USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Municipal history of Essex County in Massachusetts, Volume I > Part 47
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It will be seen from this brief summary that the territory of the present Greater Lynn, and, in fact, of the first settled portion of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, was located in a zone far from the territory of the warlike Indians, and that the early settlers in this section were much more exempt from the terrors and ravages of Indian wars than were their neighbors farther to the east or west, or were the early Vir- ginia colonists .*
William Wood and John Josselyn have left us a rich legacy in their description of the Indians and their habits and customs. The contribu- tion by Wood is of especial interest in this connection, because he was one of the first five settlers in the present territory of Lynn (then Saugus), in 1629, and his writings, which he published on his return to England in 1633, are a "first-hand description" and relate especially to this vicinity. The picture of the Indian savage, with feathers and war paint, breech clout and tomahawk, has often been painted; but the peaceful Indian, cultivating fields of corn, readily adopting white man's dress and customs, and living in peace with the invaders of his territory, is not so well known. Since Wood settled here in 1629, and was the first New England writer to publish a book, "New England's Prospect," pub- lished on his return to London in 1633:
John Josselyn first came to Boston July 3, 1638, and remained in New England until October, 1639, spending most of his time at Black Point (Scarboro, Me.) Dr. Cobb speaks of Josselyn as "a good deal of a naturalist and something of a physician," and refers to Wood as "sort of a press agent for New England." ("Some Medical Practice among the New England Indians and Early Settlers," by Carolus M. Cobb, M.D.) Josselyn's description of the Indian women is an appropriate corollary to Wood's general description of the Indians, and is so appropriate that we give it here :
The Men are somewhat Horse Faced, and generally Faucious, that is, without beards, but the women many of them have very good features, seldome without a
*Worth states that in none of the early settlements are there to be found so many of the earliest buildings as in this vicinity, owing to the immunity from In- dian depredations.
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Come to me, or Cos Amoris, in their Countenance, all of them black eyed, having even short teeth, and very white, their hair black, thick and long, broad breasted, handsome straight bodies, and slender, considering their constant loose habit. Their limbs cleanly, straight, and of a convenient stature, generally, as plump as Par- tridges and saving here and there one, of a modest deportment.
Their Garments are a pair of sleeves of deer, or Moose skin drest, and drawn with lines of several colours into Asiatick Works, with Boskins of the same, and short Mantle of Trading Cloth, either Blew or Red, fastened with a knot under the chin, and girt about the middle with a Zone wrought with white and blew Beads into pretty Works; of these Beads they have Bracelets for their Neck and Arms, and Links to hang in their Ears, and a fair Table curiously made up with Beads like- wise, to wear before their breast, their Hair they comb backward, and tie it up short with a Border, about two handfulls broad, wrought in Works as the other with their Beads. ("New England Rarities.")
Geographically, Lynn appears to have been a convenient meeting place for the several tribes of Indians in those days, when the trail through the woods and the trackless path of the canoe afforded the only means of travel from place to place. We find in one of the school text books of almost a century ago this allusion, under the caption of Lynn: "They called the place Saugus, and the eastern part of it Swampscott, which is its present name. On Lynn Beach, which joins Nahant to this town, Indians of various tribes used to assemble and engage in friendly sports and games."*
Alonzo Lewis enters into the subject more in detail in his history of Lynn.
We can well believe that here in Lynn the council fires of the Paw- tuckets burned, and that here the Great Sachem Nanapashemet met his advisers in dignified assemblage, and considered the weighty affairs of the Indian state. Since the white explorers, fishermen, adventurers and traders were, even before 1615, becoming known along these shores, it is entirely conceivable that here was considered the great question of the coming of the strange people, and the policy to be pursued toward them.
When the turbulent Tarratines invaded this territory, in 1615, Nanapashemet, the great leader, moved to a fort on the Mystic. There he successfully met the issues of war for two years, and survived the desolating pestilence that swept the country in 1617, reducing strong tribes to mere handfuls. Still the foes from the eastward were in- satiable in their thirst for the blood of the great chieftain, and in 1619 he fell a victim to the hate and deadly vengeance of the Tarratines, while living in his house near the fort on the Mystic. Thus passed one of the great characters in Indian history, leaving a name venerated in Indian tradition and honored in being perpetuated by the white people in many ways. His death seems to have checked the war lust of the Tarratines for a time, and a period of quiet followed. He left three sons, who were to succeed him in accord with the Indian custom, all of
-"A Geography of Essex County for Young Children."
