USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Municipal history of Essex County in Massachusetts, Volume II > Part 16
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Originally, Gloucester included in its territory what is now styled Rockport, and the whole area formed Cape Ann. Its northern bound- ary was Ipswich Bay, its eastern the Atlantic Ocean, its southern Massachusetts Bay, and its western the towns of Essex and Man- chester. It was from four and five miles in width by nine miles in length.
It is more than likely that the permanent settlement of Gloucester was effected in the autumn of 1631. At least, tradition says that Abraham Robinson, a son of the old pastor of the Pilgrims at Leyden, Rev. John Robinson, came with his mother and her family to Plymouth in 1630. The following year Robinson and a few more sailed over from Plym- outh, and, landing at Annisquam, were so well satisfied with the country, as it seemed good for the ocean fishing business, that they set up a fishing stage, and made preparation for the accommodation of their families. There may be some doubt as to the paternity of Abraham Robinson, as no such name occurs in any list of children of the Rev. John Robinson, but that a person of that name settled on the Cape, about 1631, there is little doubt. The Rev. Eli Forbes in a sermon given in the First Church or meeting-house, in 1792, quoted from what he called an "ancient manuscript," which is unfortunately lost, that there were settlers on the Cape as early as 1633, who "met and carried on the worship of God among themselves, read the word of God, prayed to Him, and sung Psalms." We may therefore take the last mentioned date as fixing the time for permanent settlement.
At a General Court, says one writer, in 1641, the deputy governor (Mr. Endicott) and Messrs. Downing and Hathorne, deputies from Salem, were appointed commissioners, to view and settle the boundaries
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of Ipswich, Cape Ann and Jeffries' Creek (now Manchester) ; and to dispose of all lands and other things at Cape Ann. The commissioners subsequently appointed the following-named eight men to manage the affairs of the plantation for 1642: William Stevens, Mr. Sadler, Obediah Bruen, George Norton, William Addes, Thomas Milward, Mr. Fryer and Walter Tybott. They probably had charge of all affairs, although most of the orders issued by them relate to highways, trees and timber. How many people were then residing on the Cape it is impossible to say. But about this time a large and influential addition was made to the population by the coming of Rev. Richard Blynman, with several families, from Plymouth. In May, 1642, the settlement was incorporated by the simple form then employed, and called Glouces- ter, from Gloucester in England, the native place of several of the settlers. How many came with Rev. Blynman cannot be ascertained, as no discrimination is made in the town records between the earliest and later inhabitants. Mr. Babson gives the following list of persons who are believed to comprise all known to have been residents or pro- prietors of the soil from 1633 to the close of 1650:
William Addes, Christopher Avery, James Avery, William Ash, Thomas Ashley, Isabelle Babson, James Babson, Alexander Baker, Richard Beeford, George Blake, Richard Blynman, Obediah Bruen, John Bourne, Thomas Bray, Hugh Brown, William Brown, Hugh Calkin, Thomas Chase, Mr. Clark, Mathew Coe, John Collins, Thomas Cornish, John Coit, Sr., John Coit, Jr., William Cotton, Clement Coldan, Anthony Day, William Dudbridge, Osman Dutch, William Evans, Robert Elwell, Sylvester Evelyth, Henry Felch, Mr. Fryer, James Fogg, John Gallop, Charles Glover, Stephen Glover, William Haskell, John Holgrave, William Hough, Zebulon Hill, Samuel Haieward, George Ingersoll, Thomas Jones, Thomas Judkin, William Kenie, John Kettle, Nicholas Liston, Andrew Lister, John Luther, Solomon Martin, William Meades, Thomas Milward, George Norton, Ralph Parker, John Pearse, Captain Perkins, Thomas Prince, Hugh Pritchard, Phenis Rider, Abraham Robinson, Edward Rouse, Mr. Sadler, Robert Sadler, William Sargent, Thomas Skellin, James Smith, Thomas Smith, Mor- ris Somes, William Southmeade, William Stevens, Stephen Streeter, John Studley, Walter Tyddot, Thomas Very, William Vinson, Thomas Wakley, John Walkey, Henry Walker, William Wellman, Philip Youdall.
