USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Wenham > Notes on Wenham history, 1643-1943 > Part 5
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In 1691, there was granted to John Porter and James Friend "libertie to stop their brook in the Common near Lord's Hill, and turn it into John Porters land so that they may have the privilege of the water to set a saw mill"; a few years later this same John Porter was granted timber for building a mault mill to sett on the brook by his house.1
1 W. T. R., vol. 1,178. (53)
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The millers were limited as to charges, they had a "ceil- ing" put on grinding corn "not more than a sixteenth part of the corn he grinds," was the order of the General Court. The miller shall always have ready weights and scales, at his own charge.2
Peat. A Peat meadow was as essential as a wood lot; the old deeds carefully define these peat meadows. 3
Much peat was cut on the Wenham side of Valley Road, where turf houses were a common sight, even to the nine- teenth century. Those owning land along Longham had peat bogs, which were a spring and fall fuel supply.
Peat was cut during the summer or early fall and stacked to dry; later the blocks were stored in the turf houses until hauled home. The lighter peat was full of leaves and sticks and was cut near the surface, and was particularly adapted to burning spring and fall; the blacker peat was heavier, but gave out less heat, tho' it kept the fire all night. The implements used in cutting peat are now rarely found, but a group may be seen in the barn on the Historical grounds. The meadow back of the Tea House has some very good peat, which was used for many years as a source of supply ; the turf houses and drying sheds were back of the church. During the first World War, when there was an impending scarcity of fuel, an engineer was sent by the government to look over this piece of land as a possible source of supply for peat as a fuel substitute, but the matter did not go beyond the survey.
Tanning. The need for leather was imperative, and provision was made for tanning in every town. Charles Gott had a tanning vat at the west end of Wenham. Dan- iel Claflin, son of the original Robert, had tan vats on Larch Row (the place was directly at the side of Mrs. Cutler's garage). Another was at Wenham Neck, on that very overworked brook, where there were two mills, one in operation as late as 1820.
The General Court passed strict laws as to tanning; definite and severe penalties were prescribed against tanners who in any way injured the hides.
2 Col. R.
3 W. H. Col. Deeds of the 17th century, vol. 1, 3.
PEAT TOOLS-Wenham Historical Association
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Blacksmith. Blacksmiths were as important as tanners in the domestic life of the century. In 1672, the town offered one Abraham Martin two acres of land on the back side of Robert Mack Clafflin's land, on condition he come to our town, and there continue seven years, following his trade as a blacksmith; in case he removeth within the space aforesaid when the land and shop shall be returned to the town.4
Cottage Industries. The home was a busy place; here the making of cloth fell largely to the women, tho' many of our colonists were weavers by trade, and we have sev- eral apprentice papers for "to learn the art of weaving."
Flax was raised, retted and spun into thread, later woven into the fine linen, the pride of the housewife. There are several pieces of linen in the textile collection in the Historical House, which were made from flax grown, spun and woven in Wenham. The Little Brook at Wen- ham Neck made a very good place to ret flax, and here much was spun and woven.
Wool was, of course of the greatest importance for its warmth in this cold climate; every effort was made to increase the stock of sheep and prevent their being killed for food; to prevent idleness amongst the young boys who cared for the sheep in the pastures, the General Court ordered that they should spin a certain amount of thread or yarn. While it is generally stated in other towns that the weaving on heavy looms was done at first by travel- ling weavers, later by weavers who had their own weaving houses, in Wenham from the wills and inventories we find or may conclude that the weaving was done by the women. With the big wool wheel, she spun the yarn, and on the small flax wheel the linen thread. The woolen sheets in winter and the linen sheets for summer were the product of the cottage industry of the women and men.
4 W. T. R., 1.32.
THE CLOSE OF THE 17TH CENTURY.
