USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > Marion > Lands of Sippican on Buzzards Bay > Part 7
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He informs that the artillery played all night that the people universally (rallied for Boston) as far as here in arms and desires all the assistance possible."
It seems in the old meeting house as though even the trees outside stood still to listen.
"It (alarm) was occasioned by the country people being robbed of their powder from (Boston) as far as Framingham and when found out the people went to take the soldiers and six of our people were killed on the spot, and several wounded."
Steady eyes on the reader but young hearts beating loudly.
"Beg you will rally all the forces you can and be on the march immediately for the relief of Boston and the people that way - I. P.
It is spring and April 20 -.
The news flies from Tavern to Blacksmith shop to mill and farm.
Men killed on Covered Bridge!
They send Abraham Holmes, twenty-one years old off to Boston.
At Middleboro he meets the messenger and back he comes "as gay as a lark" he writes in his diary. "Every moment is infinitely precious, an hour lost - perpetual slavery upon the few of our posterity that may survive the carnage."
They are ready! Flint locks! Pikes! Rapiers! Powder Horns! Canteens!
And the women busy with little comforts, with food to fill the wallets.
They march off.
"First company of Minute Men" under Captain Edward Hammond.
"Second foot company of Militia" Captain Nathanial Hammond.
"Third company of Militia" under Lieut. Seth Briggs with the Rev. Mr. Moore, the scrappy parson, as chaplain. And "Captain Washington" is riding across the Province of Massa- chusetts Bay; and the Rochester boys see Cambridge and "Cap- tain Washington"!
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"He got him on his meeting cloathes
Upon a slapping stallion He set the world along in arms In hundreds and in millions."
And Washington writes "need tents", now using "useless sails from the Seaport towns."
And of the farmers who came to him as soldiers - he writes: "This unhappy and devoted Province has been so long in a state of Arnachy and the yoke of ministerial oppression been laid so heavily on it that great allowances are to be made for troops raised under such circumstances."
Pitcairn said they would soon go back to plant their In- dian corn and they did go home, but the "first company" under Capt. Earl Clapp was back again in Boston for the summer. Capt. Clapp had been at the battle of Bunker Hill. He was soon a Major in the regular army.
Captain Samuel Briggs' company was in service in 1776.
Captain Nathaniel Hammond, Capt. Elisha Haskell and companies in 1778.
The people at home are busy voting "one hundred pounds to pay war stores", payment of soldiers, care of families, cloth- ing, coats, shirts, breeches and stockings, "two boates for use of Captain Nathaniel Hammond's company."
Captain Moses Parlow was to bring "powder, fire arms, molasses and other war supplies" sold to highest bidder but not out of town so long as "these Difficult times shall last.".
In the town records they write:
"Transportation is a large item & the Congress had not appointed any person but what dwells 20 miles from our town & the difficulty of transporting S'd articles is a Great hindrance to any persons of ability."
So it was voted that "John Doty, a selectman, request that a person or persons be appointed in our town to apprize the several articles, etc."
They spend 60 pounds for "Gunes, Drums and Fifes."
On May 23, 1776 it was a solemn town meeting. They rode up from Mattapoisett, and Sepecan and "voted that when the Honorable Congress shall think best to Declare themselves
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independent of the Kingdom of Great Brittain that we will Defend them with our Lives & Fortunes."
One hundred years since Philip stood defiant. One hun- dred years since Watachpoo, the chief of Sippican stood silent and answered not their querys, and now the great grand child- ren of those who questioned were fighting for their rights to their freedom "to enjoy the lands of their fathers."
The noise of the fifes and drums drowns out the bleating of the sheep, and the lowing of the "neat kine."
On July 9, 1776 they are reading:
"When in the course of human events" -
"We hold these truths to be self-evident: That all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That, to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed; that whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it-"
The next year when they had to take "into consideration the form of Government Published for the Inspection of the Inhabitants of the State" - "after mature deliberation there in, said Town voted said form saving only the following objections which we offer to the consideration of the Great & General Court."
They sent a long list of comments and objections. One was that they couldn't be acquainted with the "Qualifications of Sennators from the furthrest parts of the State" and thought it best that "each District choose their own Senators & no more."
Always there were Tories working against the Patriots and in May 29, 1779 "the Town made choice of Earl Clapp to take evidence against those that are Enemical to the American States agreeable to a Late Act of this State."
