USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Municipal history of Essex County in Massachusetts, Volume I > Part 29
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Of the clergy, it may be recorded that Rev. Samuel Wigglesworth was pastor from the date of church organization in 1714 to 1768-fifty- four years; he preached until summoned to his heavenly reward. He was succeeded by Rev. Dr. Cutler, who was called when a young man in May, 1771; his Christian name was Manasseh. He was a graduate of Yale College. He became a wonderful man in his influence and deeds as a statesman, as well through Revolutionary War days as later. It was he who had the anti-slavery clause entered in the treaty of 1787, creating the great Northwest Territory, by which act Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and other Western States were admitted only as Free States to the Union. Joseph B. Felt was the successor of Dr. Cutler as pastor in Hamilton parish. He was installed in 1824, and served faithfully and well until four years before his death, in 1837, aged eighty years. Fol- lowing him came Rev. George W. Kelly, who on account of ill health resigned in 1850, having served since 1834. Next came Rev. John H. Mordough from 1850 to 1861, and he was succeeded by Rev. Frank H. Johnson, who served till 1863, after which came Rev. S. F. French, who resigned in 1871, and was followed by Rev. Calvin G. Hill, who resigned In 1876, after which no regular pastor was engaged for many years. In 1883 it was found expedient to reorganize this church society, or rather to do away with the old parish rules, and they organized what was called the First Congregational Society, taking the place of the 1829 Parish above treated upon at length. This was approved by the legislature in March, 1884. Since then this church has been conducted on strictly up-to-date church methods. Further information has not been furnished the writer.
A Universalist Society was formed in 1827, by Michael Knowlton and fifteen others. This existed only a short time.
In 1860 the Methodist Episcopal Church established the Asbury Camp Meeting Association. It purchased seventy-five acres in the grove, and laid out and sold lots, upon which many cottages were built. It was successfully managed many years. Incidentally, a branch of the Eastern railroad was extended to these famous camp-grounds. The National Camp-meeting in 1870 was held on these beautiful grounds, presided over by Rev. Inskip, D.D. A postoffice was finally secured and it was named Asbury, in honor of the Methodist church's Bishop Asbury. Today the place is known as Asbury Grove. Such in brief is the start of this little hamlet within Hamilton town.
CHAPTER XXI.
TOWN OF WEST NEWBURY.
As the very earliest history of the territory embraced within the Town of West Newbury has already been treated in chapters on the other towns of which this sub-division of Essex county was originally a part, it will not be taken up in this connection further than is necessary to show the causes which led to the separation from other towns. Gen- erally speaking, this article will treat only of the history of the town since the date of its incorporation in February, 1819, one hundred and two years ago. It may be well to suggest to the reader of this volume that perhaps a clearer understanding of the subject may be had by reading the chapters on "Newbury" and "Newburyport," in connection with this chapter, the three sections of Essex county being so closely connected, one with the other.
The many hillsides and beautiful valleys found in this part of the county attracted the pioneer. The landscape must have been one of great charm to the first settlers, and now after the flight of nearly three centuries, with the numerous changes and improvements added by the hand of man, it is almost a wonderland of beauty to the resident as well as to the passer-by. Pipe-Stave, Archelus, Long, Crane-Neck, Meeting-House and Indian hills are among the interesting places within the town.
As early as 1685 these remote inhabitants of the town of Newbury began to feel inconveniences, and hence we find they sought to be set off from the territory of the original town of Newbury. A petition dated March 10, 1685, to the authorities of Newbury read as follows:
The humble request of some of the inhabitants of this town desire and entreat you would be pleased to grant us your consent, approbation and assistance in get- ting some help in the ministry amongst us, by reason that we doe live soe remote from the means, great part of us, that we cannot worship God; neither can our families, with any comfort or convenience; neither can our families be brought up under the means of grace, as Christians ought to bee, and which is absolutely neces- sary unto salvation; therefore, we will humbly crave your loving compliance with us in this, our request.