No more complete summary of the conditions existing at the close of this first century could be given than quot- ing the letter written by the aged minister, Mr. Higgin- son, of Salem, often a visitor to the Wenham church and its people; he writes to his son, then a Governor in one of the provinces of the East Indies :
"In the last letter I received from you before you went to the Indies, you informed me that one reason why you left England was, you was willing for a time to be out of the way of the troubles which you saw coming upon Eng- land and that the same troubles would reach us in New England which has most sadly come to pass, for Sir Ed- mund Andros being sent over from King James to be governor here with a company of subjects, needy persons, lawyers etc. By the exercise of an arbitrary government, the foundation of all our good things were destroyed, by the wicked, who walked on every side and the vilest of men were exalted, the oppressions and sufferings of the multitudes were such, that they as soon as they heard that the Prince of Orange was gone for England the country rose in arms imprisoned the whole crew and sent them for England, but in a little more than a year the country was brought to a sad condition being also distressed by wars from the Indians and French both by land and sea which continues to this day and great confusion in the time of the committee of peace till it pleased God, that King William gave us a new charter and sent Sir Wil- liam Phip a native of New England-the last summer- to be our governor whereby we hope for some reviveing by degrees, but the necessary taxations-30,0001i in one year, cause much murmuring among the people and by the concurrence of many such causes New England is greatly diminished and impoverished and brought low and in no place more than in Salem which had about 60 fishers ketches and other trading ships belonging to it, but is now
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reduced to 15 the whole fishing trade being ceased and the men scattered and gone. The affliction of the times has fallen heavily upon me and my family that whereas you know at first I had 160 li per annum that I might recover 100 li and 40 cord of wood which I enjoyed for many yrs till Sir Edmund Andros came that the way of rating was laid aside and left to a voluntary contribution which hath proved from many non contribution it hath been for 6 years past but between 50 and 60 li annum, and it is not for ministers to contest a maintainance espes- cially in a time when the people are indeed impoverished.1
This condition of which the Rev. Higginson writes so poignantly was reflected in the little town of Wenham; here Pastor Gerrish had much difficulty in securing his salary, tho' he had the love and respect of his people; they did, however, according to the church records give him a most decent burial, paying all the expenses and the arrears of his salary were later by a town rate paid to his widow.2
1 Reprint in Essex Inst. Hist. Coll., 43 : 182.
2 W. T. R., 1707-1731, P. 156, 158.
1
NOTES ON THE PERIOD OF FRENCH AND INDIAN WARS
OPENING OF THE 18TH CENTURY
It was a futile boast, that the war with the Narragan- setts in the 17th century had freed the colonists from an Indian menace, for the very last years of that century found the colonists preparing to defend themselves against the French and their Indian allies.
Wenham was still protected from the frontier Indians by other towns, but the frontier menace was drawing nearer, as the Indians commenced to attack unprotected families in the adjoining towns of Ipswich, Topsfield, Newbury, and Andover. This was the beginning of King William's War, otherwise called the French and Indian War. The Indians were good allies of the French; they had been taught to hate the English, as perpetrators of all evil, even to the point of believing that it was the English who had crucified Christ. It was at this time that the town voted in town meeting, "That for as much as we appre- hend it our duty to doe what we maye for our saftie, in this time of danger, that there be a fortification built for a shelter for our women and children, etc., and the matter wholly be left to Leiut. Fiske, Ensign Batchelder, Capt. Fiske, Leut. Charles Gott, Corporal Dodge, Tho. Patch, Benjamin Edwards, Corporal Freind and Samuel Kem- ball or the majr parte of them forth with to meet and de- termine the matter."1 This vote seemed to satisfy their feeling of responsibility, for we find no record of the work having been done.
The French and Indian Wars. For fifty years and more, the colonists were engaged in a series of wars called by various names. These wars were all, though of differ- ent epochs, occasions, and names of the one kind,-trade wars-international rivalries between France and England for the fish and fur trade. These wars were reflected in the lives of the people in our Town of Wenham, because 1 W. T. R., 1 : 96.
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of the stake which many of our people had in the trade which was so disrupted. There was hardly a family in town which was not connected by family ties with people of Salem, Gloucester, and Marblehead, upon whom the loss of the fishing and trading industry fell. Essex County and its towns took part in all these campaigns by enlisting volunteers from each town.
1723-1725. These volunteers undertook long scouting raids into the north country, suffering great privations, spurred undoubtedly by the promise of bounty for scalps. New England had a real problem of its own, in defending its long line of frontier, against the allies of the French- the Indians. Sir William Phipps, New England born, had conceived the idea of attacking the French instead of defending this long frontier. The expedition was under- taken by Massachusetts volunteers and was successfully carried through. The Claflins, father and son Daniel, went from Wenham. Daniel of Wenham was one of the quota of Rowley and died in the service. The bounties and wages offered for this volunteer service were long delayed payments throughout the history.