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whom attained the rank of Sagamore. Their names were Wonohaquam, Montowampate and Wenepoykin. He also left a daughter, whose name was Yawata.
The youngest of these sons, Wenepoykin, is believed to have been but three years old at the time of his father's tragic death, Montowam- pate to have been but ten years old, and Wonohaquam probably a little older. For this reason Tehatawan, the widow of Nanapashemet, and the three sons divided the government between them. Tehatawan was a woman of unusual ability as a leader. She became known as the Squaw Sachem, and she did not surrender her authority even after she became the wife of Webbacowat, the medicine man of the tribe. According to the recollection of Rev. John Higginson of Salem, Wene- poykin lived with his mother, the Squaw Sachem, in the early days of the settlement at Salem.
The map of Southern New England prepared by William Wood in 1633, and published in 1635, shows the location of the camps of Saga- more John on the Mystic and of Sagamore James on the Saugus river (Lynn). It does not give the name of any other Sagamore between the Charles river and the Merrimac, but it does indicate the camps of many other Sagamores outside that territory. Had Wenepoykin been of the age to exercise sovereignty over Naumkeag, there is little probability that Wood should overlook that fact. On the death of his two brothers, who died from smallpox in 1633, Wenepoykin became Sagamore of Saugus and Winnisimit (Lynn and Chelsea), and was called by the English, Sagamore George. Wonohaquam was Sagamore of the Mystic river and lived at Winnisimit. He was called by the English, Sagamore John, and was "of gentle and good disposition." Mr. Dudley speaks of him as "affecting English apparel and houses."
Montowampate, a boy of ten years of age at the death of his father, became the Sagamore of the Saugus and returned to Lynn to live on Sagamore Hill. Tradition states that his home was near the present intersection of Sagamore and Newhall streets, and early visitors to his home speak of the small number of warriors in attendance upon him, owing to the ravages of the pestilence. He became known to the set- tlers as Sagamore James. Dudley speaks of him as "of far worse dis- position than his brother John." According to Lewis, he was Sagamore of Saugus, Naumkeag and Masabequash (Lynn, Salem and Marble- head.)
At the coming of the white settlers, Montowampate had arrived at man's estate, and gave them permission to settle in Saugus. In the same year he married Wenuchus, the daughter of the venerated Indian priest Passaconoway, who lived at Pennacock, now Concord, New Hampshire. The romance between Montowompate and Wenuchus was the inspiration of Whittier's poem, "The Bride of the Pennacook." This couple spent a few brief years on Sagamore Hill, years in which adven-
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ture was mixed with the affairs of every-day life. Here, always at peace with their white neighbors, they received the visitations from their friends on the Merrimac; for the companionship, the bathing, the fishing and the sports on the beach were all attractive then as now. (George H. Martin, "Lynn. in the Early Indian Wars.") Here, too, their children were born; but the family was destined to be broken up by the death of Montawompate in 1633, and the succession of his brother Wene- poykin as Sagamore.
What may have been the influence of the white men on the Indians in the pre-settlement period we must leave to conjecture, but an influ- ence there must have been.
Professor Horsford presents (his) evidence that this region was the place of an Icelandic settlement, and there is much to suggest that Thorwold visited these shores over nine hundred years ago. Indeed, Nahant has been by description identified as one of the various points where Thorwold had his encounter with the Skrellings (Indians), and where he afterwards died. In the absence of positive identification, it will serve to prolong the investigation and to add to the sum total of historic knowledge if we assume, for the purpose of continuing the dis- cussion, that the "Krossanes of Thorwold is the Nahant of today." Certainly if it were to be decided by the testimony of the great adven- turer, who, on going ashore, said: "Here it is beautiful, and here I should like to fix my dwelling," there could be no question as to the identity of Nahant.
The coast to the eastward, comprising the present shores of Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine, was well within the sphere of acquaintance and observation. The Gulf of Maine had for many years been the fishing ground for the ships of five European Nations. Explorers, traders and adventurers had coasted along these shores. Indians from various points had been taken to Europe and some had returned.
