USA > Massachusetts > Bristol County > Our country and its people; a descriptive and biographical record of Bristol County, Massachusetts > Part 2
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Further description of these purchases and their settlement is given in the chapters devoted to Taunton history in this volume. The pur-
1 As early as 1621 Edward Winslow and Stephen Hopkins made a journey through this region, an account of which is accessible to all readers. They stopped at the Indian village of Tetiquet, on the site of North Middleborough. Those men were representatives of the Plymouth govern- ment on a friendly visit to Massasoit. There was, however, no permanent settlement made until ten years later, according to the best authorities.
8
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
chases included all of the northeastern part of what became Bristol county, constituting the towns of Taunton, Easton, Norton, Mansfield, Dighton, Berkley, and Raynham. The Cohannet Purchase was con- veyed to forty-six purchasers.
The next purchase in the order of time comprised the territory now included in the towns of Rehoboth, Seekonk, Pawtucket and Providence, the latter two in the State of Rhode Island, and was made from Mas- sasoit in 1641; the tract was ten miles square. The second purchase in this connection was the tract called by the English, Winnamoiset, in- cluding a part of Swansea and Barrington, the latter in Rhode Island. The third and last purchase in this connection included what are now the towns of Attleborough and North Attleborough, and Cumberland in Rhode Island; this became known as the North Purchase. On the 30th of March, 1668, Philip, son of Massasoit, confirmed to Rehoboth the purchase of "eight miles square," giving the town a quit claim deed.
The next purchase of lands from the Indians was made on the 29th of of November, 1652, when Massasoit and his son Wamsutta (or Alexan- der), conveyed by deed to William Bradford, Capt. Miles Standish, Thomas Southworth, John Winslow, John Cooke, and their associates of the Plymouth Colony, all the territory "lying three miles eastward from a river called Cushenegg to a certain harbor called Acoaksett to a flat rock on the westward side of said harbor." In this purchase was included all "the rivers, creeks, meadows, necks, and islands that lie in and before the same, and from the sea upward to go so high that the English may not be annoyed by the hunting of the Indians in any sort of their cattel." These bounds are apparently very indefinitely stated, but they answered the purpose of the purchasers. This was the Dart- mouth Purchase, and the price paid was thirty yards of cloth, eight moose skins, fifteen axes, fifteen hoes, fifteen pair of breeches, eight blankets, two kettles, one cloak, two pounds in wampum, eight pair of stockings, eight pair of shoes, one iron pot, and ten shillings in other commodities. How ridiculous this price for such a princely domain ! The subdivision and settlement of this purchase is described in the next chapter and in the history of New Bedford herein.
The purchase from the Indians of ancient Assonet, or Freetown, as the English named it, was made on the 2d day of April, 1659, in accordance with a promise said to have been extorted from Wamsutta, son of Massasoit, on the 24th of November, 1657, which was put in
9
FROM 1637 TO 1685.
writing that at some future time he would sell the territory to one John Barns, a somewhat dissolute liquor seller who had a debt charged up against Wamsutta. When the deed was made the debt was to be canceled. Massasoit had long refused to part with this part of his do- main; he was growing old and had seen his lands going from him, piece by piece, to the aggressive white men, and perhaps began to re- alize how trifling was the return for his possessions. So the good old chieftain, in his last years, refused to part with Assonet, and his son respected his father's wishes as long as he could withstand the press- ure. But the handwriting was on the wall. The number of pur- chasers of Assonet was twenty-six and their names are as follows:
Capt. James Cudworth, John Daman, Henry Howland,
Josiah Winslow, sr., Mr. Timothy Hatherly,
Mr. Ralph Partridge,
Constant Southworth, Timothy Foster,
Love Brewster,
John Barns,
George Watson,
William Paybody,
John Tisdall,
Nathaniel Morton,
Christopher Wadsworth,
Humphrey Turner,
Richard More,
Kenelm Winslow,
Walter Hatch,
Edmund Chandler,
Thomas Bourne,
Samuel House,
Samuel Nash, Job Waterman. 1
Samuel Jackson,
Not one of these purchasers ever settled on his land. The territory bought was divided into as many lots as there were purchasers and as- signed one to each as follows:
1. Timothy Foster. 10. Love Brewster.
2. Humphrey Turner. 11. Richard More.
3. Christopher Wadsworth 12. Walter Hatch. 21. Samuel Nash.
4. Edmund Chandler. 13. Thomas Southworth.
5 Samuel House. 14. William Paybody.
6. Henry Howland. 15 Josiah Winslow, sr.2
7. George Watson. 16. John Waterman.
8. Ralph Partridge. 17. William Randall.
9. Capt. James Cudworth. 18. Nathaniel Morton.
19. Constant Southworth.
20. Thomas Bourne.
22. John Barns.
23. John Tisdall.
24. Kenelm Winslow.
25. Capt. James Cudworth.
26. John Daman.
1 In this and other lists of names taken from the records, the orthography of the ancient docu- ments is followed. In other parts of the text the modern and correct spelling is adopted, as a rule.
2 Settled upon before 1670 by William Makepeace, a cooper of Boston, who was drowned in Taunton River within a few years.
It was probably (according to Gen. E. W. Peirce), partly in the fifteenth and partly in the sixteenth lots that the reservation was made to the Indian Tabadacason for the Indians that kept the ferry, and the daughters of the red heathen soon proved a snare to their white Christian neighbors, as will appear from the Plymouth Colony record, under date of October 29, 1672, as follows: " William Makepeace, sr., living at Taunton River, for lascivious attempts towards an Indian woman, was sentenced by the court to be whipped at the post, which was accordingly performed. And the said Makepeace for selling strong liquors to the Indians was fined five pounds." 2
10
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
The Assonet Purchase included what are now the towns of Freetown (called Freeman's Land by the pioneers), Fall River, taken off in 1803, and a small part of Fairhaven, set off in 1815. Besides the reservation for the Indians who kept the ferry, before mentioned, another was made in Assonet for Pianto, to be used for planting land, the title of which was to end with Pianto's death. The first named reservation is thought to have been a point of land lying between Taunton River and Barnaby's Cove. Another reservation was made in what is now the easterly part of Fall River, to which reference is made in the history of that town. Assonet Neck was conveyed November 12, 1767, by. Constant Southworth, treasurer, to George Shove, James Walker, James Tisdale, Walter Dean, William Harvey, and Richard Williams. In July, 1682, the following order was passed: "This Court orders the land called Assonett Necke, being purchased by some of Taunton, that the said tract of land shall be in the township of Taunton." This was the last grant to Taunton.
The territory now included in the town of Dighton was formerly known as the South Purchase. The first deed of any part of this ter- ritory from Philip was dated September 28, 1672, and conveyed a tract of land three miles in extent along the river and running back into the forest four miles. The price paid for this was £143, and the convey. ance was made to William Brenton, James Walker, William Harvey, Walter Deane, Richard Williams and John Richmond, "all of the town of Taunton." The deed of the second section of the South Pur- chase was dated October 1, 1672; this tract was one mile wide on the river and extended back four miles. It was conveyed for £47 to Con- stant Southworth, treasurer of the Plymouth Colony, and he at once transferred it to a committee of the associated proprietors who assigned the deeds to the proprietors, seventy-seven in number, whose names are given in connection with the history of Dighton in later pages.
What was known as the "Shawomat Lands," was a part of Free- man's Purchase, and became a part of Swansea upon its incorporation in 1668. The original record book of these lands is in existence, the first page bearing the following: "This Book was begun in ye yeare, 1680, By Incrase Robinson, Clark for Said Purchasers." These lands con - stitute what is now Somerset and were purchased by thirty-one pro- prietors, besides a share to the the governor and one to Capt. Benjamin Church. The division of this purchase and what it included is de- scribed in the later history of Somerset herein.
-
11
FROM 1637 TO 1685.