Besides Tories they were bothered by the different kinds of money. There was "Hard money" and the "New Emission" the "Old Emission" "Continental currency" and much of it was counterfeit. Anybody who made money by the change in
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money was held up to scorn and should "be Deemed Infamous & held up to view as an Enemy to ye Independence, freedom & happiness of his Country by Publishing his name in ye news- papers published in the State, after which publication it shall be Disrespectfull in any Good Citizen to maintain Either So- cial or commercial connection with a wretch so Lost to publick Virtue as wantonly to Sacrifice the Interest of his Country to the acquisition of a Little paltry Gain."
Aug. 19, 1779 the town chose Nathaniel Hammond as "Delegate to sit in the Convention at Cambridge for the sole purpose of forming a new Constitution."
A committee of four was appointed to "prepare instruc- tion for their delegate, Captain Hammond & Lay ye same before the meeting on the adjournment."
At the same meeting the town approved "most of what is Recommended by the Convention at Concord stating the neces- saries and conveniences of Life" and chose a "Committee of 13 to stipulate prices & Labour & of Sundry articles sold to the Town."
Delegates went to Plympton to talk over the problem of what should be charged for making "women's shoes and finding heels by the shoemaker, and "making a pair of strong men's shoes and finding all," millwrights, masons, Tanners, Hoop Wrights, mowing and common labor by the day, all must be thoroughly talked over.
The Delegate to the Constitutional Convention was told to "have a vigilant Eye in ye Elections & Settlement of Ye Council & that no one hold 2 commissions at one & the same time whereby bad Tendencies may arise."
The Constitution from the Convention came before the town in May 1780, and article by article was discussed.
Change after Change was suggested showing the keen thinking of those who were left in Sippican and the other villages.
They voted against some articles.
They recommended "That there be added to the above Frame of Government that there shall no Slave be born nor Imported into this Commonwealth."
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And the long list of the killed and wounded grew. Some came home to hobble about their farms. The women took on more duties.
They paid 2s 4d a yard for yard wide Toe-cloth; flannel suitable for Sheeting 4s; for "homespun yard wide cotton and linnen cloth of the Common sort not to exceed 4s by ye yard." They paid 8d per pound for "best Tobacco, leaf stalked and pigtail role;" "oak wood at the shore 13s per cord," and "salt hay on the marsh, before stacked 36s a ton."
They bought "Turkies, Dunghill Fowls and Ducks" 5d a pound.
A Night's lodging at the Tavern cost 4d but if the horse was kept for the night or 24 hrs. it cost Is 6d.
"Good yarn Storkins 6s, good coffee ls 4d a pound and Tryed Tallow 71/2d; good West India rum by the gallon, not to exceed 7s 8d by quart."
"Good phlip or Toddy by the mugg or the Bole with one- half pint of West India Rum in the same, not exceed ls."
During the year of 1780 the Fourth Plymouth County Regiment under Lieut. Co. White of Rochester had companies under Capt. Charles Church, Capt. Barnabas Doty, Capt. Nathaniel Hammond and Capt. Samuel Briggs. Other men were in companies from neighboring towns.
Hundreds of men went from Rochester Towne to fight the Mother country. In fact it was said "it is a historical fact that Rochester furnished more men in proportion to territory than any other town in the Old Colony."
Many of the sailors from the little houses by the sea in Mattapoisett and Sepecan were lost in the conflict at sea.
Elnathan Haskell of Rochester became Major and was one of Washington's aides. His portrait is in the great painting "Burgoyne's Surrender" in the dome of the capitol at Wash- ington.
Familiar names of todays town lists stare up from the long columns of Revolutionary soldiers and sailors.
Allen, Barden, Bates, Blankinship, Briggs, Brown, Bur- gess, Church, Clark, Cushing, Daggett, Delano, Dexter, Ellis,
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Gibbs, Gurney, Hamlin, Hammond, Handy, Hathaway, Hiller, Holmes, Jenney, Luce, Macomber, Morse, Nickerson, Nye, Parlow, Perry, Rider, Rogers, Savery, Sherman, Snow, Tripp, Taylor, Washburn, West, Wing, Winslow.