There is no doubt that previous to 1600, the shore of Essex County was visited by the white men. When Gosnold visited these shores in 1602 there is very good evidence to support the claim that he anchored off Nahant, and it is accepted as more than a tradition that he was visited by eight Indians, one of whom wore a complete suit of white man's clothing, which he had obtained by trading to the eastward. Admitting the identity of Savage Rock as Nahant, then, we find that Martin Pring visited the same spot in 1603 in search of sassafras. The ships of four nations visited Plymouth between 1600 and the coming of the Pilgrims in 1620, and Pring's ship was among them. Sir Francis Poppham had established his settlement at the mouth of the Kennebec, and had built a decked-over vessel in 1607, called the Virginia of the Saggadahoc.
Captain Richard Vines, with a ship's crew of about forty men, had spent the winter of 1616-17 at Biddeford Pool, to test the winter cli-
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mate and had soon commenced to bring over settlers to the region at the mouth of the Saco. The English language and a knowledge of the white men had filtered through all along the coast. The first white settler came to New Hampshire in 1623, and the same year a fishing station was established at Gloucester, which was three years later re- moved to Salem. There had been a seepage northward along the coast from the Colony at Plymouth, and about 1624 Rev. William Blackstone and family had established themselves in Boston. The Indians in 1617 had been ravaged by disease and greatly reduced in strength.
Therefore it would appear that when the five white men came to Lynn in 1629, seeking homes, the Indians were prepared to wel- come them, rather than to repel them; and to give them the privilege of establishing homes in this choice spot in the land of the Pawtuckets. Thus do we attempt, in few words, to portray the conditions existing at the time of the coming of the first white settlers in 1629 to lay the foundation for Greater Lynn.
The lapse of almost three centuries gives perspective to the in- cidents of the settlement of Greater Lynn. We can be familiar with the facts of that period only as they are preserved for us in record and tradition. The work of the historian is to correlate rather than to create. He constructs a mosaic, of which he must find, not make the parts. He can add to the work of previous historians only as more extensive research may have placed him in possession of historical data that may not have been accessible to previous writers. The vanguard of the Puritan migration arrived in Essex County before the Charter of the Colony of the Massachusetts Bay in New England had passed the seals, March 4, 1629. Central location, a good harbor and the advan- tages of a settlement of white people already established (in 1626) made Naumkeag, now Salem, the objective of this early migration.
From Salem came the first group of white settlers in 1629 to Lynn, then known by its Indian name of Saugus, and comprising the present towns of Lynn, Lynnfield, Saugus, Swampscott and Nahant. In this group of pioneers, which is estimated to have numbered about 25 per- sons, were five men, whose names are here given: Edmund Ingalls, Francis Ingalls, John Wood, William Wood, William Dixey. Four of these five men appear to have brought families with them.
Thirty-eight years later, William Dixey made a deposition in the Essex Court (July 1, 1657,) which sets forth that application was made, on his arrivel in Salem, "for a place to set down in; upon which Mr. Endicott did give me leave to go where we would; upon which we went to Saugus, now Linne, and there we met with Sagamore James and some other Indians, who did give and the rest leaue to dwell there or thereabouts; Whereupon I and the rest of my master's company did cut grass for our cattell, and kept them upon Nahant for some space of time; for the Indian James Sagamore and the rest did give me, in be-
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half of my master Johnson, what land we would; wherefore we set down in Saugus, and had quiet possession of the above said Indians, and kept our cattell in Nahant the Summer following."
Thus with "Puritan simplicity" was laid the foundation for a city destined to become the twelfth largest in New England, to contain one- tenth of one per cent. of the entire population of the new Nation that was in the making; to draw its inhabitants from all parts of the world, and to become world-famous for its industrial products.
According to Woodbury, these early settlers "set out from Salem and landed at Deer Cove between Red Rock and the bastion of the Boulevard about June, 1629." (See "Historical Priorities in Lynn"). This would have been the logical place for the landing, since Montowom- pate occupied the long, low bluff-like elevation extending along the ocean front known as Sagamore Hill, and this landing was quite accessible to his habitation. Moreover, there are repeated references in the older writings, showing that the waters adjacent to King's Beach were used at that early date for harbor purposes. These early settlers must have brought with them all that was necessary for establishing homes, so there must have been a considerable quantity of goods, equipment and supplies. Since at that period there were no roads or facilities for land transportation even between Salem and Lynn, these goods must have come by water. From the early writers, it appears that Sagamore Hill was occupied by the Indians, so these first settlers found a "fair playne" for their homes. Whatever may have been the location of this plain, it is quite certain that it covered an extensive area; for the settlers of that period were a land-hungry people. Farming was a necessity in such a pioneer settlement, and other vocations were combined with it.