Two-thirds of these eighty-two subsequently emigrated to other places, but the remainder continued to be citizens of Gloucester. Mr. Babson estimated in 1860 that not more than ten of this number had descendants in this community at that date.
While there are no records to prove it, people posted in early immigration to these parts believe that Felch, Streeter, Thomas Smith, Baker and Cotton were in Gloucester before the town's incorporation, and were located at Done Fudging. Also the following were here about the same date: Ashley, Milward, Luther, Liston. Of the whole
THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY
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ABOVE, FIRST TOWN HALL, FORBES SCHOOL, GLOUCESTER. BELOW, HIGH SCHOOL
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number here prior to 1651, about thirty had their habitations at the Harbor Cove; five had lots in Vinson's Cove; three resided on Dun- can's Point, between the two Coves; and two lived on the south-east side of Governor's Hill. About forty of the pioneers named had houses on the "neck of house lots," by which they designated the land stretch- ing north from Governor's Hill, and between the two rivers, Mill and Annisquam. Having now fairly well established the dates and names of pioneer settlements, no more space will be devoted to this subject, but the rather the writer will proceed with the developments of sub- sequent years.
Population of Gloucester, by estimate: 1704, 700; 1755, 2,745; 1765, Colonial census, 3,763; 1775, estimated, 4,945; 1790, by United States census: 5,317; 1800, 5,313; 1810, 5,943; 1820, 6,384; 1830, 7,510; 1840, 6,350; 1850, 7,786; 1860, 10,904; 1870, 15,389; 1880, 19,329 ; 1900, 26,121; 1910, 24,398; 1920, 22,947.
The great decrease in population in 1840 may be accounted for by the fact that 2,640 residents of this territory were set off to the town of Rockport. The division was brought before the town meet- ing in 1818, and failed; it was attempted again in 1827, and again failed. The act of the incorporation of Rockport passed both branches of the legislature, and received the final approval by the signature of the governor, February 27, 1840.
In May, 1871, by a vote of 261 to 82, the measure to petition the legislature for a city charter was carried and the petition granted. The charter was submitted to the people of the town in the summer of the same year, but was rejected; yeas, 249; nays, 477. A second attempt at getting a charter followed from a special meeting held February 20, 1873, when the vote stood 394, against 48 for no charter. The legislature granted a city charter May 15th and it was accepted by 689 yeas, against 353 nays. The city government went into oper- ation January 1, 1874, with Hon. Robert R. Fears as mayor. He served two years, and following him came Messrs. Allan Rogers, J. Franklin Dyer, M. D .; William Williams, William H. Wonson, Dr. Joseph Garland, John S. Parsons, and David I. Robinson, who was still mayor in 1887. John J. Somes was elected clerk in 1874 and served until recently, making a very efficient officer for the city throughout all these years.
The present city officials are inclusive of the following:
Mayor, Percy W. Wheeler; Aldermen-Asa G. Andrews, Fitz E. Oakes, A. A. Silva, Frank W. Lothrop; City Clerk, Allen F. Grant; City Treasurer, Edward Dolliver; Tax Collector, Richard L. Morey; City Auditor, Daniel O. Marshall; City Solicitor, M. Francis Buckley ; City Marshal, Daniel M. Casey; City Physician, Philip W. Rowley; Superintendent of Streets, Charles H. Barrett; City Engineer, John H. Griffin; City Messenger, Samuel H. Rogers; Night Watchman at City Hall, Walter J. Kendall.
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The mayor had this to say in the annual report of the city in 1921:
In 1923 Gloucester will observe its most important tercentenary anniversary. I have referred to this elsewhere, but at this time I may briefly say that among the big events of that occasion might properly come the dedication of our Memorial Building.