1744. In the chain of events which continually in- volved the colonists in the wars with the French, was the attack of the French upon the fishing stations along the seacoast towns. Louisburg, on Cape Breton Island, was the key to French possessions, and the Governor decided to attack this heavily fortified base.
On May 27, 1745, we learn from the Vital Records of Wenham that the following Wenham men were killed in attempting to take an Island battery on Cape Breton- Thomas Pousland, Thomas Perkins, Phineas Dodge, John Maxey ; later in August, Israel Porter died in Cape Bret- on, probably from wounds or illness. At Cape Breton, also, Captain Isaac Dodge died in 1759.
As these wars progressed, the scattered colonies felt the need of getting together for a Union of Colonies, for gen- eral defense. This measure was most unpopular in Wen- ham. The inhabitants in town meeting, January 28, 1755, unanimously voiced their disapproval of any such Union, and further instructed their representative, John Dodge,
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to do everything in his power, in the General Court, to prevent such an enactment.2
1756. England and France were now formally at war, and the English colonies in America decided to make a concerted attack upon the strongholds of the French at Crown Point and Ticonderoga. This meant that the Eng- lish Regulars must be reinforced by a colonial army, and that meant volunteers. The Massachusetts quota was 3500. While compulsory military training had long been in effect, the services of this body of militia were confined to the boundaries of the state, so this large quota must be recruited from the various towns by volunteers. Despite the fact that Wenham sentiment was opposed to any Union of the Colonies, when it came time to co-operate against a common enemy, there was no lack of men.
Repeated attempts to invade Canada in the struggle with the French took constant toll of Wenham's limited manpower. In 1758 Dr. William5 Fairfield was appointed surgeon and the following is a copy of the original com- mission.
Copy (Seal)
Thomas Pownall, Esquire Captain Gen- eral and Governor in Chief in and over his Majesty's Province of Massachusetts Bay in New England Vice Admiral of the same etc.
To William5 Fairfield Gentleman, Greet- ing :
Being informed of your skill in surgery and reposing especial trust and confidence in your loyalty, ability and good conduct, I do by these presents constitute and ap- point you the said William Fairfield, to be surgeon of a Regiment of Foot commanded by Colonel Joseph Wil- liams, raised by me for a general invasion of Canada.
You are therefore, carefully and diligently to discharge the duties of a surgeon to the said Regiment in all things appertaining thereunto observing such orders and direc-
2 W. T. R., 1730-1775, V. 3 : 148.
3 W. T. R., V. 3 : 148.
4 E. I. H. C., 18 : 100-202.
5 E. I. H. C., 19 :
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tions as you shall from time to time receive from the Colonel of said Regiment, or any other your superior offi- cers for which this shall be your sufficient warrant.
Given under my hand and seal at Arms at Boston, the thirteenth day of March, 1758 in the thirty-first year of his Majesty's reign.
By his Excellency's command Thos. Clarke Dpty. Secry. Pownall
The above was copied from the original commission issued to Dr. William5 Fairfield of Wenham. It was loaned by Mrs. Elizabeth Winslow (Porter) Tilton, wife of George Tilton of Wenham, whose father, the late Dr. John Porter of Wenham, was son of Martha6 (Fairfield) Porter, who was a daughter of said Dr. William5 Fairfield.
We doubt if ever it will be possible to make a correct list of Wenham volunteers who served in these wars, scat- tered as they were through the provincial troops, and since many took advantage of the bounties offered by other towns to help them fill their quota (1759-Salem was of- fering a bounty of £4 to each man enlisted).
In the diaries of some of the Essex County men, we pick up the names of Wenham men not found in the mus- ter rolls. From these diaries, we get a picture of the sick- ness, the transportation, lack of food and clothing, which featured this border warfare.
Dr. Caleb Rea, though from Danvers, was a Wenhamite by many ties. He had married for his second wife, Ruth Porter, the daughter of Jonathan Porter, of Wenham and his two sisters had married the two sons of Jonathan Por- ter, both of whom are mentioned as being with the same company as Dr. Rea. Another son, Dr. Tyler Porter, is also mentioned.
