USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Newbury > Ould Newbury: historical and biographical sketches > Part 14
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Marches ferry, over Merrimack River, near the place where Capt Ed- ward Serjeant now Dwells in Newbury aforesd, which ferry was first granted by Sir Edmond Andross & Councill unto ye Said March at a councill held at ye Councill Chamber in Boston on Tuesday ye Twenty fifth day of octobr 1687, as by said act of Councill may appear, & con- firmed & setled vpon Said March by ye Justices of ye County of Essex aforesd ye 14th of November, 1687, & again Confirmed unto him at a Gen- erall Sessions of ye Peace holden at Ipswich for the County of Essex, march 28th 1704, & was Late in ye Tenure & occupation of Capt Edwd Serjeant aforest," except the gratuitous right of ferriage of the grantor and his perticular family & Horses & Cattle over sd ferry for 22 years.
After his return to Newbury Colonel March was busy and active in public affairs. His will, dated April 18, 1707, and proved Aug. 25, 1712, gives to his eldest son, John, two and one-half shares, to son Hugh one and three-quarters shares, daughter Abigail one share, and daughter Elizabeth one share of all his real and personal estate. In the in- ventory of his estate, " his Great Dwelling House, orchard, outhousing, with abt 34 acres adjacent the homestead," are valued at £350; and "the dwelling house yt Capt. Henry Lyon lives in, outhousing, with abt 3 acres adjacent of ye homestead," are valued at £200.
Captain Henry Lyon was licensed as an innholder for the years 1712 and 1713, and evidently had charge of the old tavern when the will of Colonel John March was proved. From the records of the Court of General Sessions, held at Salem March 16, 1713-4, it appears that,
Capt. Henry Lyon having left Newbury & ye house being ye Anchor Tavern, which he had a lycense for, & ye justices & selectmen of New- bury setting forth to this court that it is needfull that another person be permitted to keep ye sd house as an innholder, & having given their ap- probation that Mr John Clarke might be Lycensed to keep ye sd house, This Court doe Lycense ye sd John Clarke to be an Inn holder in said house till June Court next, he making good sd Capt. Lyons excise to ye province.
John Clarke probably continued to serve as innholder until 1715. Some time during that year the property passed into the hands of John Wainwright, but the deed transferring the title does not appear to have been recorded.
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BLUE ANCHOR TAVERN
At all events, John Wainwright, late of Ipswich, now of Boston, merchant, sold to Samuel Sawyer, of Newbury, inn- holder, Dec. 21, 1715, for £160,
Two and three quarter acres of land, commonly known as the Blue Anchor Tavern, with the Mansion house, barn and stables, bounded south easterly partly by land now belonging to John Woodbridge and John March and partly by land belonging to James Coffin, and westerly and northwesterly by ye land of ye heirs of Insigne Henry Lunt, late of Newbury, deceased, northerly by ye land of Benjamin Morse, tercius, and north easterly by ye street or country road (book 28, page 78).
Samuel Sawyer was a licensed innholder from 1693 to 1716, and very likely rented and occupied the " Blue Anchor Tavern " while Colonel John March was actively engaged in the service of the colony on the eastern frontier .*
March 3, 1715-6, Samuel Sawyer sold to his son Benjamin "one mansion or dwelling house with 22 acres of land in Newbury, known by the name of The Blew Anchor Tavern," bounded and described substantially as in the deed above quoted (book 28, page 164).
Oct. 2, 1718, Benjamin Sawyer, of Newbury, weaver, for £155, conveyed to John March, of Salisbury, " house and 24 acres of land in Newbury aforesa, commonly known by ye name of ye Blew Anchor Tavern, together with all ye houses, outhouses, Barns, Buildings, stables, orchards, Gardens, &c.," bounded and described substantially as in the deed from John Wainwright to Samuel Sawyer (book 36, page 71).
