USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Essex > History of the town of Essex : from 1634 to 1868 > Part 30
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" The subject of this notice was scarcely more distinguished in the profes- sion of his choice, than he was exemplary in all the relations of life-religious, domestic and social. In 1828, he became a professor of religion, and joined the Methodist Episcopal Church. In the discharge of his duties as an officer of that church he was scrupulously regular. It was his rule to attend public worship twice on every Sunday, however numerous and exacting might be his professional engagements ; and, though sometimes they constrained him to go late or to come away suddenly, his adherence to the rule was invariable. The faith which he professed, was his guide through life and his consolation in death. From an early period of his malady he despaired of recovery ; but that despair of life here was brightened by the hope of life hereafter, and by his lively but humble trust in the promises of the Gospel-a trust which gave him power to bear with resignation the most excruciating bodily pain. Intent
324
HISTORY OF ESSEX.
[CHAP. 6.
to the last on doing good to his fellow-men, he employed the intervals of ease in admonitions, as fervent as they were gentle, to the friends who, from time to time, were permitted to draw near his bedside. His mind continued un- clouded throughout his long and agonizing sickness ; and only an hour before his death he gave thanks, in brief and affecting terms, to God for his mercies. This hasty notice would be even more imperfect than it must be, without some allusion to Dr. Sewall, as a kind and affectionate kinsman and faithful friend. But to do more than allude to these prominent features of his character might touch harshly on grief too deep, and as yet too fresh, to be approached." *
His widow, Mrs. Mary Choate Sewall, died at Rockville, Md., March 29, 1855.
Early Tuesday morning, the 22d of July, a destructive hail-storm passed over the center of the town from west to east, breaking about three thousand panes of glass, chiefly in the houses of the central village. It accom- panied a terrific thunder-storm, and occurred after several days of intensely hot weather :
" About three o'clock, a severe thunder-storm occurred, accompanied by a high wind, copious showers, and a considerable quantity of hail. The eve- ning previous was delightfully clear and pleasant, and the change in the as- pect of affairs appeared remarkably sudden to those who were aroused from their slumbers by the storm. The flashes of lightning were incessant, and the hail and the thunder, although not very alarming here, indicated a severe conflict of the elements among our neighbors at no great distance. In Essex, we understand the hail-stones were of immense size, and destroyed a great quantity of glass. One gentleman stated that the arm, which he put out of his window in shutting the blinds, was so pelted with the lumps of ice as to be seriously hurt and lamed. It is said that some of the hail-stones measured seven inches in circumference an hour after they fell, and that they would average about the size of pullets' eggs. One man states that he counted a thousand panes broken, within half a mile, as he came along the road. The hail fell in a very narrow vein, and with such force as to break through the blinds on the meeting-house."
The present school-house of the East District was built this year.
1848, March. The town appropriated $1,300 for school purposes. It also voted "that the selectmen set up bounds to, and open and fix for use, the landing near the shop of Samuel Hardy, near the eastern end of the causeway, and that the sum of $100 be raised for this purpose."
* Washington Daily Globe, April 11th, 1845.
+ Salem Register, and Gazette.
325
CHRISTIAN BAPTIST SOCIETY.
1820-1868.]
This year the Christian Baptist Society was reorganized, at a meeting assembled by virtue of a warrant issued by Ezra Perkins, Jr., Esq. William E. Burnham was chosen moderator, Nathaniel Macintire, clerk and treasurer, W. H. Burnham, John C. Burnham, William G. Burnham, society committee. By vote of the society, a new house of wor- ship"was erected in 1849, called the "Century Chapel." It is forty by forty-six feet, and contains forty-six pews. It was designed that this should be a free church, and the original plan was to have it built on shares of $5 each. But a sufficient amount not having been secured by this method, it was concluded to sell the pews. From this sale a larger sum was received than the entire cost of the building, which was $1,500.
