 29. The people burn a great quantity of hay at Nod- dles Island, and at night the house at tompsons Island.
June 14. A great number of transports arive . in Boston with more soldiers, some say 1500.
June 17. They got over to Charlestown and set it on fire, and burn the whole town down.
June 18. There was a terrible battle fout at Charlestown ; the Regulars get the better of our troops, and we lost about 70 men and many wounded.
June 20. It was said that there was 1000 of the Regular soldiers kild.
June 24. This day two of our men went to set Browns house on the Neck afire, and were both kild ; one was old Share of Milton.
June 26. This day our People began to entrench below Capt. Clap's, near the great Casway.
June 27. Our people went down to Dorchester Neck to work, but were shot at from Boston very much.
July 2. Much firing from the Regulars this morning at our people at Roxbury. Mr. Williams' house was set on fire, but no lives lost.
39
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HISTORY OF DORCHESTER.
July 6. Our soldiers had a scurmig this morning with their gard, and drove them from it and set Brown's house afire on the Neck.
July 10. Our People go to Long Island and fetch of all the cretors, and took 13 mereens prisoners.
July 11. This day many of the ships goes out of the har- bor, but upon what expedition we cannot tell at preasant.
July 12. This day we have our town meeting to choose representative according to the advice of the Continental Congress.
July 13. Our people began to entrench near the George tavern on Boston Neck, and the soldiers fired at them and kild one man.
July 15. I went to Newport in Rodilan.
July 20. The Light-house was sot afire, and our people went to Nantasket to git of the barley and hay.
July 30. There was something of a scirmige with the Regulars ; the Regulars set the George tavern afire on the Neck.
Aug. 25. This day four barges came up to the farm bar ; our people fired at them, but did them no damage.
Sept. 11. This day there was a canoe came of from the fortification on the Neck ; the wind blowd so hard that it blowd him off, and a boat with five men to help him, and and were all blowed over to the Neck and were taken pri- soners.
Sept. 18. There was 108 shot fired at our people this day, but not one man killd.
Sept. 26. Our people went on an expedition over the bay, and set the house on fire on Governor's Island.
Oct. 8. The Men a War goes from Boston to Bristol road- iland, and then fired on the town and did much damage.
Oct. 10. Governor Gage sailed for England.
Oct. 12. Mr. Edward Prestons barn and Chocolate mill were both burnt to ashes.
Oct. 16. Our people went down in Cambridge bay with two floating Batery's to fire upon Boston, and one of them split their cannon by not raming their shot down ; it kild one and wounded 6.
Oct. 20. The ships set fire to the town at Casco bay, and burn about three quarters of the town to ashes.
Oct. 28. There was 417 houses and warehouses burnt at Casco bay the 20th of this month.
Dec. 15. Our Privatears take a fine prize laden with am- munition and stors, and a fine mortar.
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HISTORY, OF DORCHESTER.
1776. Our People goes to Bunker hill and sot several house's afire. The regulars fired very much at our people, but nobody hurt.
Jan. 18. We heard of our people haveing a defeat at Que- beck by trying to scale the walls.
Jan. 29. We called our Company's together, and then en- listed 25 men for the army for 2 months.
Feb. 5. This day we had 38 soldiers come into our house. Feb. 13. The regulars came out of Boston and from the Castle, and drove our Gard of the Neck and burnt the housen. .
March 4. Our people went on to Dorchester Neck and built two forts in the same night, and there was 380 teems and about 5000 men-the most work don that ever was don in one night in New England.
March 5. There was a very heavy cannonading all the night, but there was but one man kild on our side. Our regi- ment marcht to Roxbury, but nobody was hurt.
March 9. There was an exceeding heavy firing from the ministerial troops towards Nuke hill, and one shot kild 4 men instantly, and there was more than one thousand shot fired from the regulars, and no man hurt except the 4 first, a most remarkable hand of Providence in this.
March 14. Part of our regiment was called to gard the shore ; one third part were kept on duty.
March 17. There was a heavy firing from our enemy, but no hurt don, and this morning the Regulars were out of Bos- ton, Destroying as they went of like: so many frited sheep, but some of the toryes were left behind in town.
[From an appraisement of the damage done in Dorchester by the British troops, from April 19, 1775, to April 19, 1776, it appears that the amount was £4592 18s. 9d.]