This was the first move toward a new parish in Newbury, but the records are as silent as the tomb concerning any action taken in the matter. The next date this subject is referred to in the church or town records was when the meeting-house seems to have been built in 1688 at the Plains by the people of the West district, regardless of the wishes of the old parish of Newbury. This building was thirty feet square and was built by sixteen persons. Some have claimed that the date of the erection of this church was 1686, but a clause in the will of Joseph Mor- Ing, dated November 5, 1688, shows conclusively that at that date the
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house had not been erected: "I give to the new town in Newbury twenty pounds to help build a meeting-house, if they do build one; and if they do not build one, then I give twenty pounds towards building or repairing the meeting-house now standing in Newbury." Again, in 1690, the people of the district asked the town to make some provisions for a minister among them. The committee to whom this was presented replied that "considering the times as troublesome and the town being so much behind with Mr. Richardson's salary, the farmers and neck men being under great disadvantages upon many accounts, do desire and expect, if such a thing be granted, that they should have the same privi- lege to provide for themselves, which we think cannot conduce to peace, therefore desire the new towne to rest satisfied for the present."
This did not suit the petitioners, and they went ahead making plans to build and to support a minister in some way themselves. When this be- came known to the town authorities, it was brought up at a meeting, held July 14, 1691, and voted "that understanding that several (fifteen) of the inhabitants of the new towne are about calling Mr. Edward Thomp- son to be their minister, the towne do manifest their dislike against it, or against any other minister whom they should call, until ye town and church are agreed upon it, looking upon such a thing to be an intrusion upon ye church and towne."
In October the same year a petition was presented to the General Court by the west-end people "to establish a people by themselves for the maintenance of the ministry among them," and in December the town voted against the grant of the petition, and chose a committee to oppose it before the General Court. Great excitement followed between those who should have been more like the Master in their relations with each other. One of the "west-enders," as then called, was indicted for calling the committee appointed to consider their petition, "devils in- carnate." Many such sessions ensued and were unrelenting and severe.
Matters drifted along until May, 1693, when the town voted "that Mr. John Clarke be called to assist Mr. Richardson (the Newbury min- ister) in the work of the ministry at the west end of the towne, to preach to them one year in order to farther settlement and also to keep a grammar school." But matters were still troublesome until finally, December 31, 1694, a concession was made by the town, and a committee of five drew up articles and proposed to set apart the west end of the town as a separate parish. In December, 1695, five acres of land on the east side of Artichoke river and one acre of land near the west meeting- house were granted to the west inhabitants when they saw cause to move the meeting-house to the place specified by the town. Until 1824, this parish was called the Second Parish of Newbury, but after that date, by order of the General Court, it was changed to the "First Parish of West Newbury," as that town had in the meantime been incorporated an independent town of Essex county.
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On February 18, 1819, the General Court passed an act by which the ancient town of Newbury was divided, the western part to be known as the town of Parsons. This name did not suit many, and June, 1820, it was legally changed to West Newbury. The first selectmen were Daniel Emery, Joseph Stanwood and Thomas Case. The local manage- ment of public affairs in this town has been fully up to the standard of other towns within Essex county.
The officers of the town in 1920 were the following: Moderator, Parker H. Nason; Town Clerk, Elwood N. Chase; Selectmen, Robert S. Brown, Parker H. Nason, George C. Howard; Superintendent of Schools, Herman N. Knox; Treasurer and Tax Collector, Charles F. Brown; Auditor, Francis W. Noyes; Constables, Charles T. Mosley, Carroll C. Ordway, Willie E. Hudson; Tree Warden and Moth Superintendent, Frank D. Bailey ; Forest Fire Warden, Edward Johnston; Chief of Police, Charles T. Mosley ; Lumber Surveyors, William J. Dunn, George Milnes, Sherburn T. Davis.
Real estate valuations, $934,575; personal estate valuations, $151,- 614; money appropriated by the town, $39,817.96; State tax, $3,080; State highway tax, $510.50.
West Newbury in 1900 had a population of 1,558; in 1910 it was 1,473 ; and the last (1920) United States reports gave it 1,492.
Assessed Valuations-Number of polls assessed, 411; dwellings assessed, 425; horses assessed, 213 ; cows assessed, 574; neat cattle other than cows, 230; sheep assessed, 21; swine assessed, 71; fowl assessed, 3,141; residents assessed on property, 436; non-residents assessed on property, 97; assessed on poll tax only, 188; acres of land assessed, 8,- 160; taxes for State, county and town, $27,152.