1849. The "Chebacco Division No. 19 of the Sons of Temperance of Massachusetts," was organized on the 27th of June, at which time fifteen persons were initiated :
" Eighty-one persons united with the Order afterward. The number of members at the time of its dissolution, October 13, 1855, was forty-two. The whole amount of money paid into the treasury was $1,160. Of this sum $478 were paid out in benefits to siek members and to defray funeral charges. The sum of $75 was paid to lecturers and in the circulation of documents on the subject of temperance. Eleven lectures were given by gentlemen from abroad under the direction of the " Division," and eighteen public meetings were held in the different school districts of the town, in all of which free debate was allowed.
" Under the auspices of the Sons of Temperance, a section of the Cadets of Temperance was formed, which numbered in all fifty-seven members. This was an association of boys, pledged against the use of intoxicating drinks, tobacco in all its forms, and the use of profane language. Besides the regular business of the " Order," the Cadets engaged in declamations, readings, debates and mock-courts, with a great deal of interest and profit to themselves, and satisfaction to the audience. This organization was aban- doned in May, 1851. The Sons of Temperance had a library formed by contributions from the members. On the 13th of August, 1855, a vote to surrender the charter of the Division was passed. The property was divided, . the books returned to those who had contributed them, and the funds divided among the members."
1850. April 4th, died, in Boston, Mr. Thomas Marshall Burnham, aged 64. He was the son of Thomas Marshall
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HISTORY OF ESSEX.
[CHAP. 6.
.
Burnham, and was born and brought up in Chebacco. His brothers were Benjamin, Obed Zeno, Azor, and George W., a trader on Thompson's Island and whose son succeeds him in the same business. About the year 1808, Mr. Burnham married Abigail (born March 25, 1787,) daugh- ter of Daniel Low, and sister of Enoch and the late Capt. Winthrop Low. In early life he was a trader, at first in his native parish, and afterwards at Ipswich Centre; but at the close of the war with England, he removed, with his family, to the eastern part of Maine. About the year 1825, he went to Boston, and was for a time a dealer in furniture. Not long after, he established a store for the purchase and sale of second-hand books. The business was at first on a small scale, his capital being very limited ; but it prospered and grew from time to time until his stock in trade filled two stores of four or five stories each, and " Burnham's antiquarian bookstore," in Cornhill, became generally known as the first and largest establishment of the kind in the country. For many years, it has been famous everywhere for its extensive and valuable collec- tion of old and rare books, in almost all branches of litera- ture and science, and in a great variety of languages, ancient and modern; and has, therefore, been a favorite place of resort for antiquarians, authors and scholars gen- erally. The idea of this unique kind of trade seems to have been original with this native of Chebacco, and by it he amassed a fortune.
September 30, died, Jonathan Story, Esq., aged 75:
" He was a man of uncommon powers of mind, and in attempting to de- lineate them, we feel that there is danger of seeming to be extravagant. While he was living, it might have been said with much truth, however, that ' none knew him but to love him ;' and now he is gone, it may be also said with equal truth, 'none name him but to praise.' But mere expressions of regret for the loss of such a man do not seem to be all that such a case re- quires. Nothing, indeed, of ours can now reach him, or in any way affect the dull, cold ear of death. It may be of use, however, to the living and certainly affords a serious gratification to our own minds to attempt some sketch of Mr. Story's character and life. He was born in Chebacco, in Ips- wich (now Essex), in 1775, and spent his early life in laborious occupations
327
1820-1868.]
JONATHAN STORY, ESQ.