It is not out of place at this time to refer to the three important anniver- saries which are to be celebrated in this city the present year. I refer to the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the installation of Tyrian Lodge of Masons, and the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the Universalist church; also the seventy-fifth anniversary of Ocean Lodge, No. 91, Independent Order of Odd Fellowship. I am sure the city will gladly co-operate in whatever way it can, that these anniversaries shall be events worthy of Gloucester.
In 1923 Gloucester will celebrate the three hundredth anniversary of its settlement. It is a most important anniversary, the most important since the celebration at Plymouth and Providence the present year. It is none too early to consider what shall be done to fittingly observe so important an event. A celebration such as Gloucester ought to have cannot be accomplished at short notice. There will be need of legislative action. The state itself will be asked to co-operate; for it was here in Gloucester that the Massachusetts Bay Colony was founded. I am deeply interested in this, and shall take occasion to refer to it later, that the initial steps shall be taken before the end of the present year.
January 1, 1920, the harbor master at Gloucester, Captain Alfred Spurr, reported as follows: "Vessels ordered from channels, 62; vessels removed from channels, 26; sunken crafts removed from channels, 3; telephone calls for harbor master, 52."
The Sawyer Free Public Library originated in or rather succeeded to the old Gloucester Lyceum of 1830. The last-named society was in existence many years, and had struggles of its own which will not add to the interest of this work. The present library resulted directly from an offer made by Samuel E. Sawyer, of Boston, who was a native of Gloucester; the offer, however, was not accepted. After four years had elapsed, he made another offer to the town, that he would donate two hundred and fifty dollars toward the founding of a public library. This was in 1854, but matters still dragged financially, and soon Mr. Sawyer offered to give the sum of $1,000, on certain conditions. It was then that the old Lyceum offered to turn over its 1,400 books to a new society, which offer was taken up and a library was opened in the parlor of G. L. Low, at the corner of Spring and Duncan streets. This was really a circulating library, each member paying one dollar per year. To this Mr. Sawyer donated $250. In 1863 the library was moved to Front street, at No. 135, where it grew to considerable im- portance, but the fire of February 18, 1864, destroyed all save three hundred of the 3,000 books that had been collected; $1,500 insurance was collected. Again Mr. Sawyer came to the rescue of the library with a donation of $500, and May 7 of the same year another library was thrown open in the vestry of the Baptist church in Middle street,
THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY
ASTOR, LENOX TILDEN FOUNDATIONS
ABOVE, CITY HALL, GLOUCESTER. BELOW, SAWYER FREE LIBRARY
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where it remained until the building of the Babson block, when it re- turned to its old home on Front street. The ladies of Gloucester strug- gled long and faithfully to keep alive the public library. In April, 1871, a gift was announced from Samuel Sawyer, in the sum of $10,000, after which Gloucester was to have a truly high-class public free library. Thus the Lyceum of 1830, with the library of 1854, became a corpora- tion, under the name of the "Gloucester Lyceum and Free Library," a library "free forever" to the inhabitants of Gloucester. But greater library facilities were in store for the city. February 1, 1884, Samuel E. Sawyer purchased from William A. Pew, for $20,000, a spacious and beautiful residence, corner of Middle street and Dale avenue, where the library has ever since had a home. Later, Mr. Sawyer (seeming never to forget his native place), spent many thousands in beautifying the grounds and improving the building; he also made a collection of fine paintings and presented the same to decorate the walls of the library. This library was dedicated with appropriate ceremony, July 1, 1884, when Mr. Sawyer presented the property to the city, also an endowment of $20,000. The result has been the making of one of the finest public libraries within the great Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Of the origin of this old estate, it should be added that it was erected in 1764 for Thomas Saunders, a leading citizen and a merchant, who took great pains to build well and worthily. He selected mostly oak, elm and chestnut woods for the building material. It was "raised" on July 10, 1764. The next owner was John Beach, succeeded in turn by Messrs. Samuel Calder, Thomas W. Penhollow, Dr. William Ferson, the last change being in 1827; in 1849 Mrs. Davidson became its owner and she bequeathed it to her son, Dr. Herman E. Davidson. In 1878 it be- came the estate of William A. Pew. The building is now one hundred and fifty-seven years old. In 1884 the property was valued at $40,000.
