USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Newbury > Ould Newbury: historical and biographical sketches > Part 12
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If a wharf was built at the point of rocks above Watts' Cellar previous to the year 1700, no deeds or conveyances of the property have been discovered ; and no attempt has there- fore been made to locate it on the map.
MARCH 1, 1679-80.
At a legall meeting of the freemen & Towne Nathaniel Clarke pro- posed for a parcel of the flats on the south east side of the point of Rocks that was granted to Capt. White, about three Rods broad at hy water mark & so to low water mark, to make a wharf.
This proposition was voted and granted, but the Towne's Inhabitants shall haue free liberty to land goods upon it, provided they do not let them ly to Damnify the owner; And the wharfe is to be made up within three years or else, if it be not done then, the land is to returne to the Towne againe.
Nathaniel Clark died Aug. 25, 1690. There is no deed conveying this property to any other person or persons pre- vious to the year 1700.
MARCH 1, 1679-80.
Benjamin Rolfe, Dr. Dole, & his brother Richard Dole proposed for foure or five Rod on the flats from Watts cellar spring to Ensign Green- leafs & Mr. Davisons grant from hy water marke to low water marke to build a wharfe, & a place to build vessels upon.
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This was also voted & granted, so that they come not within Io or a dozen foot of the Spring, and the Inhabitants of the Towne shall have free liberty to land any goods upon it with pay, so that they do not damnify the owners. And they are to make up the said wharfe within three years or else the land is to returne to be for the Townes use.
This wharf was not built within the three years' limit. The land reverted to the town, and was granted to Stephen Greenleaf March 1, 1696-7.
At a town meeting held Jan. 10, 1686-7, the following action in relation to Mr. Daniel Davison's grant was re- corded : -
Being mett, Mr Davison having formerly proposed, The Towne Granted him a piece of Ground of twenty foot wide Joyning to Mr Doles Grant next to his ware house & thirty-five foot long towards docr Doles house and Mr Tuckers.
Lieut Greenleaf, Serj. Moody, & Dr. Dole were appointed to lay out s'd lands.
On the second day of April, 1687, Stephen Greenleaf, Sr., Caleb Moody, and John Dole, lot layers, laid out to Daniel Davison a tract of land bounded as follows : -
Northerly twenty feet from a rock by the Slough next Mr Dole's warehouse grant and so to a stake by the highway between ye s'd Mr Davisons house & that, easterly thirty-five feet by the said highway, southerly twenty feet from ye sd way to the Slough, westerly from the above said corner rock thirty five feet along by the said Slough.
There is no conveyance of this property from Daniel Davison recorded previous to the year 1700.
March 1, 1695-6, the town granted Stephen Greenleaf four or five rods of land near Watts' Cellar " to build a wharfe and a place to build vessels uppon " on condition that the grant " come not within ten or twelve feet of the spring."
March 2, 1696-7, Tristram Coffin and Henry Short, lot layers, laid out "to Capt. Stephen Greenleaf a parcell of flats and Rocks Lying on Merrimack River neer Watts Cellar, bounded northerly by the river Merrimack at low water mark,
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WHARVES AND DOCKS
Easterly by Maj. Davison's Grant, southerly by the Common Land of Newbury, and the westerly bound comes wth about fifteen foote of the spring, wch land we have laid out and bounded to sd Capt. Greenleaf on the terms and conditions that it was granted to him by the Towne."
June 16, 1699, Captain Stephen Greenleaf sold to Benaiah Titcomb a " lot of flats and rocks in Newbury granted to me near Watts Cellar " (Essex Deeds, book 17, page 72).
Jan. 16, 1694-5, the town granted to Hugh March and Captain John March " a piece of ground and flatts to build a wharf and dock near Captain March's barn." July 4, 1713, Captain Hugh March sold to John Calef, clothier, " land and flats in Newbury, granted by the town to myself and brother John March, lately deceased" (Essex Deeds, book 25, page 236).
Dec. 26, 1723, Susannah Jacobs, widow, of Boston, for £300, conveyed to Captain William Walker, of Great Britain, mariner, house, warehouse, land and flats, bounded south by the country road, west by Hugh Pike, or by a town way lead- ing to the water side between the lots, north by Merrimack River, east by Captain Edward Sargent, or highway between the lots, formerly the estate of John Calef, recovered of him on judgment by said Susannah Jacobs in April, 1721 (book 42, page 90).
Oct. 25, 1729, William Walker to Joseph Atkins, the es- tate described substantially the same as above (book 58, page 252).
Nov. 29, 1782, William Atkins to Benjamin Harrod, land, house, flats, etc., " being the same premises conveyed by William Walker to my late father, Joseph Atkins" (book 140, page 59).