There was suffering among the soldiers' families. Money wasn't worth anything, and it was hard to raise the "cota" of 32 more soldiers and the town "voted to promise the soldiers that any such Depreciation should be made up by the town," and "£12 & no more was to be paid to each soldier in gold, silver or produce" just as the soldiers wished. Also "soldiers in the field to have £12 in cloathing and other necessaries for self & family."
Men were sent for three months, for one month, but in 1781 a committee of eight men was chosen to hire "25 soldiers called for by the General Court to serve for three years or during the war" and fifteen men were appointed to fix the bounty - it was decided to pay "one hundred hard dollars annually in January."
One town meeting voted "hard money" for the soldiers and "£671 in Bills of ye new Emission for army beef and an assessment of 1860 Continental Dollars upon the town to pay for Constables."
In December, 1781 a town meeting was called "To protest against duties laid on Rum, wine, etc. & if thought best to take Lawfull measures to obtain redress of the Grievance."
It was voted "the Act is disagreeable to the Town" and a committee was chosen to petition for a change.
The Tavern! The charges altogether too high at the Tavern!
By 1782 they have too much paper money on hand and at a town meeting called on December 30 a committee was chosen "to petition the Great & General Court to receive in all the paper money of both Emissions now in the Town's hands & give the town credit for the same."
1783! Peace! The bronzed bearded boys come home, soldiers of the Revolution! No longer do they talk of black- bird's heads and ringing the noses of swine. Their minds are on continental matters. The town meetings are alive with crit-
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icisms of the workings of the Continental Congress-"the pay- ing of the officers of the Continental Army 5 years wages after their service is ended is highly unreasonable & oppressive & will be productive of many bad consequences."
"However the power of congress may be we think the Grant made by them to S'd officers was obtained by undue in- fluence & if no Negatives to S'd Grant is yet to be admitted (not withstanding all their Good Service) we shall Esteam them Pub- lick Nusances & Treat them in that Curracter" and Co. Eben- ezer White is "instructed to use his uttermost influence in all Constitutional ways to Prevent so Dangerous a measure taking place."
Rochester is a real Democracy, expressing the people's own opinion against the Government, Congress and General Court alike.
There is also "Infinite Damage likely to insue to the State by such large importations of British Goods in British bottoms." The Town "wants a large Import to be laid on all goods imported so payable to the State Treasury or some other person before said goods are suffered to be landed."
Times grow harder and in Aug. 21, 1786 a town meeting was called at which "in view of the difficulties which we as a people are laboring under" the citizens "voted that a com- mittee of 3 persons be chosen to correspond with the other Towns in order to Devise & adopt such Legal & Constitutional measures to obtain a redress of our Grievances as shall be most likely to effect a Salutary Event."
Earl Clapp, Nathaniel Hammond, revolutionary officers and Abraham Holmes were appointed on the committee.
And six pages of foolscap paper are covered with fine writing!
Instructions to Col. White to advise the General Court that although the faith of the U. S. was pledged to redeem the old Continental Currency it was not yet done. "It ought to be redeemed, interest allowed thereon from Apr. 1781."
White was to prevent the General Court from making any further grants to Congress until this is done.
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"The town objects to recent acts of the General Court allowing Congress to Levy a tax annually on this State of 224427 dollars for 25 years." It believes that such a grant "all most annihilates the Constitution check which the General Court had on Congress."
The town would prevent any grant by the General Court "until Congress have by some means made themselves ac- countable for the use they put money to & have made it certain that the monies shall not be expended in building Pyramids & monuments & educating the sons of Decay'd Gentlemen."
The system of taxation was wrong!
"Duties should be laid on Luxuries, Superfluities & in which case no one would pay but what chose to pay & the money would be paid imperceptibly & without murmuring or discontent."
The "town's mind" had changed absolutely in regard to many things. No one should be exempt from taxation - minis- ters of God or any, for they argue "civil rulers are also a minister of God to you for good & ought equally to be exempt if it is right." "Exempting ministers borders hard on, if it is not an open violation of the Constitution." No grants made to officers and to see that the fees of "attornees" "are not al- lowed to run too high." All this and more on the foolscap paper instructions to Col. White.