The library in the spring of 1921 had a total of 23,522 volumes ; twelve regular daily newspapers are on file and seventy-three periodicals. The last year's circulation was 87,467. The present efficient librarian is Rachel S. Webber, who has been librarian for many years.
The Gloucester Chamber of Commerce, organized in August, 1921, with a membership of over 700, including both men and women, is the outgrowth of the Gloucester Board of Trade, which was first organized in March, 1866, having an original membership of 65 men, most of whom were closely connected with the fishing industry. It continued to be an active organization for about fifteen years, when the interest waned, and for a number of years it was inactive, although still maintaining its or- ganization. It was reorganized in 1888, enlarging the scope of its activ- ities, and continued a live organization till it became merged in the pres- ent organization. In 1898 the retail dealers of the town together with other business industries organized a Business Men's Association, with a substantial membership, which existed until July, 1912, when it united with the older organization.
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The late Directory of the sprightly city of Gloucester gives the fol- lowing list of companies now in operation, many of which are old, well- established concerns. The figures show year of organization and capital.
American Halibut Co., 1895; $25,000. Atlantic Maritime Co.
Atwood & Payne Co., 1909; wholesale fish house; $10,000.
Cape Ann Anchor & Forge Co., 1866; $150,000.
Cape Ann Cold Storage Co., 1914; $24,000.
Cape Pond Ice Co., 1902; $175,000.
Crown Packing Co., 1909; $10,000.
Fishermen Net & Twine Co., 1915.
Gloucester Cold Storage & Warehouse Co., 1905; $100,000.
Gloucester Electric Co., 1888; $314,- 000.
Gloucester Gas Light Company, 1854; $210,000.
Gloucester Net & Twine Co., 1907; $300,000.
Gloucester Salt Fish Co., 1907; $30,- 000.
Gloucester Times Co., 1908; $50,000. Gorton-Pew Fisheries Co., Benjamin
A. Smith, president; $2,500,000.
Henderson & Johnson Paint Co., $20,- 000.
Frank C. Pearce Fisheries Co., 1918; $500,000.
Perkins Box Co., 1918; $40,000.
Rockport Granite Co., 1864; $300,000.
Rockport Isinglass Co., 1905; $20,000.
Rogers Isinglass-Glue Co.
Rowe Bed Hammock Co., 1917; $50,- 000.
Russia Cement Co., 1882; $500,000.
Success Manufacturing 1906; $100,000.
The Eastern Enameling Company, porcelain work, in which factory are pro- duced immense quantities of enamel sheets, sold to stove and refrigerator makers. This plant is under the man- agement of Thomas B. Bolger. The original building was sixty by ninety feet. Special machinery had to be in- stalled in this factory.
The author is indebted to the writings of Captain Fitz J. Babson, of Gloucester, for many facts herein contained concerning early fisheries in this vicinity. For two hundred and eighty years, the fisheries have been the main business of Gloucester. Long before the settlement of Ply- mouth, the vessels of France and England had fished on the Grand Banks and along the coasts of Massachusetts. The French were beyond ques- tion the pioneers in the cod-fisheries of the Western Atlantic, and in the early part of the sixteenth century the Basques, Normans, Spaniards and Portuguese had fifty ships on the Grand Banks. In 1577 the French had one hundred and fifty vessels employed in American fisheries. The settlement of Gloucester, as just noted, was attempted at what is called Stage Fort-the name "stage" denoting that the locality was used for landing fish from the vessels of the Dorchester Company, of England. The cod-fishery constituted at that time and for many years later the only branch of the business pursued; and while many other kinds of fish had been discovered and their pursuit and capture necessitated the use of a variety of methods, making each peculiar fishery a distinct business, still the cod-fishery remains the one great source of the supply of fish food.