Edmund Ingalls established his home very near the present Goldfish Pond, and the bronze tablet erected on Fayette street, (now Lafayette Park) a few years ago, by Mr. Charles S. Viall, marks the approximate location of the original Ingalls homestead in Lynn. He was classed as a farmer, but also had a malt house near his dwelling. Malt was at that. time considered a great necessity by the English, and is estimated to have constituted about one-third of the cost of living of a family in England.
Edmund Ingalls' family consisted of his wife and nine children, six of whom were born in England. The name has been associated with Lynn through all its years of development. He was accidentally drowned in 1648, when his horse fell through the bridge known as "Lynn Bridge" across the Saugus river on Boston road. For this, the General Court paid £100 sterling to his children.
Francis Ingalls was born in England in 1601. Apparently, he held land in common with his brother Edmund; for in 1638 there was appor- tioned to "Edmund and Francis Ingalls, 120 acres." Lewis has not mentioned that he had any family ; he was a tanner, and established the
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first tannery in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. This was located on the brook later known as "Humphrey's Brook," where it crosses Burrill street in Swampscott; and the tannery vats were there until 1825, or later. While this was the first tannery in the Colony, it can not claim to be the first in New England.
John Wood was a farmer, and in the division of land in 1638 re- ceived a lot of one hundred acres. His location is believed to have been near the intersection of Essex and Chestnut streets. The local name of "Woodend," applied to that vicinity, has served to perpetuate the name of John Wood, the first settler.
William Wood is believed to have been the son of John Wood and to have resided with his father. He was about twenty-one years of age, and possessed a very good education for the time. To him, we are in- debted for much of our information concerning the early days of the settlement and the Colony. He was the first of the Colonists to write and publish a book relating to the Colony and he also published a map of Southern New England, which showed the location of the settlements in the Colony, as well as the shore lines. He was made freeman in 1631. After spending about four years in Lynn, he returned to London, August 15, 1633, and there published his book of one hundred pages, called "New England's Prospect." This was a great addition to the Colonial literature and history, and is accepted and largely quoted to the present time. While the book bears the date of 1634, yet the work was completed before he left for London, August 15, 1633. Having com- pleted the publication of his book and map, he returned to Lynn in 1635, accompanied by his wife Elizabeth. Soon after, he left Lynn; it is claimed by Lewis that he was one of fifty men who commenced the set- tlement of Sandwich. (Others think that he may possibly have gone to Concord.)
William Dixey came to Salem as an employee or servant with Mr. Isaac Johnson, who was one of the founders of the Colony. Mr. John- son was a man of considerable wealth, owning property in four counties in England. He married Lady Arabella, daughter of the Earl of Lin- coln, and sister of Lady Susan, who was the wife of Deputy Governor John Humphrey. It is not probable that William Dixey remained many years in Lynn, as we find, according to Felt, that he moved to Salem, and kept a ferry-boat across the North river. According to James R. Newhall, he had several children baptized at Salem. He died in 1690, aged 82 years. Mr. Dixey's conspicuous contribution to Colonial records was his deposition of July, 1657, which we have quoted above.
The settlement period is quite devoid of momentous incidents during the first year of occupation. When, in the spring of 1630, the great wave of Puritan migration broke on these shores, the effect must have been thrilling to the little company which had been so long isolated. Eleven vessels early in the spring of 1630 left the harbor of South-
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ampton for New England, most of them coming to Salem. The arrival of 1700 colonists at Salem during the month of June was an event to thrill the hearts of those who had long been separated from homes and friends, but necessity compelled a speedy departure to their prospective homes. In the general distribution, Dudley says that some of them settled "upon the river of Saugus." The history of Lynn, writ- ten by Alonzo Lewis in 1829, republished in 1844, and revised by James R. Newhall in 1865, gives much space to the family history of more than fifty heads of families who came to settle in greater Lynn in 1630. Of some of them little is known; of others, volumes could be written. The appended list will give the names:
Settlers of 1630-John Armitage, Godfrey Armitage, James Axey, Allen Bread (Breed), William Ballard, George Burrill, Edward Baker, John Bancroft, Samuel Bennet, Nicholas Brown, Boniface Burton, Thomas Chadwell, Clement Coldam, Thomas Coldam, William Cowdry, Thomas Dexter, Robert Driver, William Edmunds, George Farr, Henry Feake, Jeremiah Fitch, Samuel Graves, John Hall, Adam Hawkes, John Hawkes, Edward Holyoke, William Hartshorne, Daniel Howe (Lieut.), Edward Howe, Thomas Hubbard, Thomas Hudson, Christopher Hussey, George Keyser, Christopher Lindsey, Jonathan Negus, Thomas New- hall, Robert Potter, John Ramsdell, Joseph Rednap, Edward Richards, Daniel Salmon, John Smith, Samuel Smith, John Taylor, Edward Tom- lins (Capt.), Nathaniel Turner (Capt.), Thomas Talmadge, Richard Walker (Capt.), John White, Bray Wilkins, Thomas Willis, William Witter, Richard Wright (Capt.)