Financial Condition, December, 1920-Assets-Uncollected taxes, $10,324.87; cash in hands of tax collector, $151.58; balance in treasury, $936.44; balance due on account excise tax, $144.81; due from State account State aid, $1,098.00; due from State account Mothers' aid, $231 .- 50; due from town's account, Mothers' aid, $338.00; due from State ac- count moth work, $135.00. Total-$13,360.20.
Liabilities-Notes due National Banks, anticipation of revenue loan, $7,500.00 ; notes due State Treasurer, school-house loan, $11,000.00; bills unpaid estimated, $2,250.00; total-$20,750.00; excess of liabilities over assets, $7,389.80.
At the time West Newbury was incorporated its business inter- ests in way of sundry though unimportant industries did not aggregate more than forty thousand dollars a year, but before the eighties the volume of business had greatly increased, and shoes and hair combs were being manufactured quite extensively. The comb business was es- tablished as early as 1770, at first conducted by Enoch Noyes, a farmer, who made horn buttons. He worked in his kitchen during the winter months, having as his only tools a hatchet, a saw, a bit of glass and a
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woolen polishing rag. After the battle of Bennington, he engaged a Hessian comb-maker, who had deserted from Burgoyne's army, who soon taught him the art of comb-making. The business was founded by Mr. Noyes and continued by his son, grandsons, and great-grandsons. Interviews with men who were youthful in the forties inform us that there were not less than twenty-five separate shops turning out buttons and combs in West Newbury in 1830. They took their products to Bos- ton, sold them to dealers, and brought back their one-horse rig full of horns with which to make more combs, etc. In 1887 the number of factories had decreased to only two, but through the use of steam and machinery, these two turned out as great an output as did all the others under the early-day methods. The two who were pioneers and who had remained in trade until the entire business was abandoned in the town, were S. C. Noyes & Co., and G. O. and T. M. Chase. The largest of these two firms was that of S. C. Noyes & Co., in which were some machines invented by Hayden Brown, by which horn combs were made equal to ivory in beauty of finish. About twenty-five years ago these industries all ceased to operate.
Carriage making was also carried on in the town at one time quite extensively, but later these factories were removed to Amesbury, on the opposite side of the river, and there helped swell the number of car- riage factories to above thirty operated at one time. The manufacture of shoes was carried on in West Newbury on a moderate scale. In the eighties, such a factory was still operated by James Durgin & Son.
Today there is no manufacturing in the town. The one long, well- kept highway, with street cars running on its side, passes through the town, which has numerous old, but well preserved residences; farm houses, where still hangs the "Old Oaken Bucket", with thrifty orchards and smooth pastures greeting the eye on every hand. There are a few small shops or stores along this street, including Bailey's store and post- office, kept by Mrs. Smith; Hiram R. Poore, Daniel Cooney, Charles Brown, C. E. Rowell, C. B. Morse, Mrs. Flora E. Clark, and the "Emer- gency Cupboard."
The town has a Central School, a High School and smaller school. At present the churches of the town are the Episcopal, Roman Catholic, and two of the Congregational denomination. Three of these churches have regular pastors, while the Second Congregational Church is sup- plied from Newburyport.
CHAPTER XXII.
TOWN OF ESSEX.
Although Essex is among the lesser towns within the county, it may well claim much of unusual interest along historical lines; for in its final development of profitable industries, the education and sending forth to the great outside world, many a man of genius and high attain- ments hailed from here. Especially in its military and church activities has it shown wonderful strength. Of the men famous in both military and religious life, special chapters will treat more fully. In passing, how- ever, it may be stated that from this town have come numerous judges; eminent surgeons and physicians ; six commissioned officers in the French and Indian War; seven commissioned officers in the Revolutionary strug- gle; thirteen clergymen, two of whom were doctors of divinity, and one a presiding elder; fourteen physicians, all regular graduates in medicine and surgery; eight members of the legal profession; two delegates to the State Constitutional Convention of 1780; two to the Convention of 1788 which ratified the Constitution of the United States; one delegate to the State Constitutional Convention of 1820; three State Senators and one United States Senator-these were all duly accredited to this small town up to the year 1885.