The fisheries of Gloucester, chiefly pursued upon the Ocean Banks, and employing vessels from twenty to one hundred and fifty tons bur- den, comprise cod, halibut, hake, haddock, and cusk. The mackerel are
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now largely a deep water fish, as are the menhaden. The herring fisher- ies employ vessels, although it principally is a coast fishery. Most of these fish are taken on the banks lying between the Gulf Stream and the shores of North America. The shore fisheries employ smaller vessels and boats, and also include the trap and net fisheries, and extend from the shore some twenty miles. The most important and prolific fishing ground for Gloucester vessels is St. George's Bank, lying one hundred and twenty miles southeast from the Cape, forming one of the inner banks of the Gulf Stream, in that long succession of fishing banks extend- ing from Hatteras to Newfoundland. The fish taken upon this bank are of a superior quality, and bring a much larger price in the market than fish from other localities. The nearest land is Cape Cod, 95 miles ; Brown's Bank, 45 miles from Cape Sable; La Have Bank, 60 miles from Nova Scotia; Western Banks, 80 miles from Nova Scotia; St. Peter's Bank, 75 miles from Newfoundland; Green Bank, 70 miles from New- foundland; Grand Bank, 90 miles from Newfoundland; Flemish Cape, 300 miles from Newfoundland-are all resorted to by vessels from Glou- cester for codfish and halibut.
None of these fisheries are under the jurisdiction of any nation; their area, according to United State reports, is 73.123 geographical square miles. During 1886 there were employed in cod and halibut fisheries on the New England coast 283 vessels from Gloucester, aver- aging sixty tons each ; total tonnage 15,649 ; aggregate crew, 4,117 men. They took and landed at Gloucester 54,048,484 pounds of codfish, 11,886,- 135 pounds of halibut, 3,983,978 pounds of other ground fish, and 29,000 barrels of fish oil. The extent of the ocean mackerel fishing grounds is over seventy thousand square miles. The mackerel fishing grounds of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, from which American vessels are excluded, comprise about 775 square miles, or about one per cent. of the entire mackerel fishery area.
Along the line of Gloucester's chief industry, the following figures have been collected on recent year operations of the great fishing com- panies of the city: In 1916 the United States custom house books showed that 128 fishing vessels were enrolled here, carrying 2,400 men; vessels carried from twenty ton upwards. Eighty-eight vessels carried 500 men. The greatest number of men thus engaged was 3,000 and the gross tonnage was 15,135. The value of codfish taken by fishermen from this port since 1623, when the industry commenced on the Atlantic shores, has been fixed at $500,000,000. In 1915 Gloucester vessels landed 120,000,000 pounds of all kinds of fish-fresh and salted-the value of which was over $3,276,000. The same year (1915) Gloucester mackerel vessels took in 50,000 barrels, equal to $800,000.
Sad, indeed, it is to state that all this ocean wealth has cost many a precious human life. Since 1830, eight hundred and seven vessels have been lost, with a financial loss of $4,400,000; while in the last century it
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is known that 4,534 men, fishermen sailing from Gloucester, have been sacrificed beneath the angry waves, or an average of fifty-three each year. As one example, this list of accidents for one boat, the "Joseph P. Mes- quita," schooner, will tell the sad story of many others, this one being the losses in 1917: Gross tonnage of boat, 122; net tonnage, 78; fishery haddock; value $18,000; insurance $15,000. Men lost as follows: Wash- ed or knocked overboard from vessel, 6; lost by vessel foundering, 7; died on vessel or in hospital, 8; went astray in fog, 1; fell into hold of vessel, 1; fell overboard from vessel, 3.