The above-named "John March of Salisbury", was the
* In an old play, entered at Stationers' Hall, London, by William Apsley, Sept. 4, 1605, in which Shakspere is said to have acted, one of the characters in the first scene of the third act says : -
"Welcome, good Captaine Seagul and worthy gentlemen. If you will meet my friend here and mee, at the Blewe Anchor Taverne, by Billingsgate, this evening, wee will there drinke to our happy voyage, be merry, and take boate to our ship with all expedition."
The second scene opens " In the Blewe Anchor Taverne," where "Seagull, Spendall, and Scapethrift " meet, and over their cups tell wonderful stories of adventure and conquest in lands beyond the sea.
As early as 1685 Boston had a house of entertainment, kept by George Monk, called the Blue Anchor Tavern. It stood on Washington Street, near the spot now occupied by Little, Brown & Co.'s bookstore. Dunton, in his letters from New England (Prince Society's Collection, page 86), says, " There was no one House in all the Town more noted or where a Man might meet with better accommodation " ; and Judge Sewall states, in his diary, that the Governor and Council dined there on several memorable occasions.
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eldest son of Colonel John March, deceased. He was licensed as an innholder of Newbury for several years ; but Feb. 1, 1720-1, he conveyed to Benjamin Morse, by two separate deeds, one acre, and one and a half acres of land ad- jacent to the old tavern, and September 26, of the same year, he sold to Joseph March the remainder of the land with the house thereon (book 38, page 128 ; book 39, page 13; and book 39, page 140).
June 6, 1722, Joseph March, of Salisbury, sold to Samuel Seddon, of Salisbury (the latter cordwainer, alias innholder), a dwelling-house and one-quarter acre of land " in the posses- sion of John March, Jr., and bought of the said John March, Jr." (book 40, page 212).
Dec. 30, 1726, Samuel Seddon, then of Hampton, N. H., gave a quitclaim deed of the above-described property to Joseph March (book 65, page 29).
Feb. 11, 1726-7, Joseph March sold to Philip Fowler one-quarter of an acre of land, with dwelling-house thereon, " bounded easterly by the highway, on the south partly by land of Isaac Noyes, deceased, and partly by land of James Coffin, on the West and north by land of Benjamin Morse " (book 90, page 5).
Philip Fowler remained in possession of the old tavern, with one-quarter of an acre of land under and adjoining the same, until Oct. 3, 1755, when he sold it to the Rev. Jona- than Parsons, then pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in Newburyport, who had previously bought of John Adams, son-in-law of Benjamin Morse, four acres of land, with dwell- ing-house thereon, in that immediate vicinity (book 103, page 46, and book 88, page 100).
Soon after the conveyance of this property to the Rev. Mr. Parsons the tavern was taken down, and a portion of the land under the same was exchanged, for adjoining land, with Daniel Clark who then owned the next house on the southerly side, now known as the Ilsley house (book 104, pages 10 and II).
ILSLEY HOUSE.
In 1670, Stephen Swett, having served as innholder in the town of Newbury for ten or fifteen years, sold his estate on the westerly side of High Street, near the head of Marlbor- ough Street, reserving a certain parcel of land bounded and described as follows: "In length 8₴ rods ranging by the fence of Tristram Coffin and Anthony Morse on the south side, and the land in sale on the north side being nine rods ; and three rod and six foot in breadth at the east end next the street, and one rod in breadth at the west end " (Ipswich Deeds, book 3, page 215).
On this lot of land reserved by Stephen Swett for his own use the old house, now known as the Ilsley House, was built. It was probably occupied by Stephen Swett until Nov. 16, 1691. At that date he sold to Hugh March, Jr., a lot of land, bounded easterly by the highway, northerly by the land of Hugh March, Sr., and southwesterly by land of Lieutenant Tristram Coffin, also an adjoining lot, bounded by the land of Tristram Coffin southerly, the street easterly, and the land above mentioned on the northwest, " together with ye dwell- ing-house and shopp standing upon ye same " (Essex Deeds, book 10, page 17).