March 24, 1798, Mary Harrod, administratrix of the estate of Benjamin Harrod, to Abraham Jackson, a river lot in New- buryport, beginning at the southerly corner by Water Street and a town landing, and running northeastwardly by said landing to the channel of Merrimack River, with half the house and half the land belonging to the Harrod lot, so called (book 164, page 33).
VIEW OF WHARVES IN NEWBURYPORT, 1864.
3
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WHARVES AND DOCKS
Oct. 7, 1830, Ann Jackson and others, heirs to the estate of Abraham Jackson, conveyed to William Hervey and John Orne the above described one-half part of the Harrod wharf property (book 262, page 279).
Aug. 9, 1833, William Hervey and John Orne conveyed the same to the United States (book 272, page 160).
Aug. 9, 1833, Mary Harrod, widow, and others conveyed the other half of this wharf property to the United States (book 272, page 159).
On this wharf the United States built a substantial stone structure that has ever since been occupied as a custom- house. The city of Newburyport is the port of entry for the district, which extends from the State of New Hampshire to, and includes, the town of Ipswich, Mass.
Edward Sargent, whose name appears as the owner of wharf property in Newbury in the year 1700, bought of Thomas Thurloe, Sept. 30, 1695, land bounded easterly on Merrimack River and northerly on land of Hugh March and Captain John March (Essex Deeds, book II, leaf 52).
He is said to have lived in Saco, Me., and Portsmouth, N. H. He came to Newbury in 1690. He had charge of the lower ferry from September, 1691, until the year 1720, and was involved in a long and tedious lawsuit with the heirs of George Carr in regard to the rights and privileges granted the said George Carr by the General Court.
He was licensed to keep an ordinary in 1692; and his license was annually renewed until 1716, and possibly for four or five years longer. His tavern was on the wharf just below the present custom-house. Feb. 12, 1721-22, he sold to Joseph Greenleaf, innholder, the following described real estate : -
Bounded by ye highway as ye fence now stands southerly, by land formerly granted to Capt. John March westerly, by the river Merrimack northerly, and ranging from ye road or highway above s'd streight with the east end of my Tavorn house where ye said Joseph Greenleaf now dwells to low water mark easterly, together with my said Tavorn house, stable, garden, thereon being and standing, . . . and full privelege of
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passing and repassing upon my land which lyes between ye said Tavorn house and that house of mine wherein John Calfe now dwells (Essex Deeds, book 40, leaf 148).
After the year 1700 the wharves and docks along the river- side steadily increased in number. As early as 1730, William Johnson, John Greenleaf, and others were granted liberty to build a wharf at the foot of Chandler's Lane, afterwards called "the lower long wharf," and at the same time Abiel Somerby was granted permission to build a wharf at the foot of Ordway's Lane that was subsequently designated "the upper long wharf"; and between these two extreme points other active and enterprising merchants had their warehouses and docks.
The growing demands of commerce ultimately led to the construction of wharves and ship-yards beyond these limits, and the foreign and domestic trade continued prosperous and profitable until the beginning of the Revolutionary War. During that season of prosperity Michael Dalton, Patrick Tracy, Stephen Hooper, Joseph Marquand, Moses Brown, and William Bartlett were among the most prominent ex- porters and importers in the colony of Massachusetts Bay.
In the summer of 1775 the scene along these wharves was animated and exciting. Privateers were being made ready for active service; and the first one, owned by Nathaniel Tracy, then a young man twenty-four years of age, sailed from Newburyport in the month of August. On the nine- teenth day of September troops to the number of ten or twelve hundred men, under the command of Colonel Benedict Arnold, embarked on board ten transports moored at the wharves near the centre of the town, and were taken to the mouth of the Kennebec River to join the expedition for the capture of Quebec.
While the war lasted, trade with foreign countries almost entirely ceased ; but armed cruisers and privateers were con- stantly arriving and departing, and occasionally prizes of great value were captured and brought safely into port. With the return of peace merchantmen were again built and
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WHARVES AND DOCKS
rigged on the Merrimack River, and business of all kinds awakened to new life.
The embargo of 1807 and the War of 1812 checked the commercial prosperity of the town, and the introduction of railroads and the development of steam-power within the past fifty years have gradually concentrated the bulk of the for- eign and coasting trade in two or three large cities on the Atlantic coast.
The old wharves of Newburyport are comparatively de- serted ; but the half-tone print on a preceding page gives a partial view of them as they were in the year 1864, with the ship "Sapphire," built by John Currier, Jr., lying at City Wharf, and the bark "Mary Alice," built by James Merrill, at Brown's Wharf.