The following statistics concerning Gloucester are of value: Settled, 1623 ; incorporated a town, 1642; incorporated a city, 1873; area in acres, 34.540; length in miles, 9; width in miles, 6; population in 1704, 700; population in 1920, 22,947 ; assessed polls in 1918, 7,084; exempted polls, 624; registered male voters, 1918, 5,002; registered female voters, 1918, 428; valuation in 1873, $7,711,096; valuation in 1918, $26,343.826; rate of taxation, $23.20; miles of public streets, 100; first schoolhouse built, 1708; old Town Hall built, 1844 ; second Town Hall built, 1866; destroyed by fire, 1869; present City Hall built, 1869; first horse railroad, 1885; first steam cars, 1847; first steam cars to Rockport, 1861; Rockport set off from Gloucester, 1840.
Within the last quarter of a century, the number of summer resi- ddents in Gloucester and its immediate environments has been steadily in- creasing. Many scores of beautiful residences hard by the ocean have been erected within recent years to accommodate these semi-résident citizens. Many of the more wealthy, cultured people from Boston and other eastern cities come here for the heated term, and enjoy the climate so well that they return with each recurring season, as the summer re- sorts open. The town records show that the assessed valuation of these residences was in the year 1916, $7,000,000. There were at that date nine hundred distinct summer houses, with generally five thousand boarders.
The following with regard to the Custom House is contributed :
A custom house was established in Gloucester by the United States government in 1789. Previous to that time the port had been annexed to the Salem district, having been made one of the lawful ports of entry as early as 1683. While the early maritime business of the town was confined principally to the fisheries, the inhabitants have at various times in the past engaged extensively in coastwise and foreign commerce, but it is probable that the duties of the customs officials were connected with imports rather than exports in the early years.
It is further probable that the beginning of the coastwise trade was during the last quarter of the seventeenth century, when the division of the woodland of the town enabled the inhabitants to cut large quan- tities of wood for sale. In 1706 no less than fifty sloops were engaged in transporting wood to Boston, but this business was of necessity not
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of long duration. The commerce of Gloucester grew directly out of its fisheries, but as to the time when the foreign and coastwise trade of the town commenced, no particulars are known. The earliest item of record in relation to the subject is the seizure here by the collector of Salem of the brig "Snow Esther," in 1725.
As early as 1732 a trade had begun with the Southern Colonies, which was continued up to about the beginning of the nineteenth cen- tury. The foreign commerce, which was also for many years after its origin carried on with the fishing vessels, was of inconsiderable extent till about 1750, when voyages were made to the West Indies, Bilboa and London. The West Indies cargoes consisted of fish and other pro- visions, for which sugar, molasses, rum and coffee were returned, while to Europe little was sent except fish, the proceeds of which came back in salt, wine and specie. Both the coastwise and foreign commerce came to a temporary cessation with the breaking out of the Revolutionary War. The voyages to the Southern Colonies were made in the winter season, when there was no employment for vessels or men in fishing, and the business was conducted in a manner now little practiced in any part of the world. In most if not in all cases, no wages were paid the master and crew, but in lieu thereof each was given the privilege of bringing home a certain amount of southern produce. They were probably allow- ed to take out fish on private adventure, as in the few invoices preserved this article does not appear among the shipments made by the owners, the principal items being salt, rum, sugar and molasses, also ironware, woodenware, hats, caps, cloth for breeches, handkerchiefs and stockings. On these voyages the rivers, creeks and inlets of Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina were visited, where the cargoes were bartered in small quantities for corn, beans, live hogs and other products of the country. The business was not always reputably conducted, according to tradi- tion, for sometimes exchanges were made with the slaves for stolen property, and often a demand for different kinds of rum were supplied from the same cask. Such proceedings, combined with the complaints of the retail dealers whose business was affected by this commerce, prob- ably led to the legislative enactment which is said to have been respon- sible for its abandonment.
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