upon his father's farm and in the mill. Although he inherited a good con- stitution and had uninterrupted health, in consequence of which he accom- plished a great amount of manual labor, both as a mechanic and a farmer, yet he did not overlook the cultivation of his mind. Books, indeed, were not abundant nor always accessible at that day, but all that he read he under- stood and remembered. There seemed to be a natural foundation for knowl- edge in his mind. New ideas delighted him always, to the end of his life, and yet he appeared like one who had thought of the same thing before-a proof of having a mind of high order. He required less labor to understand a subject than men generally do. Ilis ear was always open to receive in- struction, and every important fact or principle, that came under his observa- tion, found a place of deposit in his mind. Four months' residence at Dummer Academy under that prince of teachers, Mr. Moody, in addition to the common schools, afforded the only advantages of which he was able to avail himself. But a love of knowledge was kindled up in his mind, which traveled on through life without weariness or decay. He studied geometry and surveying with Father Moody, and soon became one of the most eminent surveyors in the State. While the saw was running through the log in his father's mill, young Story would draw his diagrams with a piece of chalk on a board or piece of bark, and thus continue the studies that made him after- ward so distinguished. As a surveyor, Mr. Story was accurate, but it was his superior judgment and long experience that made his services so valuable. He was far more than a mere artist. Others might perhaps take angles as accurately and ascertain quantities as well, but he was an arbitrator always, remembering that another party was interested in settling the boundaries of land, and that other party often, or generally absent. It was natural for him to do justice between man and man, and he had the pleasure of satisfying both the parties, whether in settling disputed lines as a surveyor, or litigated questions as a magistrate, in more cases than is common among mien. He had the geography (so to speak) of that great tract of wood-land extending from Beverly to Gloucester and from Essex to Manchester, fully in his mind and could have mapped out all the great and small divisions upon paper with as much ease as a school-boy would make the multiplication table. Unfortu- nately all this knowledge has died with him. After the experience of fifty years which he had, it is not too much to say that no man living can begin to make his place in these respects in society, good. As a magistrate, Mr. Story may he said to have dealt out justice with an impartial hand. Never hasty in deciding, he rarely felt himself under the necessity of revising his own decisions or found them reversed by the higher tribunals. His knowl- edge of law was extensive. When present in the higher courts, he was awake to everything, and heard the arguments of counsel with the deepest interest, perceiving their fallacy or admiring their truth as the case might be, but listening always with the profoundest veneration to everything that fell from the court. But he was a peace-maker. Many, many causes have been set- tled or left to referees by his advice, and thus expensive litigation has been
328
HISTORY OF ESSEX.
. [CHAP. 6.
prevented, so often ruinous to the parties and which has so often separated so inany chief friends. He was a man of uncommon discernment, being quick to discover and read out the character of others and to take their intellectual guage and dimensions. And as he was rarely under the necessity of making more than one decision upon the same subject, so he was generally correct in his first estimate of persons. The social qualities of our deceased friend must not be overlooked, for they will not soon be forgotten, having formed so amiable a part of his character. His wit was keen, and while it was inno- cent and harmless, he could make a thousand smile whenever he was so dis- posed ; though generally, his pleasantry had some useful bearing, and would often operate to settle a doubtful question far better than the language of gravity and wisdom itself. He had a faculty of adapting himself to the different classes of men whom he met. With gentlemen of the bar, when business brought him in contact with them, he was at home, receiving instruc- tion and imparting delight. So with the other professions ; and yet he would turn himself with perfect ease to old acquaintances in their working dress ; and while he would seem on a level with the humblest of men, none ever forgot for a moment to respect and honor him, thus showing that true worth will after all be appreciated and understood everywhere. He was benevolent in a very important sense of the term. Nobody, it is believed, ever sought his advice and counsel, without finding him ready to impart it, even though it had cost him much study and reflection to enable him to give it. And when he did give his opinion and advice, it came as free as the mountain breeze, and was none the less valuable for being gratuitous. The poor and the fatherless and he that had none to help him, always found a friend in him. He would not indeed squander his sympathies upon unworthy objects, but wherever there was an oppressor, he took the part of the oppressed, and in many such ways as these he has caused the widow's heart to sing for joy. He enjoyed the confidence of his townsmen in an unusual degree, having represented the town many years successively in General Court, and having long filled various town offices. It is not pretended that Mr. Story was a perfect man. That he had failings we are not disposed to deny. But these failings belonged to the infirmities and not to the vices of humanity. As a husband, a father and a citizen, he certainly lived and acted usefully and well. And it is exceedingly to be desired that our young men, especially, who are to be the architects of their own characters and fortunes should care- fully study and well consider the steps by which our departed father and friend rose to a position so respectable and so useful. Mr. Story's views of religion were those generally denominated orthodox. For the support of this faith, he contributed regularly through life, and declared a short time before his death, that his only hope of future happiness was in a crucified Redeemer. He said he felt himself to be a great sinner, and desired the prayers of all Christians that he might be prepared for the retributions of eternity. He expressed to his minister his most ardent desire that all his relatives and friends would immediately seek an interest in that religion which alone can
1820-1868.]