March 18. Our people take possession of Boston.
March 19 .. The Regulars set fire to the Barracks at the Castle, and our people began a brest work on Mr. Blake's ground.
March 20. Something of firing from one of the ships this morning.
March 22. This night Castle William was all burnt to ashes and all destroyed.
March 25. A great number of the Light horses were sold at Cambridge.
March 28. Our people go into Boston all freely.
March 30. The ships mostly goes out of the harbor ; they sailed for Halifax.
April 4. Four of our regiments move for to go to Roade- iland, and sum to New York.
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HISTORY OF DORCHESTER.
April 18. The Court sot in our meeting-house to try the tories.
April 25. The officers of Col. Gill's regiment met at Do- ties at Stoughton, and were all sworn.
May 17. There was a valuable prise taken by our Privi- tears of the harbor.
June 8. There was one of our Privitears taken by our ene- mies ; she was called the Yanky hero.
June 14. Our people goes on with an expedition down on the Islands, and drove out the ships out of the harbor ; they' built a fort on Long Isld, and another on Nantasket. Our enemy Blowed up the Light-house ; myself was a spectator at the time.
June 17. There was two ships came into our harbor with Scotch soldiers, and our Privatiers took them both; they had 200.
July 28. America declared Independency from Great Britain.
[Probably this was the day the news reached here.]
Sept. 14. New York taken by the King's troops.
Oct. 30. One of the Continental ships came into Boston harbor, a 36 Gun frigate.
Dec. 7. The King's troops take possession of Rhode Island. Dec. 18. My father went to New York.
[This last was written by Samuel Pierce, Jr.]
1777, March 17. I set out from Canfield's in the Jerseys, the 17th of March, and got home the 27th Day at one o'clock in the afternoon.
April 19. There was 5 tories carted out of Boston, and were tipt up in Roxbury, and were ordered never to return to Boston again upon Peril of Death ; there seems Now to be some resolution in the people.
April 18. This day Capt. Sumner marches to Providence with one quarter part of our militia for to assist them against the enemy.
April 30. Major Badcock went to Bristol to engage the men for two months. The same day our stores were destroy- ed at Danbury.
May 1. This day the snow fell about 4 inches deep.
May 18. Our Continental ships sails on a cruise.
Sept. 16. First began to grind stolks to make molases of,
Sept. 22. Had orders to draught 50 men from our regi- ment for a secret expedition.
Sept. 30. Mr. Minott began his salt works at Pine Neck.
Oct. 10. We had good news from our Northern army of Burgoine's being taken.
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HISTORY OF DORCHESTER.
Oct. 17. General Gates took Burgoine with about 5000 troops of our enemy.
Oct. 30. Our soldiers return from the expedition to Rhode Island without doing anything.
Nov. 2. Lieut. Ezekl Tolman came home from towards Ticonderoga not well.
1778, May 14. Mr. John Minot Enoculated his family with the small pox much against the minds of his neighbours.
May 19. We had a town meeting in order to see what method the town would take to re-inforce the Continental army.
May 31. There was near a hundred prayed for this day under the operation of the small pox in Dorchester.
July 23. I bought a Hogst of Lime, which cost me 30 dollars, a stout price.
Aug. 9. Our forces goes upon Rhod Island ; they meet with know resistance.
Sept. 30. Sugar is now got to be 7s. pr pound.
Nov. 10. Sold a load of hay which brought 6 dollars a hundred-intolerable.
1779, Feb. 16. I sold a load of hay for 9 dollars pr hun- dred.
May 10. I was appointed to go to Tiverton to take com- mand of the regiment their.
July 1. This day I set out from Tiverton for home, and reacht here about 10 o'clock at night.
Nov. 12. English hay is now 20 dollars per hundred.
1780, May 19. A day much to be remembered, so dark between twelve and one o'clock, that people could not see to work. We were obliged to have a candle to eat dinner by ; it lookt very melloncaly indeed, there was but a little rain, and the evening was as remarkably dark.
June 16. We had a town meeting to raise money to pay the men we're raising to go into the Continental army. We hear of Carolina being taken by the British troops. Gen. Lincoln had the command there.
Nov. 19. English hay now sells for £33 per hundred.
1781, Aug 5. The Pigeins flew thick and all went off and left us from these parts.
Aug. 6. The British troops burnt New Lunnon in Coneti- cut.