The diary of Dr. Rea gives a daily account of the expe- dition against Ticonderoga, as it was reflected in him, be- ginning May 27, 1757. He set off from home in the ex- pedition against Ticonderoga. The weather, the food, the sermons of his chaplain, Pastor Cleveland of Chebacco Parish, were constantly recorded, but very little of his professional duties. This diary is quite in contrast to an- other Essex County man, Lemuel Woods of Boxford, who
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is interested in actions, and the experiences of deserters, the punishment meted out to criminals.
Eli Meservy was another Wenham man in the Ticon- deroga Expedition. In the expedition to Crown Point, in the regiment of Col. Ichabod Plaisted of Salem, are other Wenham names. This is quite natural as the Wenham pastor, Rev. Mr. Swain,6 accompanied this regiment as chaplain.
The Acadians: One of the last efforts to wrest from the French their large holdings on the North American con- tinent brought about the Acadian episode.
The Acadian people dwelling in what is now Nova Scotia had violated their promise to remain neutral, and by so doing incurred the distrust as well as aroused the determination of the English to eliminate them from the picture. Accordingly a fleet was sent to take off the in- habitants and scatter them through the settlements of the colonies. There were more than a thousand of these peo- ple who were sent to Massachusetts. The court ordered these neutrals to be distributed in various towns in care of the selectmen, to be employed according to their ability, charges for them to be paid by the province. The English looked upon them as intruders; they were moved from place to place, unwelcome and distressed strangers. When it became known that French vessels were off the coast it was considered safer to move these people to inland towns to prevent their escape to the enemy. To Wenham came a family of four: Jean De Parris, aged 73, probably a daughter, Madelon, and a child of 13, Maria, and a young- er child.
The first arrangements7 made for this family of Acad-
6 Mr. Swain was a very scholarly man, and the eager mind of the Rev. Cutler found in him a most congenial neighbor. Fre- quent mention was made in Mr. Cutler's Journal of their visit- ing and studying together. This comment shows continued neighborly interest :
Nov. 10, 1773 "Attended funeral of Mrs. Swain. After we returned from the grave to the house, we had a supper of cold provision, and a glass of wine, provided by the people. The Town (Wenham) was so generous as to bear expense of Mrs. Swain's funeral."-Correspondence and Journals of Manasseh Cutler.
7 W. T. R., 1730-1775, p. 159, 170, 174, 190. Mass. Archives, 23: 576.
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ians, was when the selectmen agreed with the Mr. Jonathan Porter, on May 2, 1747, to rent his house for the French family for 20s. a year, and to move them and their effects for 2s. Undoubtedly the French family name was too much of a challenge to the town fathers, for in all the records they are called the French family or neutral French. This house was on the corner of Cherry and County Road, (where is now-1943-the house of Donald Bell.) Two years later this arrangement was renewed. The selectmen agreed with Jonathan Porter to rent the house called Poynters, this time for 14s with garden at- tached. The Acadian Family was still here in 1760, the same house had descended to Dr. Tyler Porter, Jonathan Porter having died, and the French people continued to live there. A few years later in 1764, the selectmen agreed with Mrs. Elizabeth Kimball to rent the lower room in the back of her house for 24s, for the accomoda- tion of the neutral French. This might well mean for the children, as tradition has it that the mother died while here, though not recorded in the vital records. The family story is finished as far as our town is concerned. It is. said they were sent to Dr. Putnam in Danvers.
Privateering In addition to the continual wars on land, which preyed upon the man power and resources of Wen- ham, this century was an era of privateering: Salem mer- chants were quite willing to fit out privateers, to prey upon the enemy. This opened up prospects of quick gain and great adventure.
There has been always throughout our history a small group who answered to the call of the sea. Wenham men signed up on these privateers and sometimes were seized by Pirate ships.
Pirates. A most notable examples is that of John Fill- more of Wenham who was captured by Pirates, and forced to join in their work. John Fillmore's father was a sail- or, who was taken into Martinico by a French frigate, where he was imprisoned and suffered so many privations that he died on the voyage home.
The fatherless young son, John, was apprenticed to a
8 Pirates of the New England Coast, Dow & Robinson, p. 311.
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carpenter in Wenham staying here until he was seventeen when he went to sea.