CHEBACCO LIBRARY ASSOCIATION. 329
prepare the soul for death and heaven. Mr. Story leaves a widow and one son only, but the whole community unite with them in lamenting his death."*
1851. By vote of the town, a new fire-engine was ob- tained, and an engine-house built for it on "Thompson's Island " near the causeway, at an expense of $800. For the management of it, the "Essex Fire Association at- tached to the Essex Engine No. 2" was formed November 19th, consisting of thirty-five members. The first officers were John J. Clark, foreman; Andrew Howes, assistant foreman ; William B. Cary, clerk.
In the Autumn of this year was established the "Essex Lyceum." The "Lyceum " successfully conducted an ex- tended course of entertaining, instructive and valuable lectures during each Winter of its existence. In addition to occasional lectures from the resident clergymen of the town, the managers from time to time obtained the ser- vices of eminent lecturers from abroad, whose lectures were attended by large audiences. Meetings were also held for the mutual improvement of the members, the exercises consisting of declamations, select readings, oral discussions and occasionally the reading of a paper enti- tled the "Essex Lyceum Talent," its contents being com- posed mostly of original articles written by members of the Lyceum, with occasional contributions from some of the ladies of the village. The officers of this lyceum have been as follows : presidents, Aaron L. Burnham, O. H. P. Sargent, John Prince ; vice presidents, Norman Story, Sylvester Eveleth, Ira Otis Burnham, J. Perkins Spofford ; corresponding secretaries, John Prince, O. H. P. Sargent ; recording secretaries, Aaron Low, J. M. Richardson, W. B. Cary, Samuel P. Haskell, W. W. Pendergast, Andrew Howes; treasurers, Josephus Burnham, Aaron Low ; man- agers, Timothy Andrews, Jr., Norman Story, S. P. Haskell, John H. Burnham. In the year 1856, the lyceum was merged in the "Chebacco Library Association," which was organized on the 5th of June of that year, in accordance
* " D. C.," in the Salem Gazette.
42
330
HISTORY OF ESSEX.
[CHAP. 6.
with an act of incorporation passed by the Legislature and approved by the Governor, May 1, 1856. Section 1 of this act is as follows :
" John Prince, O. H. P. Sargent, Samuel P. Haskell, Andrew Howes, Charles Howes, Nathan Burnham, 4th, &c., their associates and successors, are hereby made a corporation by the name of the Chebacco Library Associa- tion, to be established in the town of Essex, for the purpose of instituting and sustaining a library and reading-room, and promoting public instruction by lec- tures or otherwise, with all the powers and privileges, and subject to all the du- ties, liabilities and restrictions set forth in Chapter 44 of the Revised Statutes."
Section 2 provides that the said corporation may hold real and personal estate for the purposes aforesaid, to an amount not exceeding $10,000.
At the first meeting of the petitioners, the charter was accepted and a constitution adopted. Article 2 of this instrument is as follows :
" No person shall be an active member of this association, or enabled to vote in its regular business meetings, or be eligible to any office therein, un- less he be a working man-the term working man being understood as sig- nifying a person who follows any respectable calling or pursuit, whereby he obtains his livelihood, and who does not derive his support without industry, from wealth already inherited or accumulated. Any person not thus disqual- ified, may become a member by signing the constitution and paying one dol- lar." The officers are to be chosen semi-annually except the Trustees who are to be chosen for a term of years ; and no presiding officer shall be chosen a second time until every other member who is willing to officiate shall have been elected and shall have served one term."
The first officers were: John Prince, president; An- drew Howes and Charles Howes, vice-presidents ; John H. Burnham, Andrew Howes and John Prince, trustees ; Samuel P. Haskell, secretary and librarian. "The inau. guration of the Chebacco Library Association took place December 24, 1856. The meeting was called to order by the president, who briefly stated the object of the associa- tion, By invitation, prayer was offered by Rev. J. M. Bacon ; after which speeches were made by Messrs. Part- ridge, Choate, Spofford, Bacon and others." In Septem- ber, 1857, the association numbered seventy-four members and had a library of four hundred and forty-two volumes. In 1867, the number of volumes was six hundred.