Dec. 2. We had a contribution for the sufferers in South Carolina, and collected 52 hard dollars.
Feb. 19. I bought me a new clock which cost £21 in hard money.
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HISTORY OF DORCHESTER.
1782, Aug. 10. Thirteen large French ships came into Boston harbor.
Aug. 16. One of the above said ships run ashore on Lov- ells Island bar and bilged ; it was a 74 Gun ship.
Oct. 22. Mr. Samuel Tolman dug his new well and went down to the bottom of it after he had don stoneing of it, and the stoneing gave way under him, and all caved in upon him, but he was miraculously saved by the stones wedging over his head, and so saved his life.
Dec. 8. The French troops came into Boston from head quarters, and they sell their horses very cheap.
Dec. 8. There was a ship burnt in our harbor.
Dec. 24. The French fleet sailed out of our harbor.
1783, April 3. Mr. John Capen's house was burnt with all his furneture, and poor Cornelius with it.
[The Cornelius here spoken of, was Cornelius Dyer. ]
Sept. 8. There was a young man drowned above Leeds Mills.
1784, Jan. 15. Grasimo Grasillia was hanged on Boston Neck for the murder of John Jonson.
May. Mr. Jonathan Claps house was burnt, and the fire flew from his house to Mr. William Allens barn, which was a quarter of a mile, which catcht in his dung heep and set his barn on fire, and then his house, and burnt them to ashes, with most all his furniture, with three horses and all his car- ages.
Oct. 15. The Marques De La fiat came to Boston.
Nov. 13. There was three men executed at Cambridge, and I was there to see it.
1785, Oct. 9. The Brants flew over the land exceeding many of them.
Oct. 22. The Gees flew very thick.
Oct. 27. Mr John Wiswell was found dead in his cano on Dorchester Neck.
1786, Jan. 20. Alexander Glover had his hand tore to pieces by a cannon going off while he was a charging it ..
[Mr. Glover is well remembered by many of our people. He was known by the cognomen of " one-handed Glover."]
March 1. Madam Wails comes to the Town and makes the selectmen to hop round.
April 3. We dig out the ways ; the snow in many places six feet deep.
April 23. 8 of the convicts made their escape from the Castle, but 5 of them were catcht in Isaac Howe's barn.
[One of the convicts was the notorious Stephen Burroughs. This circumstance is mentioned in his life.]
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HISTORY OF DORCHESTER.
May 21. It has been observed that there has not 24 hours but the wind been East for this 8 weeks past, which is very remarkable.
1787, Jan. 12. Town Meeting and Training, and ordered to raise 41 men and go to Worcester to catch Shais and the rest of the Ensirgints which are in them parts.
Jan. 19. Very could. Our soldiers march off for Wooster ; about 70 goes out of this town.
CHAPTER XIX.
Duel at Dorchester Point-Three young Men drowned-Annexation of Dorchester Neck to Boston-Revival of Business at Commercial Pt .- Gathering of the Second Church, and the Controversy with Rev. Dr. Codman.
IN June, 1801, on a pleasant Sunday morning, a duel was fought at Dorchester Point between two men by the names of Miller and Rand. This event caused great excitement. It was said to have been caused by Mr. Miller joking Mr. Rand about a lady, which the latter took in earnest and sent the chal- lenge. It was also stated that Rand had the first shot, and that Miller wished to have the affair set- tled without firing himself, but Rand would not con- sent to it, and was killed. The survivors went off in great haste. When near the Five Corners, they stopped and told one of the citizens that there was a man at Dorchester Neck in distress, and " wanted some water very much." It appeared so strange a request, and the men were so earnest, that some in- dividuals went to the Point and ascertained what the
-
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trouble was. A jury was called, and a verdict ren- dered in accordance with the facts.
1803. Dec. 24. A distressing event occurred, in the accidental drowning, between Dorchester Neck and Boston, of James Pike, aged 28 years ; David Williams, Jr., aged 20; and Moses Whitney, aged 17. They were buried from the meeting-house, and an appropriate discourse was delivered by Rev. Dr. Harris.