No less authority than good Doctor Crowell, who many years since wrote concerning this town, avers that the first American settlement was made by the English in the persons of William White, John Cogs- well and Goodman Bradstreet, the date of their arrival being about 1634. Nothing positive can now be learned of the families of these three men. White's Hill of this town is supposed to have taken its name from the White just named above.
An immigrant from England named Humphrey Bradstreet came over in the ship "Elizabeth," from Ipswich, England, with his wife Brid- get and four children in 1634. It is believed that he was called by an- other Christian name, but that he and the person named as being one of the first three to settle in this town were one and the same person. John Bradstreet, of Rowley, of whom it is mentioned in Winthrop's journal that he was whipped for having "familiarity with the Devil," was one of the sons of this Humphrey. He was accused of bewitching a dog.
The John Cogswell named as being one of the first three settlers was the ancestor of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Oliver Wendell Holmes. At first, he resided in Ipswich, but that territory is now within Essex. Cogs- well was a native of Wilts county, England, where he had been an exten- sive manufacturer of broadcloth and other woolen fabrics. He inherited the mills from his father's estate, the same having been run in the family for three generations. With his wife and seven children, he came to America in the ship "Angel Gabriel," of two hundred and forty tons bur-
ESSEX-ABOVE, FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH; BELOW, METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH
THE NEW YORK ABBHIC LIBRARY
ASTOR, LENOX OLDEN FOUNDATIONS
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den, carrying fourteen guns. She was strongly constructed, and was the vessel on which Sir Walter Raleigh sailed from England to South America on two voyages. Just exactly the spot where Mr. Cogswell or his companions located in this town is not known. He died in 1669, aged seventy-seven. His daughter Hannah married Cornelius Waldo, and from them descended Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Besides the three family names already mentioned, in a short time came in many more, as there is a list found in the Ipswich records for 1648 showing one hundred and sixty persons who contributed to a mili- tary fund. At least eight of this number were residents of Chebacco, viz: John Burnham, Thomas Burnham, William Cogswell, John Choate, Robert Crosse, William Goodhue, Thomas Low, William Story. More of the name of Burnham came to this settlement than any other one name in the whole settlement.
The Sagamore of Agawam, an Indian chief named Masconomet, claimed the ownership of land in this township. In 1638 he sold his right and title to the soil of Ipswich to John Winthrop, son of Governor Win- throp, for £20, equal to about $100 of United States money. The peculiar deed of old Masconomet to the whites was as follows, when translated into English :
I, Masconomet, Sagamore of Agawam, do by these presence do acknowledge to have received of Mr. John Winthrop the sum of twenty pounds in full satisfaction of all the right, property and claim I have, or ought to have, unto all the land lying and being in the Bay of Agawam, alias Ipswich, being so called now by the English, as well as such land as I formerly reserved unto my own use at Chebacco, as also other land, belonging to me in these parts, Mr. Dummer's farm excepted only. And I hereby relinquish all the right and interest I have unto all the havens, rivers, creeks, islands, huntings and fisheries; with all the woods, swamps, timber, and whatever else is, or may be, in, or upon the same ground belonging; and I do hereby acknowl- edge to have received full satisfaction from the said John Winthrop for all former agreements, touching the premises and parts of them; and I do hereby bind myself to make good the aforesaid bargain and sale unto the said John Winthrop, his heirs and assigns forever, and to secure him against the title and claim of all other In- dians and natives whatsoever. Witness my hand, 28th of June, 1638.
(Signed) MASCONOMET (his X mark.)
Witness hereunto, John Joyliff, James Downing, Thomas Catytimore, Robert Harding.
John Winthrop's journal, under date of June 13, 1630, while the ship "Arbella," in which he had sailed, lay near present Beverly, or "the land of Cape Ann," has this entry: "Lord's day 13 .- In the morning, the Sagamore of Agawam and one of his men came aboard our ship and staid with us all day." This meeting may have been the means of Win- throp settling at the point which he did-Ipswich, and his ultimate pur- chase of the territory of Agawam from the Indian chief.
Here, as elsewhere, the first occupation of settlers was of necessity that of farming. Next came fishing, both from the sea and the rivers. At first hook and line were the only means of procuring the fish, but
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later it was counted too slow work, and the Ipswich records show this method put into practice: "December 24, 1634 .- It is consented unto that John Perkins, junior, shall build a ware (fish-trap) on the river of Quasycung (now Parker river, Newbury) and enjoy the profits of it, but in case a plantation shall settle there, then he is to submit himself unto such conditions as shall then be imposed."