PEABODY LIBRAR 1852. PE ABODY, MAS S.
THE NOYES HOUSE.
THE NOYES HOUSE.
The Rev. Thomas Parker, first pastor of the church in Newbury, was born in 1595, came to Ipswich in May, 1634, and from thence to Newbury in 1635. He was the only son of the Rev. Robert Parker, an eminent clergyman and scholar of Wiltshire, England, who on account of his relig- ious opinions was obliged to take refuge in Holland, where he died in 1614.
The Rev. James Noyes was born in Choulderton, Wilt- shire, in 1608, and educated at Oxford. After his arrival in New England he preached for some months at Medford, but came to Newbury in 1635, and was settled as teacher of the church (at its organization), with the Rev. Thomas Parker as pastor. His father was the Rev. William Noyes, who married Anne Stephens, daughter of Nicholas Stephens, Esq., of Burdrop Manor, in Wiltshire, England. The Rev. Robert Parker married Dorothy Stephens, a sister of Anne Stephens ; and, therefore, the Rev. James Noyes was a cousin of the Rev. Thomas Parker, and not a nephew, as is some- times erroneously stated. In the last will of Mr. Noyes he speaks of Thomas Parker as " cozen."
Cotton Mather, in the " Magnalia," says of them : -
They taught in one school (in England); came over in one ship: were pastor and teacher of one church; and Mr. Parker continuing always in celibacy, they lived in one house till death separated them for a time.
Their first residence in Newbury was at the Lower Green ; but, on the removal of the meeting-house in 1646 to the Upper Green, Mr. Noyes built a house on what is now known as Parker Street, and lived there until his death.
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In the Proprietors' Book, page 12, it is recorded that,
In consideration of Mr. James Noyes his Resigning up into the towns hands four acres by the River side, two acres in Richard Kents Island, & four acres in the Neck behind the Great Swamp, they granted him eight acres by the new Pond at the new Towne to Continue to him and his heyrs for euer.
There is no date to this record ; but it is probable that the grant did not take effect until 1646, as the commissioners appointed in 1642 to lay out the new town ordered " that in respect of the time for the inhabitants removeing from the place they now inhabit to that which is layed out and ap- pointed for their new habitations each inhabitant shall have their house lotts foure years from the day of the date of this commission."
The house was built about this time; and the two cousins, minister and teacher, lived there in pleasant companionship for nearly ten years. Mr. Noyes died Oct. 22, 1656, aged forty-eight. Mr. Parker, writing of him, says :-
Mr. James Noyes, my worthy colleague in the ministry of the gospel, was a man of singular qualifications, in piety excelling, an implacable enemy to all heresie and schism, and a most able warriour against the same. He was of a reaching and ready apprehension, a large inven- tion, a most profound judgment, a rare and tenacious and comprehen- sive memory, fixed and unmovable in his grounded conceptions ; sure in words and speech, without rashness; gentle and mild in all his ex- pressions, without passion or provoking language. And, as he was a notable disputant, so he never would provoke his adversary, saving by the strong knocks and heavy weight of argument. He was of so loving and compassionate and humble carriage that I believe never were any acquainted with him but did desire the continuance of his society and acquaintance.
The will of the Rev. James Noyes, dated Oct. 17, 1656, and proved Nov. 21, 1656, gave all his real and personal property to his wife. In the inventory of his estate, filed in the Probate Office at Salem, mention is made of " a house with seven acres of land adjoining, and an orchard," all valued at £100. The enclosure described as "an orchard"
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THE NOYES HOUSE
will account for the additional acre named in the original grant.
His widow and children still continued to live in the house, with the Rev. Thomas Parker as an honored member of the family. Mr. Parker died unmarried April 24, 1677. After the death of Mrs. Noyes, which occurred ten or twelve years later, the house passed into the possession of her son Thomas, who married Sarah Greenleaf ; and for several successive generations they and their children and their children's chil- dren resided there, the last occupant, Miss Mary Coffin Noyes, of the sixth generation from the Rev. James Noyes, having died Jan. 26, 1895.
The old house is still in a good state of preservation, as will be seen by a glance at the photographic view on page 164. The heavy oak frame shows no sign of decay, and the repairs that have been made from time to time have kept the exterior walls in good order and condition. The chimney was formerly about four yards square at the base, and ex- tended nearly to the back wall of the house. About fifteen years ago it became necessary to somewhat reduce its size. In doing this, the existence of a secret closet was discovered. There was no entrance to it from either the first or second story, and the only way it could have been reached was from the cellar. It was evidently constructed for the purpose of providing a safe hiding-place for gold and silver and valuable household effects.