In the latter part of 1803, several distinguished citizens of Boston began to take measures for the annexation of Dorchester Neck to Boston. The most conspicuous among them were H. G. Otis, Jonathan Mason, William Tudor and Gardiner Greene. It was thought that Boston could not well accommodate many more inhabitants, and that Dorchester Neck was the most accessible to it, and could easily be united by a bridge. Many of the citizens of Boston were opposed to this arrangement, and passed a vote, that if it was done, the selectmen of Boston should "lay out such streets, public squares and market places," as they should judge necessary, without compensation to the owners of the land. A petition was sent to the legislature in favor of annexing, signed by most of the land own- ers at the Neck; but a large portion of the Dor- chester people strenuously opposed it. January 23, 1804, the town chose a committee to remonstrate against it before the General Court, but voted that they had no objection to the building of a bridge. The committee were Ebenezer Wales, Esq., Stephen
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Badlam, Esq., John Howe, Esq., Mr. Samuel With- ·ington, Maj. James Robinson, Ebenezer Tolman, Lemuel Crane, Thomas Moseley, and Edward W. Baxter. They presented a strong remonstrance, and called another meeting of the town February 16th following, when they made a written report, in which they stated that the legislative committee had reported in favor of the plan, without compensation to Dorchester. In a verbal report which followed, one of the Dorchester committee stated that six thousand dollars might be obtained, provided the town would no longer oppose the project. There was a probability that this would have had the de- sired effect, and that a vote of assent would have passed, had not John Howe, Esq., who was a man of great influence in the town, strenuously opposed it. He said he felt confident that the legislature would pass no such law while the town was opposed to it. The town finally voted "not to accept the $6,000 on the conditions they are offered." It is said that the petitioners afterwards, through H. G. Otis, offer- ed the town $20,000 if they would not oppose the bill further ; but all offers were rejected, and the com- mittee continued to work resolutely to prevent the annexation. The bill, however, was passed March 6, 1804. The opposers to the measure lived up to a principle, and not only lost the land, but the money that they might otherwise have had. The largest land-holder on the Neck, who then owned fifty-two acres, was likewise opposed to the measure, and never gave his consent to the separation from 40
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HISTORY OF DORCHESTER.
Dorchester, although the price of land soon went up to nearly ten times its former value, in con- sequence, and in the prospect of a bridge across the water to Boston. It was about four miles from the Neck to Boston by land, and too few people lived there-only about a dozen families-to support a ferry. After a long and furious struggle about the location of a bridge between Boston and this place, the present South bridge was completed in the sum- mer of 1805, at a cost of about $56,000.
Shortly after the completion of the bridge, the Dorchester turnpike-extending from the easterly end of the bridge to Milton Lower Mills-was built. It was a great work for that particular time, but was carried forward by private enterprise, and a toll was established. The turnpike proved quite a poor investment for many years, and some of the stock- holders were very glad to give away their shares. There were already, before the completion of the South Bridge and Turnpike, too many tolls to pay between the South Shore and Boston, to warrant two more, and few availed themselves of the short- ened distance, but continued the old way through Roxbury. The turnpike eventually became a very lucrative property, especially to those who purchased shares at a reduced price. The progressive spirit of the age, however, has a great antipathy to paying money in the shape of tolls, and this turnpike was made free by private subscription in the year 1854. It has been accepted as a public highway by the town, and is now known as Dorchester Avenue. A
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railway from Boston, for horse-cars, was constructed over this Avenue in 1856-57.
It was about this time, or shortly after, that Com- mercial Point was purchased by Messrs. Newell & Niles, and opened as a place of business. A pro- ject was formed and a company raised to erect a dam from the aforesaid Point across Mill Creek to Leeds's Point, in order to have water sufficient to erect a number of mills and establishments for manufactur- ing purposes. The owners of the old Tileston mill, situated above the proposed dam, not being satisfied with the arrangement, made objections, which de- feated the plan, and a bridge instead of a dam was built ; but standing in an exposed place, it did not many years resist the wear and tear of storms and travel, and went to pieces, although the proprietors spent considerable sums of money to keep it in re- pair. It was, however, rebuilt by the town several years after. Newell & Niles having been unfortu- nate in business, the Point was neglected, the build- ings became dilapidated, and the place was for a long while neglected. For a time during the war of 1812, a regiment of soldiers was stationed there. About 1832 the place was again put in order, the fishing business was carried on to a considerable extent, and several whaling vessels were fitted out there. After a few years the concern was sold out, and the Point is now used for the coal and lumber business, and has a large forge erected on its north-eastern extremity.
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