Just when fishing began no one can tell, but it is certain that as soon as boats could be built, the settlers engaged in fishing, first in the rivers, and later in the ocean. At one time in the history of Essex, fourteen ves- sels were owned in the place, employed in the cod fisheries. There is nothing of that kind known since the close of the Civil War.
Digging clams for food and for bait has been another industry named by early writers in the occupations of the people. As early as 1763, the authorities of Ipswich ordered that only so many clams should be taken from the marshes as would supply the fishermen and for food required among the inhabitants. The amount allowed each of a crew to Newfoundland for one trip, was one barrel. In 1837 clams sold here at $2.50 per barrel, and in 1886 the net price was quoted at $4. The annual receipts for shell-fish, 1886-87, were $12,800 for Essex.
Malting and brewing was carried on extensively, as beer was in common use in every household. Tea and coffee were little used here at that date. Generally, each town had one malster. The farmer took his barley and other grain to him, as he did other milling grains, and it was "tolled" by the miller, the same as wheat. Much barley was grown and much good beer was made in all its purity. The records do not speak of any drunkenness.
The common trades, such as carpenters, blacksmiths, tailors, and shoemakers, were numerous, and filled a role that was very useful, if not indeed indispensable. Boat-building by ship carpenters and joiners were early enterprises in this settlement, along with the production of twine and cordage. In about 1863 this branch of industry took on larger proportions. Captain Burnham and Samuel Hardy, as well as David, William H. and H. W. Mears, were prominent in this industry, and supplied all that was required by the vessels from Essex; but before 1890, things changed. The heavier ropes and cords were obtained else- where, while the smaller cordage was made at home in the well-known "rope-walks."
The first saw and grist mills were constructed here in 1656, on Cheb- acco river; later, two more were added at the Falls. In 1693 a grist mill were set in operation in the town. Another set of mills were built in 1823, both saw and flouring mills. In connection, they had a wool-card- ing mill. In 1872 the Essex Steam Mill Company built two mills on Southern avenue. With the consumption of the forests, the saw mill industry has shrunk to meagre proportions at this date, as compared with earlier years.
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By far the largest industry Essex has ever been favored with is that of building ships for the great ocean trade. This enterprise began in a modest way in the construction of the little Chebacco boats, boats without a bowsprit, having two masts and two sails only-foresail and mainsail-being sharp at both stem and stern. It is said that at the close of the eighteenth century there were nearly two thousand of these craft, of large and small tonnage, employed in the fisheries, and sailing from Cape Ann. The Indian name of Essex was Chebacco, hence the ship-builders named these boats after the Indian name. About 1825 the building of these boats materially fell off in volume, and larger ves- sels, with a square stern, full-rigged as schooners, were produced in large numbers. In the eighties vessels of still much greater tonnage were built at the Essex ship-yards, including several three-masted schooners, and two steamers, one for General B. F. Butler and another for Captain Lamont G. Burnham.
One of these vessels, built in 1853, became historic. It was con- structed by John James and Leonard Mckenzie, and was used by Dr. Elisha K. Kane on his Grinnell expedition, in search of Sir John Frank- lin, the famous Arctic explorer. Its name at first was "Spring Hill," but when used by Dr. Kane, she was renamed "Advance." She had a 144 ton burden and was complimented highly by Dr. Kane.
As time passed on, the Essex vessels were of larger and better con- struction. In 1842 the "Ann Maria," of 510 tons burden, was construet- ed. The swiftest boatmaking up to that day was in 1837, when in the month of July a craft was entirely built at the Essex yards and named the "July." Dr. Crowell mentions all the vessels so far named. Since his record, still larger craft have been the rule. The "Mattie W. At- wood," a three-masted schooner of seven hundred and seventy tons bur- den, was built in 1872 by James & Mckenzie. In 1880, L. G. Burnham built the "Vidette" of eight hundred and nineteen tons burden; she had two propellers.
Coming down to 1888 and later dates, the active ship-builders were Arthur D. Story, James & Co., Moses Adams, Joseph, Samuel and Charles Oliver Story, Daniel Poland and Willard Burnham.
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