At the end is written:
"May the great Fountain of Goodness and Knowledge, assist you in discharging this Trust with Success." But there is too much interference with the General Court by small towns and there is anarchy in the state and on Feb. 12, 1787 a town meeting is called to petition "the Honorable General Court on account of the Confusion & Disorders in the Commonwealth & that such a line of conduct may be pursued, as may restore peace and Tranquillity to the Commonwealth". A worried town!
A committee of five was chosen to draw up a petition and report in one hour.
No time to be lost and very quickly they report of the "Attachment of the town of Rochester to the Government of
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Massachusetts & its poignant regret for the late unhappy dis- order in the Western Counties obstructing the cause of justice & seeking redress of Grievances in illegal ways. But as the main object of the Insurgents was a personal Indemnity we humbly pray that the troops under General Lincoln (now the Insurgents are disbursed) may be immediately disbanded. We think this would restore Publicke tranquillity if an act of General Indemnity be passed & we pray your honours patience in praying you to take measures for suitably lower- ing the Salaries of the Servants of the Government & take into your wise consideration that late act of suspending the priv- elidge of the writ of Habeas Corpus."
John Sprague of Rochester was legal adviser of Lincoln. He had moved to Worcester and was a judge.
The town asks for a convention to amend the state con- stitution.
In the meantime the State is looking for the men in each town who are fomenting dissatisfaction and Abraham Holmes gets to be known at the General Court as the author of the town's Instructions to Col. White.
Holmes is called a dangerous person "since it was well known that he did not approve of the acts of the Legislature."
He appeared before the State Senate, but hearing later that he was to be arrested, he left Rochester in a driving snow- storm and remained out of the state for a time.
In the town's treasury is 946£ 10s 5d of the new Emis- sion & 49144£ 8s of the Old Emission, and a considerable num- ber of bills of each "ware counterfeit."
And they put their heads together in tavern and mill and store, on the "Wharf" and in the blacksmith's shop and they agreed that Holmes was right. Somebody needed to stand up for the town's rights and when he came home they gave him a rousing welcome and sent him the next year as representative to the General Court.
On Dec. 20, 1787 they are reading the proposed Federal constitution in Town meeting and sent two delegates to the State Convention at Boston, Capt. Nathaniel Hammond and Mr. Abraham Holmes.
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One year Later! December 18, 1788 a town meeting which chooses one member of the House of Representatives of the United States of America, to be the Representative of Ply- mouth and Barnstable Counties, also to vote for two persons as electors for President and Vice President of the United States of America.
In 1789 George Washington is President of the United States of America, and down in Sippican village of Rochester Towne-in-Massachusetts, George Bonum Nye writes in his sheep skin covered account book on which is written in large letters "Ledger 1784."
"Capt. Stephen Cunningham
to pig 5 weeks old-3s to one load of wood-2s 6d."
They allow in the Tavern that now the town can stop having so many town meetings and in the old account book is written:
"Seth Aimes, Dr.
to plowing of an aker of ground for flax twice over- 8 shillings
to three days worke a fixing the flax ground for soeing-5 shillings
To three days on pooling flax
to carring tow load of flax to the pond & puting of it in-3s
To taking out two load of flax & carring it to Seth Aimes -- 4s
He goes to Dexter's Mill and Handy's Mill, sells Silas Briggs "60 pumpkins" for five shillings.
"Advertising & vandueing the farm-1s 6d
to liker drinked at Vandue-2s
to one felt hat, Handkerchief-5s ld
to drawing two loads of ship timber-9s
Then suddenly appears on a page
Feb. 1796
to Drawing one mast-$1.25
to one Boome and one Bow Spritt and drawing-$2.50 to plowing your yard -. 33
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Two men in homespun, one snappy day in the winter of 1798 converse a little in the big barn on Charles Neck road opposite the Nye homestead, then they go tramping across the road to the blazing fire of the winter kitchen-the dining room, living room of the farm house; and George Bonum gets out his big account book and running his horny finger over the pages, he and Jonathan Handy proceed to add and subtract. He gives the quill pen a whittle, and in ink, black, to this day nearly a hundred and fifty years later, with many capitals and flourishes is written:
Jonathan Handy & George B. Nye Jenewary 3 Day, 1798
recken & settel all Book Accounts Except nine Pound of Butter which Handy is to cut wood for and find Due to Nye three dollars & fifteen cents as witness our hands
Jonathan Handy George B. Nye
In 1775 Chatham said of the 1st American Congress;
"I trust it is obvious to your Lordship that all attempts to impose servitude on such men, or establish despotism over such a mighty continental nation must be vain, must be fatal."