331
CONSECRATION OF CEMETERY.
1820-1868.]
THE SPRING STREET CEMETERY.
1852. In accordance with a vote of the town, a lot of land consisting of two acres and twenty rods was pur- chased and prepared for use as a cemetery, and called from its location, the "Spring Street Cemetery." The cost of the land was $856; of the fence, $635; of the trees and posts, and grading in front of the yard, $200; of grading the yard itself, $275; total, $1,966. It contains one hundred and eighty-nine whole lots, fifteen feet by twenty in size, and appraised at $7 each ; and seventy-seven half lots, nine feet by fifteen in size, and appraised at $3 each.
" This new burial-ground was publicly set apart by appropriate consecra- ting ceremonies, on the afternoon of Wednesday, October 27, 1852. A large concourse of people assembled on the ground at two o'clock, when the follow- ing original Ode, written for the occasion by Rev. John Prince, after having been read by him, was sung by a large choir, composed of the principal sing- ers of the town, under the direction of Mr. Robert W. Burnham, many others of the assembly also joining :
" Borne hither to this chosen spot, Henceforth, as years shall onward glide, Will forms now animate with thought, Repose, enshrouded, side by side.
" Withdrawn by Death's mysterious power, Life's scenes they'll leave, at every stage, From blithesome childhood's sunny hour To manhood's prime, and trembling age.
" With folded hands across the breast, With lips that move no more at will, And features calm,-they here shall rest, With upward look, serene and still.
" And when, from earth's enthrallment free, The soul ascends, in joyful trust, Still sacred shall the relics be, Though motionless, insensate dust.
" Here oft shall names be fondly read, While flowers above the mounds shall spring,
Of souls from mortal vision fled On stainless and ethereal wing.
" As to the Patriarch, in his dream, So unto us such faith be given, That hence this hallowed ground may seem ' The house of God, the gate of heaven.'"
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HISTORY OF ESSEX.
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" A brief consecratory prayer was then offered by Rev. Dr. Crowell ; at the close of which, under the direction of Hon. David Choate, as Chief Mar- shal, the people walked in procession, preceded by the officers of the town, to the basement story of the North Church, where an address was delivered by Rev. Dr. Crowell. It had originally been designed that all the services should take place upon the ground, within the enclosure ; but, at the time appointed, the coolness of the weather, (although the day was pleasant, for a period so late in the season), rendered it expedient, both on account of the speaker and the audience, that the address should be delivered within doors. The occasion was one of solemn interest, which the inhabitants of the place will long remember."*
The following is an extract from the address delivered at the consecration of the cemetery :.
" For the space of nearly half a century our venerated fathers the first set- tlers of this town carried their dead to the centre of Ipswich. They would not bury them on their own lands, for to this they had not been accustomed in their native country ; and because, too, their private property might change hands, and the graves found on it might not be treated in a manner suffi- eiently sacred. Hence there is no tradition of any burials on private lands, and no such graves or remains of our fathers have ever been found among us. According to the views and habits in which they had been trained, they buried their dead near the sanctuary where they assembled from Sabbath to Sabbath to worship Him, who is the God both of the living and of the dead. Though no carriages were used in that day, and but very few horses, and the corpse was borne the long distance of five miles on the shoulders of men, yet by frequent changes on the part of under-bearers, as they were termed, and by the habit of walking, which prevailed in that day among all classes of society, the service was by no means so burdensome as it might now seem to us.
"If, indeed, there had been carriages and horses, yet such was the custom of the day, such their veneration for the dead, that anything other than the bier upon the shoulders of men would have been considered an unsuitable vehicle for conveying the corpse to the grave. That custom and those feel- ings continued among us until somewhat less than forty years since ; and when in that late day the change to the use of a hearse was talked of, some of the older people strongly objected to it, as too near an approach to the des- ecration of the dead.
" It was not till twelve years after the burial of Mr. John Cogswell (the first settler) in the centre of Ipswich, during which time more of the original settlers were there laid in their graves, that a burying-ground was opened here. This is our ancient grave-yard, judged to be now so filled with the dead as to admit of but few more ; thus creating the necessity for procuring and opening this our new and spacious cemetery.
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