Jan. 9, 1693-4, Hugh March sold to Captain John March "the house which I bought of Steven Swett, deceased, and about fifteen rods of land, bounded northerly and westerly by land in possession of Capt. John March, formerly Mr. Hugh March's, deceased, southerly by land in possession of James Coffin, easterly by the main street or highway " (book 18, page 48).
March 31, 1713, Jemima March of Newbury, administratrix of Colonel John March, late of Newbury, deceased, and John March of Salisbury, Hugh March of Newbury, Abigail March,
THE ILSLEY HOUSE.
10 : 00
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ILSLEY HOUSE
and Elizabeth March of Newbury, " children and heirs of the sª Col. John March. with advice of Major Henry Somerby, guardian of sª Abigail & Elizabeth," sold and conveyed to Captain Henry Lyon, of Newbury, eighteen rods of land with the house thereon, bounded and described as follows : -
One mansion or dwelling house, together with about 18 rods of land thereunto adjoining, being in Newbury and bounded 50 foot front from James Coffin's fence, near his dwelling house in Newbury, butting upon ye street or country road running ye said 50 feet northwesterly, thence running westerly, so as to take in one half of ye well anglewise and one foot more, in ye whole 144 feet, and from said well southeasterly 16 foot to ye said James Coffin's fence, and so running by said fence till it comes to ye street or country road easterly.
March 31, 1713, Captain Henry Lyon, of Newbury, sold to John Woodbridge and John March, both of Newbury, "the house and land in Newbury which he this day bought of Mrs. Jemima March, administratrix of the estate of Col. John March, late of Newbury, deceased, and John March, Hugh March, Abigail March, and Elizabeth March " (book 26, page 238).
May 17, 1715, Lieutenant John March, of Newbury, sadler, and John Woodbridge, of Newbury, joiner, sold to Isaac Noyes, of Newbury, joiner, for £50, " house and land in Newbury bounded by James Coffin southerly, by ye land of ye old tavern, so called, northwesterly, running so as to take one half of ye well and running from ye well sixteen feet to sª Coffin's fence and by ye country road easterly being 55 feet in breadth, &c." (book 38, page 18).
Isaac Noyes died when his son Enoch Noyes, born in 1717, was only six months old. His widow, Jane (Somerby), married Daniel Pearson for her second husband. Feb. 26, 1738-9, Enoch Noyes, then about twenty-one years of age, with his mother, Jane Pearson, gave to Moses Noyes, of New- bury, joiner, for £120, a deed of this house and land, bounded and described as follows : "easterly on the King's highway 55 feet, southerly on land formerly of James Coffin 150 feet, westerly on land of Benjamin Morse 16 feet, and northerly
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on land partly of said Morse and partly on land of John March 137 feet " (book 95, page 192).
Sept. 29, 1752, Moses Noyes, Jr., of Newbury, sold to Daniel Clark, of Newbury, cordwainer, house, barn, and land bounded and described as follows : " easterly on the road 55 feet, southerly on land of Eliphalet Jaques 150 feet, westerly on land of Rev. Jonathan Parsons 16 feet, and northerly partly upon the land of the said Mr. Parsons and partly on the land now in the possession of John March, junior, it being the same land I bo't of Enoch Noyes Feb. 26, 1738-9" (book 98, page 82).
Oct. 1, 1765, Daniel Clark sold to Nathan Pierce, of New- bury, shopkeeper, for £143 6s. 8d., about twenty-nine and one-half rods of land, with house thereon, bounded as follows : " easterly on the road 6} rods, southerly on land of Eliphalet Jaques 5 rods, 2} feet, westerly on land partly of the said Jaques and partly of Rev. Jonathan Parsons 52 rods, and northerly on land of said Parsons and by the town house lot 4 rods " (book 116, page 256).