In 1798 in Rochester Towne in Massachusetts Bay, the farmers, the sailors, the ship builders are "reconing and Settling all accounts" in dollars and cents, the money of the United States of America!
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CHAPTER VII
SIPPICAN, SALTWORKS AND SHIPYARDS
"Agawam and Sippican Neither fit for God nor man, In Agawam the cattle die, In Sippican the people lie."
OLD SAYING
Perhaps when the cattle roamed over the Indian lands many did die. The dark skinned owners of the corn fields had a wide knowledge of roots and herbs.
The chiefs of Sippican did lie! Patriots sometimes do! Watuchpoo standing in the Plymouth court room facing the query, "Why did ye say Phillip's men had deserted him?"
And the scribe scratches with his quill pen "to which he could say nothing!"
Sippican! After the war a few little grey houses like sea bird's nests washed up by the tide; a little ship yard, the Landing wharf, and saltworks, with a winding forest road through a swamp to the Center.
There was much talk about this "long bridg" road, the old Indian trail, and on March 25, 1785, the three villages at the meeting house at the Center voted to "View the lands of Mr. Elisha Ruggles to see whether it is practicable to Lay a road between the two roads now trod, the one leading from Mr. Moore's meeting house to Handy's mill and the other leading from s'd meeting house to Sippican Landing - think it best that there be but one bridge maintained over the muddy brook, so called."
"Whitehall" was gone, the "long bridg" needed new logs laid, and by vote of the town meeting the old road was left to the winds and storms, and the forest slowly closing in.
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The new road to Sippican, the present road to Rochester, was dryer, easier to care for: true, the ox carts sank to their axles in mud in the Spring and pulled through a sea of yellow sand all the Summer and Fall, but the road ran by the Quaker Church and was more convenient for Great Neck and the Landing.
Sippican was growing to be a village and in ten years the "Sippicaners" desired a meeting house of their own.
A house for the worship of God was begun in 1794 on the cartway where the shore road from "the Landing" curved to go down to "the wharf". On the corner of what is now Main and Front streets it was erected.
It cost more than was planned and funds gave out. Capt. George Bonum Nye "reconed his Acounts" in his sheepskin covered book, and then offered to finish the meetinghouse if they would give the building, as it stood, to him.
It was agreed, and in 1799 the meeting house was finished and Nye had sold one third of the "pues".
The building was 44 ft. by 44 ft. square with a high box pulpit on the north side reached by a flight of little winding stairs. Into this pulpit the Reverend Oliver Cobb, their first minister, ascended and sank from sight when he sat down.
There were forty square pews, with seats on three sides; the sides so high that the congregation after standing for the long prayer disappeared from sight too except for a head now and then of the exceptionally tall persons.
A gallery extended around like a horse shoe in which there were thirteen pews. The choir sat in the ones opposite the minister; and there as proof of the barks and schooners that were in the Southern trade were the five pews on either side for male and female negroes.
The choir leader had a tuning fork and also played the violin. There was also a base viol, double bass and flute. On weekdays a private school was carried on in the gallery.
There were three entrance doors on the South side of the meeting house .- two of them still in use today, as the old meeting house serves as the General store in this year of 1934.
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The minister built his house on the new road to the Center with his farm lands extending to the old "Whitehall" road; and for thirty years he preached for the people of Sippican. Every other Sunday he spoke in the old meeting house at the center and all these thirty years the families filled the pews. On hot days they waved their fans and lingered out of doors between the two sermons, eating a cracker or two, exchanging the news of the week. On the cold days hurrying down to the Tavern (now the Register House) by the Wharf, for live coals for the foot stoves and something warm for the inner man.
In 1827 the Rev. Leander Cobb was engaged to assist the Rev. Oliver, and it wasn't until then that there was any heat in the meeting house. A box stove with a long pipe that let the smoke out of the window was installed. The sermons had to be of fire and brimstone to keep the people awake both in summer and winter.
Those old parsons! Wonderful men who on $200 a year and what they could gather from pound parties, gifts from the congregation, the produce of their farms and teaching the ambitious boys of the villages Latin and Greek, brought up large families and sent their sons to college.
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