The winds have blown and the rains have descended and beaten upon the old house for two centuries and a half ; but it still stands, a memorial of the past, closely identified with the early history of Newbury and the domestic life of two of its eminent divines.
THE COFFIN HOUSE.
THE COFFIN HOUSE.
Tristram Coffin, the first of that name who came to Amer- ica, was born in Brixton, county of Devon, England, and with his wife (Dionis Stevens), mother, two sisters (Mary and Eunice), and five children settled at Salisbury, Mass., in 1642, but removed to Haverhill the same year. In Novem- ber, 1642, his name appears as a witness to a deed of land from two Indian sachems to the inhabitants of that town. Two of his children, Mary and John, were born during his residence at Haverhill. In 1647 he removed to Newbury ; and May 26 of that year he was authorized by the General Court "to keep an ordinary and also a ferry " for the trans- portation of passengers from Newbury to Salisbury, in con- nection with Mr. George Carr.
While Tristram Coffin was ferryman, passengers were usually taken from the Newbury side through the narrow passage between Carr's Island and Ram Island, and thence to the Salisbury shore. At this time he owned "forty acres of upland, more or less," which he sold in 1657, after his removal to Salisbury, "being halfe the four score acres which I, the said Tristram Coffin, lately purchased of Mr. Edward Rawson, & the east side of the abovesaid foure score acres being bounded with the land of William Moody on the west, Merrimack river over against Mr. Carr's iland on the north, the way to the ferry on the east, and the way to Artichoke river on the South." From the descrip- tion given in this deed, recorded in the Ipswich Series, book I, page 645, it is evident that this land was opposite Carr's Island, and on the westerly side of what is now known as Jefferson Street ; but there is no mention of a house or build- ings of any kind in the conveyance.
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In 1659, he went to Nantucket, and purchased for himself and his associates many thousand acres of land. Early in 1660, he removed with his family to the island, where he lived until his death in 1681.
His son Tristram Coffin, Jr., was born in Brixton, Eng- land, in 1632. He came to New England with his father, and married, in Newbury, March 2, 1653, Judith Somerby, widow of Henry Somerby, and daughter of Edmund and Sarah Greenleaf. Some authorities claim that the rear part of the old Coffin house was built by Henry Somerby previous to his death, and that it was the home of his widow at the time of her marriage to Tristram Coffin, Jr. It is evident that the house, as first built, faced the south, as nearly all old houses do ; and tradition says the side door was once the front door. Tristram Coffin and Judith, his wife, had ten children ; and for the better accommodation of the family it became necessary to enlarge the house. When the addition was made, it was built across the easterly end ; and a new door was provided, opening to the street. Subsequently the house was occupied by two families, one using the side entrance exclusively, and the other using the front entrance. The rustic porch over the front door, almost concealed by the thick growth of climbing vines, was added at a comparatively recent date; but otherwise the old house stands to-day substantially the same in outward appearance as it did when Tristram Coffin resided there.
For more than half a century he occupied the house, and for twenty years was deacon of the first church in Newbury. April 29, 1668, he was made a freeman of the colony; and in 1695 he was elected representative to the General Court, and again in the years 1700, 1701, and 1702. He died Feb. 4, 1704.
His youngest son, Nathaniel, born March 26, 1669, was the next owner of the property. He married Sarah, daugh- ter of Samuel Brocklebank of Rowley, widow of Henry Dole of Newbury, March 29, 1693. He was deacon of the church in Newbury ; and Oct. 9, 1711, he was elected town clerk, which office he continued to hold until his death.
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THE COFFIN HOUSE
He was representative to the General Court for the years 1719, 1720, and 1721, councillor of the province in 1730, and special justice of the Court of Common Pleas for Essex County in 1734. He had eight children. Two of them, the Rev. Enoch Coffin and Samuel Brocklebank Coffin, graduated at Harvard College. He died Feb. 20, 1748-9, when nearly eighty years old.