June 2, 1772, Nathan Pierce, of Newbury, yeoman, sold to Benjamin Colman, of Newbury, yeoman, for £200, house, barn, land, etc., " bounded easterly by the country road, northerly partly by the land belonging to the First Parish in Newbury, where the Town House now stands, and partly by the Rev. Jonathan Parsons land, &c." (book 131, page 46).
Aug. 19, 1773, Benjamin Colman, yeoman, sold to Dudley Colman, of Newbury, gentleman, for £226 13s. 4d., the property above described (book 138, page 126).
April 29, 1780, Dudley Colman, Esq., of Newburyport, sold to Nicholas Titcomb, of Newburyport, yeoman, the same premises, " together with the mills and tools for carrying on the chocolate, tallow chandlery, and tobaconist business" (book 140, page 143).
March 4, 1783, Nicholas Titcomb, of Newbury, innholder, sold to Oliver Putnam, of Newburyport, blacksmith, land in Newbury " bounded easterly by the main country road six rods and one half, southerly by Eliphalet Jaques' land five rods two feet and one half, westerly partly by said Jaques'
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ILSLEY HOUSE
land and partly by land belonging to the heirs of the Rev .. Jonathan Parsons, deceased, five rods and one half, northerly partly by the heirs of the aforesaid Parsons and partly by land belonging to the heirs of Benjamin Morse, formerly of Newbury, deceased, four rods, with all the buildings thereon " (book 140, page 143).
In some of the deeds recorded about this time Oliver Put- nam is described as a blacksmith, and in other deeds " scythe- maker." As early as 1778 Edward Harris, of Londonderry, N. H., cabinet-maker, sold to Oliver Putnam and William Parker, " said Putnam being scythemaker and Parker cabi- net maker," for £500, about fourteen rods of land on King Street, Newburyport (now Federal Street) (book 139, page 220). On this land Oliver Putnam and William Parker probably built a dwelling-house for their own use. At all events, on the 28th of February, 1783, Oliver Putnam sold a portion of this land, with part of a house and barn on King Street, to Nicholas Titcomb (book 140, page 143), and a few days later received a deed of the estate at the head of Marl- borough Street, as above stated.
Oliver Putnam was born in Danvers, Feb. 13, 1755. He was a descendant of John Putnam, one of the early settlers of New England. His intended marriage to Sarah, daughter of Eleazer and Sarah (Perkins) Lake, was published in Tops- field, Mass., Nov. 12, 1775. He probably came to Newbury- port about this time. His name appears in the list of enrolled men under the command of Captain Moses Nowell, stationed at Newburyport from November, 1775, to January, I776.
His children were as follows : -
Oliver, born Nov. 17, 1777; died July 11, 1826. Sarah, born Aug. 9, 1779. Elizabeth, born March 6, 1785 ; married Dr. Hackett. Thorndike, born in 1787; died May 21, 1858.
Thomas, born Jan. 17, 1789.
Sarah, born Nov. 12, 1790.
Charles, born Jan. 28, 1793 ; died Oct. 25, 1834.
Lucy, born July 16, 1795 ; died July 6, 1839. Joshua, born July 23, 1798 ; died at sea.
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OULD NEWBURY
From the above record it appears that Oliver Putnam, Jr., was six years of age when his father purchased the estate at the head of Marlborough Street, and opened a house of public entertainment there. Young Putnam, during his school-days, lived at home, attending to such duties about the house in his leisure hours as health and strength would permit.
Coffin, in his History of Newbury, says that Mr. Stephen Gerrish had his skull fractured and Mr. Samuel Kezer his limbs injured by the falling of some rocks while stoning Mr. Oliver Putnam's well July 11, 1786; and in the month of August following Mr. Abraham Thurlow, employed to com- plete the repairs, was killed by exposure to the impure air confined in the well.
Nov. 8, 1797, Oliver Putnam, blacksmith, sold to Isaiah Ilsley, of Newbury, joiner, for $1,030 the house and land previously described, and removed to Haverhill, Mass. (Essex Deeds, book 163, page 58). In October, 1798, Oliver Put- nam was admitted to membership in the Fire Club of Haver- hill ; and he was also taxed in that town, the same year, for a dwelling-house and land, valued at $550 (Chase's History of Haverhill, page 429).