Limitation of space, rather than inclination, restricts us to only a passing comment on a few of these pioneer planters. Joseph Armi- tage opened the Anchor Tavern, the first hostelry in the plantation. This for 170 years was the most celebrated tavern in Essex County, being midway between Salem and Boston on the west side of the river on Boston Road. Allen Breed gave the name of "Breed-End" to the western end of Lynn, and his name has been perpetuated in the Breed School, on which a tablet was placed in 1920 by his descendants. Other settlers were:
George Burrill was one of the richest of the planters. He was the ancestor of many who have been distinguished in the history of the town and Commonwealth.
John Bancroft (sometimes spelled Barcroft) was the ancestor of George Bancroft, the eminent historian.
Boniface Burton lived to the age of 113 years, according to Sewell. Thomas Coldam was a miller and "kept Mr. Humfrey's windmill on Sagamore Hill."
William Cowdrey became clerk of writs, town clerk, selectman and representative of Reading.
Thomas Dexter purchased Nahant from Poquanum for a suit of clothes. He owned 800 acres of land, and was called Farmer Dexter.
Henry Feake was Representative in 1643-4.
Samuel Graves not only gave the name "Graves-end" to the section
ALLEN BREAD YEOMAN BORN IN ENGLAND 1601
EMIGRATED TO LYNN.THEN CALLED SAUGUS. IN 1630.AND SETTLED NEAR BREED'S SQUARE. RECEIVED 200 ACRES IN DIVISION OF TOWN LANDS 1638.
ONE OF THE FOUNDERS OF SOUTHAMPTON, LONG ISLAND. NEW YORK 1640. RETURNED TO LYNN ABOUT 1650. AN INFLUENTIAL AND RELIGIOUS CITIZEN. DIED 1690-1
SO FAR AS KNOWN ALL THE BREEDS OF AMERICA HAVE DESCENDED FROM HIM. BREED'S HILL
WHERE THE BATTLE OF BUNKER HILL WAS FOUGHT. WAS NAMED FOR EBENEZER BREED. ALLEN BREAD'S DESCENDANTS SERVEO IN ALL THE WARS OF THE COLONIES AND REPUBLIC AND HAVE BEEN PROMINENT IN THE PROFESSIONS AND IN PUBLIC LIFE.
ERECTED 1920
MEMORIAL TABLET
THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY
ASTOR, LENOX TILDEN FOUNDATIONS
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near Floating Bridge, but in 1635 he gave about £300 to the Colony.
Adam Hawkes owned the land in Saugus where the iron ore was found.
Edward Holyoke was a farmer, who possessed 500 acres of land. He was many times chosen Representative and was a member of the Essex Court. One of his descendants, Dr. Edward Holyoke of Salem, was a President of Harvard College, and lived to the age of 100 years.
Daniel Howe was a representative to the General Court five times, was one of the organizers of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Com- pany, and chosen a lieutenant at its first election.
Edward Howe, of whom Governor Winthrop said: "a Godly man," was several times chosen Representative, and was a member of the Essex Court in 1637.
Christopher Hussey was father of Stephen Hussey, the second white child to be born in Lynn. He removed to Newbury in 1636, was Representative in 1637 and the next year he was one of the first set- tlers of Hampton, and was chosen a Councillor.
Christopher Lindsey was wounded in the Pequot war.
Thomas Newhall was the owner of extensive lands in the vicinity of Federal street, and was the father of Thomas Newhall, the first white child to be born in Lynn.
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