His son, Colonel Joseph Coffin, born Dec. 30, 1702, was the next occupant of the house. He married July 15, 1725, Margaret Morse, daughter of Benjamin Morse. He was elected town clerk in 1749, and served in that capacity until the day of his death. He had eight children. Two of them, the Rev. Paul Coffin, D.D., and Charles Coffin, M.D., gradu- ated at Harvard College. He died Sept. 12, 1773. During the latter part of his life his son Joshua, born Jan. 9, 1731, occupied one-half of the house. This son, afterward known as Major Joshua Coffin, married Sarah Bartlett Jan. 21, 1755. They had twelve children, one of whom, the Rev. Ebenezer Coffin, graduated at Harvard College. A letter written Sept. 27, 1764, by Joshua Coffin, and addressed to his father, Colonel Joseph Coffin, gives a glimpse of the domestic life of that day, and indicates an estrangement between father and son. The letter reads as follows : -
Honored Sir,
"Tis in your power to make my life (as to outward circumstances) either Happy or Miserable, & I am sure 'twould be with the Greatest Regrett I should do anything to Render your life uneasy. I don't ask you to give me house or land at present, although I d'ont think in that case I should be unreasonable (considering my family Increases so fast), but at present I only ask Leave to build a Bedroom chimney on my own cost for our present comfort. Which, when you have properly weighed the affair & Considered what you have done for Bro. David & Paul, not to mention Boyd, for their convenience, & my present need of what I ask, I C'ant suppose you will single me out from the rest of your Children as an object of your Displeasure. Since I don't know as either of them have done more to merit your favor, I now Intreat you, Sr, in this Request to treat me only as a son, whose happiness so much Depends on your approbation & afection. I am, Sr, with all Due Reverence & Duty.
Your Dependent son,
JOSHUA COFFIN.
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The writer of the letter quoted above died March 30, 1774, about six months after the death of his father.
The house and land then came into the possession of Joseph Coffin, born Sept. 3, 1762, and Edmund Coffin, born Jan. 14, 1764, sons of Major Joshua Coffin. The rear or older part was occupied by Joseph Coffin, who married Judith Toppan in October, 1791. He had seven children by his first wife, four of whom died in infancy. For his second wife he married Margaret Sutherland, in September, 1803. He and his brother Edmund were joint owners of a tan-yard on the place, and they were also engaged in commerce to some extent. He died Dec. 25, 1805 ; and by his will, dated May 9, 1805, he gave to his son Joshua "all my buildings, with undivided half of the tann yard and my land in the home- stead."
His brother Edmund, who occupied the front part of the house, married Mary Moody, Nov. 15, 1792, by whom he had six children. For his second wife he married Lucy Kimball, April 25, 1809, by whom he had five children. After his death, Oct. 23, 1825, his part of the house remained for many years the residence of his widow and children. In the final settlement of his estate it was conveyed to his daughter, Miss Lucy Coffin.
Joshua Coffin, who by the will of his father came into pos- session of one-half of the house in 1805, was born Oct. 12, 1792. He married for his first wife Clarissa Dutch Dec. 2, 1817, by whom he had two children, Sarah Bartlett Coffin and Lucia Toppan Coffin. For his second wife he married Anna W. Chase April 26, 1835, by whom he had three children, now living, namely, Elizabeth W. (Coffin) Cheney, Anna L. Coffin, and Mary H. Coffin.
He was a graduate of Dartmouth College ; and during his early life he taught school in East Haverhill and Bradford, Mass., in Hampton, N. H., and elsewhere. He was elected town clerk of Newbury in 1850, and served for seven years. He was also justice of the peace for the county of Essex. In the old homestead, where he was born and where he died, he collected the materials for and prepared the History of Newbury for publication.
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THE COFFIN HOUSE
Whittier, who was one of his pupils, has pleasantly alluded to the labors of his old friend and teacher in the following lines, addressed "To my Old Schoolmaster " :-
I,- the man of middle years, In whose sable locks appears Many a warning fleck of gray,- Looking back to that far day, And thy primal lessons, feel Grateful smiles my lips unseal, As, remembering thee, I blend Olden teacher, present friend,
Wise with antiquarian search In the scrolls of State and Church ; Named on history's title-page Parish clerk and justice sage ; For the ferule's wholesome awe Wielding now the sword of law.
Joshua Coffin died June 24, 1864; and his part of the house and land was sold to Edmund Coffin Colman, of Boston.
At the death of Miss Lucy Coffin, Nov. 8, 1893, the other half of the property came into the possession of her nephews and nieces, Jeremiah Colman, Edmund Coffin Col- man, Moses J. Colman, Margaret E. (Colman) Merriam, Susan A. Colman, and Lizzie S. (Colman) Toppan, chil- dren of Moses and Elizabeth Coffin Colman.
Tradition asserts that the centennial anniversary of the set- tlement of Newbury was celebrated in 1735 in the front yard of the old Coffin house, under the shade of a lofty elm, re- markable for its great size and graceful shape. A small num- ber of interested citizens assembled there, and participated in the exercises ; but it is impossible to give even a brief outline of the proceedings, as none of the details have come down to the present day. The noble elm, with its widely extended branches, was one of the prominent landmarks for miles around; and, when brought into range with certain other well-known objects, it served as a guide for vessels entering or leaving the harbor. It was struck by lightning
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