Oliver Putnam, Jr., found employment with one of the ex- tensive importing houses of Newburyport as confidential clerk. He retained that position for a number of years, and afterward made several voyages to South America and Europe. He acquired considerable wealth, but failing health compelled him to abandon business ; and, after a brief resi- dence in Boston, Mass., he bought a farm in Hampstead, N. H., to which he removed. He was never married, but made a home for his parents, his brother Thorndike, and himself on the farm. His mother died there in 1811, and his father in 1818. He continued to reside at Hampstead until his death, which occurred July 11, 1826, when forty- nine years of age. In his will, dated July 11, 1825, and proved in the county of Suffolk, Mass., Aug. 14, 1826, is the following bequest : -
The residue of my property I give and bequeath for the establish- ment and support of a free English school in Newburyport. for the
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ILSLEY HOUSE
instruction of youth wherever they may belong. If, at the final payment of the foregoing legacies, it should amount to fifty thousand dollars, the executors will then pay it over as hereafter provided; but, if not, they will retain it to accumulate until it amounts to that sum, and then pay it over to trustees for that purpose to be appointed by the selectmen of Newburyport. After the first appointment of trustees, vacancies in their board to be filled by nomination from them, subject to the ap- proval of the said selectmen, who besides are always and at all times to have and exercise the right of visitation, for the purpose of looking to the security of the funds, and that the interest or income of them is ap- plied according to the bequest. In the selection of trustees, no refer- ence is to be had to their places of residence, but only to their qualifica- tions for the trust. The trustees are to invest the whole principal in good and sufficient securities bearing interest or producing income to the satisfaction of the said selectmen, to be and remain a permanent fund, the interest or income only of which to be applied to the estab- lishment and support of the school. The youth to be instructed in reading, writing, and arithmetic, and particularly in the English lan- guage and in those branches of knowledge necessary to the correct man- agement of the ordinary affairs of life, whether public or private, but not in the dead languages. The monitorial system of instruction to be introduced and used so far as it may be found on experience that it can be done with advantage.
The fund provided for by the above will was allowed to accumulate until it reached the sum of fifty thousand dollars, when the selectmen of Newburyport appointed trustees as follows : -
NEWBURYPORT, Feb. 27, 1838.
We, the undersigned, in compliance with the will of the late Mr. Oliver Putnam, and by authority therein given, have this day, at a spe- cial meeting held for that purpose at the selectmen's room, chosen and appointed the following-named persons, viz .: Caleb Cushing, Edward S. Rand, Rev. Daniel Dana, Wm. B. Banister, Josiah Little, Ebenezer Stone, Henry Johnson, and Roger S. Howard, to be the trustees under the will.
CHARLES H. BALCH, JOHN N. CUSHING, Selectmen of
JEREMIAH COLEMAN, HENRY MERRILL, Newburyport.
NATHANIEL HORTON,
April 9, 1838, the Governor of the Commonwealth ap- proved an act passed by the General Court incorporating the
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OULD NEWBURY
Trustees of the Putnam Free School, and conferring upon them certain powers and privileges. The school building was dedicated April 12, 1848, and since that date has been " open for the instruction of youth wherever they may be- long." By an arrangement made with the city of Newbury- port the Putnam Free School, the Brown High School, and the Female High School were united in 1868, and are now known as " The Consolidated High and Putnam Schools."
The school established by Oliver Putnam has had a practi- cal and stimulating influence on the education of the young and old in this community for fifty years, and manifestly owes its existence to the wisdom and liberality of one who from youth to early manhood lived in the house described in these pages.
After his purchase of this property, Isaiah Ilsley retained possession of it until May 25, 1802, when he sold to Stephen Ilsley, Jr., "eleven rods of land and part of the dwelling- house purchased of Oliver Putnam " (book 194, page 233).