Across the road from where Fillmore lived in Wenham was a tailor who also had an apprentice, by name, William White, who also went to sea. These two neighbor ap- prentices of Wenham met on the high seas under dramatic circumstances. John Fillmore in the sloop "Dolphin," under Capt. Haskell, was taken by the pirate Phillips off the fishing grounds. Having heard of the cruelties com- mitted by Phillips, he refused to go on board, until his old neighbor, White, who was on the pirate ship, came back with an order to take him dead or alive. When he was an old man, Fillmore related the story of his trials. He rep- resents himself as playing an active part in overthrowing the pirates, burning the soles of the feet of White and oth- ers, as they lay drunk below deck, so they could not re- sist the next day. This is followed by the gory details of Fillmore's activities.
The Court for the trial of pirates was held May 12, 1724. John Fillmore9 of Wenham was brought to trial first and since it was found that he was forced into piracy, and had shown much activity in attacking the pirates, a unanimous verdict of not guilty was declared.
William White the other Wenham man, age 22, was brought to trial the following day and Fillmore was the principal witness against him. White was found guilty, and was executed June 2, 1724 at the ferry way in Boston before "a multitude of spectators."
He died most penitent, and made declarations of peni- tence.10
9 John Fillmore, after being acquitted of piracy in 1724, came to Wenham, married Mary Spiller of Ipswich, and his son Na- thaniel became the grandfather of Millard Fillmore, President of the United States.
10 Boston News Letter-May 28-June 24, 1724.
WENHAM NOTES ON THE PERIOD OF THE REVOLUTION
THE REVOLUTION
The French and Indian War in which all the colonies united with the English in repelling the French made a sort of training ground for the colonists in resisting op- pression in the future.
The Revolution The English considered as did all colo- nizers on this continent, that they had a monopoly of the trade with the colonists as well as of their products. The English had expended much in defending the colonists against French aggressions, and when the war was over set about taxing them in order to get back some of this money. The Colonists on the other hand felt that they had given as much to the mother country as it had given to them; every town had a debt, and suffered from the loss of its man power.
In addition there was a growing resentment against the English because of the scorn the English regulars held for the provincials in their homemade cloths and poor equip- ment. This made a fruitful ground for dissension when the first effort was made to collect some taxes by the hated and unpopular Stamp act-which required that every doc- ument of whatever sort, after November 1, 1765 was to be written or printed on English stamped paper, for which the colonist was to pay an amount varying from three pence to six pounds, according to the nature of the docu- ment. Nothing was legal unless executed on this paper. Perhaps the scarcity of deeds and conveyances in Wen- ham at this time, shows a fear of the consequences of evading this law. Perhaps the failure to elect a repre- sentative in this year is indicative of the reluctance of the small towns to be caught in this controversy. The large towns who more quickly felt the effects were loud in their protestations against the Act. In Boston, Samuel Adams, and in Virginia, Patrick Henry, inflamed the people to resistance by their oratory, and a telling slogan, "No tax-
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ation without representation." However much the Wen- ham people felt the effect of the following taxes which the English levied on the colony, glass, paint and tea, they did not express it in town meeting, but went calmly on transacting their local business, building a steeple to the church, looking out for their old and infirm, and provid- ing for the schools. It would be interesting to know how much the people were affected by the wave of active re- sistance which swept through the neighboring town of Ips- wich.
The domestic happenings in every small town, during this pre-revolutionary period, make an index of the multi- ple causes which rolled up sufficient power to fire that Lex- ington shot.
The condition of the Wenham people, when the price of commodities had so increased as to be a burden to proper living conditions, found outspoken complaint from the minister, Mr. Swain. Repeatedly from 1756 on, Mr. Swain asked for an addition to his salary, on account of his pressing difficulties, and finally the town did appoint a committee to run a parallel between the price of the necessaries of life, from 1765 back to the day Mr. Swain came to Wenham. They were to report at the next meet- ing what from year to year was the difference. This com- mittee made a report some three months later, that they "had entered into the price of the necessaries of life, for fifteen years past, and are of the opinion, that there is due to Mr. Swain for that period in order to make the salary as good as when Mr. Swain settled among us £57 1s 6d." After this it became necessary for Mr. Swain himself to appear before the town assembled and again explain his difficulties. The town heard this report as to the insufficiency of his salary, "with calmness and tender- ness, as befitted their relationship," and voted £20 only for his present relief.
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