Isaiah Ilsley died June 12, 1828. His son, John Ilsley, was appointed administrator of his estate in September, 1828.
Stephen Ilsley died in 1832 ; and his son, Stephen Ilsley, Jr., was appointed administrator in March, 1832.
Isaiah Ilsley left two sons, John Ilsley and Wade Ilsley. Mrs. Moses Knight, daughter of John Ilsley, and Mrs. James H. Small, daughter of Wade Ilsley, purchased the undivided interest belonging to the estate of Stephen Ilsley, and now own, by purchase and inheritance, the house and land conveyed by the heirs of Colonel John March to Captain Henry Lyon in 1713.
In 1756, Daniel Clark, who then owned the house and land that afterward became the property of Isaiah Ilsley, released to the Rev. Jonathan Parsons about five rods of land, " being the rear of my lot where I dwell," receiving in exchange about fifteen rods, measuring fifty-two feet on the road. About this date or some years later extensive alterations and im- provements were made in the old house. A large room with an outer door opening into it from the northeasterly end was constructed, and at the same time probably a few rooms in
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ILSLEY HOUSE
the rear were added, with a lean-to roof to cover and protect the old and the new. There was only one front door at this date. The one nearly concealed by vines and bushes, in the half-tone print on page 190, was placed there within the memory of persons now living.
The spacious apartment on the northeasterly end of the house was used at different times for various manufacturing purposes ; and, when Oliver Putnam came into possession of the property, the unfinished and unfurnished room was made a bar-room and smoking-room for the convenience of guests.
The house was originally not more than two-thirds its present size. The older part especially contains some inter- esting and curious specimens of early New England work- manship. The cellar walls are solid and substantial, and were evidently built to endure. The heavy oak frame and the immense chimney are certainly two centuries old. The chimney has a foundation of solid stone-work, eighteen feet in length by eight feet in breadth, and at least seven feet in height from the cellar floor. Upon this immense mass of masonry the chimney of ample proportions is built. The fireplaces on the lower floor have been partially bricked up; " but it is still possible to walk underneath the mantel and, standing before the huge oven, look upward, on a cloudless night, and count the stars."
THE FIRST TOWN AND COURT HOUSE IN NEWBURY.
A portion of the land purchased by Benjamin Morse Feb. 1, 1720-I (Essex Deeds, book 38, page 128, and book 39, page 13), from John March, Jr., was sold May 7, 1734, to set a town and court house upon. It is evident that previous to that date the meeting-house was the only place in New- bury where the inhabitants could assemble for the transaction of public business or where the county court could hold its sessions.
As early as 1731 an effort was made to provide funds by private subscription for the erection of a suitable building for the accommodation of the town and county, provided " any person will give the land to set said house upon between the meeting house and Archelaus Adams' tavern house." This plan was not successful; and the town voted May II, 1733, to give the First Parish of Newbury " liberty to build a con- venient town house within two years at their own cost and charge near lieutenant John March's house."
The following year the parish purchased of Benjamin Morse land on the northeasterly side of "Blue Anchor Tavern," then owned by Philip Fowler. This lot was bounded on the east by the street, on the south by land of Philip Fowler, on the west and north by land of Benjamin Morse. In the deed of conveyance there is a clause to the following effect : -
And it shall be and remain to and for ye use of said Parish forever for to keep a town house and court house upon, but in case said Parish or ye town of Newbury aforesaid shall neglect or refuse to keep a town house and court house upon said land, then the said land shall return unto and be for ye use and service of ye said Benjamin Morse, his heirs
FIRST TOWN AND COURT HOUSE IN NEWBURY 199
and assigns forever, in as full and ample manner as it was before this deed was given (book 69, page 3).
Feb. 18, 1734-5, the First Parish of Newbury conveyed the above-described premises, " with a building for town or court house upon the same," to the county of Essex (book 69, page 3).
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