The white pioneers to this immediate region found it almost wholly a wilderness. The Wampanoags, like their red brethren in other parts of the western world, were not noted for industry. Such tilling of the soil as was absolutely necessary to grow their limited supplies of vege- tables was done by the squaws, while the haughty opposite sex fol- lowed the chase and the war path. There were rich lands in some sections along the larger rivers and around the heads of bays and coves, free from forest and covered in summer with luxuriant grass. These constituted the so called " meadows " of the white settlers. In the forests the Indians annually burned the leaves in the spring, thus keeping down the natural undergrowth and forming great parks of scattered trees of large growth; only the low and wet grounds escaped these fires. Through these open forests travel was easy and delightful.
The planting by the Indians was largely done only in the most favorable localities, where the surface was level and the soil productive. One of the larger of these plantations was situated, according to tra- dition at least, to the south and west of the Dighton Four Corners; it was a level tract about a mile in extent from east to west and contained several hundred acres. Another similar tract was situated on what is known as Gardner's Neck in Swansea. There also was situated an In- dian village and cemetery. One-third of this clearing is said to have been planted in rotation each year, leaving two thirds to recuperate for two years. The vegetables grown were corn, beans, squash and a root resembling the artichoke. Numerous Indian relics have been found at this point.
During the period of nearly fifty years that elapsed between the date of the first purchase of Bristol county territory from the Indians and the erection of the county in 1685, settlement in various localities was considerably advanced, the towns of Taunton, Rehoboth, Dartmouth and Swansea were formed, and progress was made in clearing and till- ing the soil and in establishing primitive manufactures. The first set- tlements were made in Taunton, and there in 1639-40, almost coinci- dent with the date of transfer of Cohannet to the forty-six purchasers, was built a dam and a mill for grinding. This primitive mill was sit- uated at the falls near what is now Cohannet street." The mill was
1 These facts are fully established ; first, by a reference made in 1639 by Miles Standish and John Browne, in describing the boundaries of Miss Pool's land, "to the mill," on Mill River, the stream having already been given its appropriate name. Further proof is also contained in an ancient document dated 1711, signed by one hundred and seven Taunton residents, which says, among other things : " We have heard and some of us our fathers have told, that the very reason
12
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
owned by Thomas Linkon in 1649, who moved his family thither from Hingham in 1652. In the last named year, also, the first iron manu- factory in Bristol county 1 was established in Taunton. In this early industry were associated all of the prominent residents of that town, including Miss Pool, and many persons in Dorchester, Salem, Boston, Newport and elsewhere. For the further history of the settlement and growth of this town and city, the reader is referred to later chapters devoted wholly to that subject.
The next settlement was made in the territory of the original Reho- both. That region was formerly called "Seacunck," or "Seakunk," . whence the name of the present town of Seekonk, which was a part of the original Rehoboth territory. The Plymouth Records (Vol. ii, p. 67) show that one John Hassell (afterwards spelled Hazell) was living in " Seacunk," in 1642 and then took an oath of allegiance to the king. A warrant was issued on August 2, of that year, "to fetch John Has- sell, that lives at Sickuncke, to answer his contempts at the General Court; which was made and signed by all the assistants present," as shown in the volume above referred to, page 55. This man had lands granted to him in 1669, and was a large owner previous to that year.
In 1644 Rev. Samuel Newman and various other persons removed from Weymouth into Rehoboth territory, most of whom were members of Mr. Newman's church. These people held two or more meetings in the preceding year, the first of which was held at "Weimoth the 24th of the 8th month, 1643." At this "general meeting of the plantores of Seacunk," orders were passed regulating the number of lots in their grant to sixty-five, or sixty, in case some of the grantees failed to go; regarding planting, fencing, etc. If a family failed to remove to the new territory "by this time twelvesmonth," they were compelled to "forfite their lottes againe to the plantation." The second meeting was held on the 10th of December, at which Richard Wright was em- ployed to build a corn mill; servants after four years to be entitled to the privileges of other inhabitants; the teacher to have a certain portion of corn from each settler, etc.
On July 5, 1644, the inhabitants met near what is now East Provi- dence, and signed the following compact:
of building our town where it is, was that small river to set our grist mill on and there hath been one from the beginning of the town."
1 In writing of Bristol county territory previous to the formation of the county, the reader will understand that the name of the county is applied for the sake of clearness and to avoid the necessity for reiteration of the expression, " what became Bristol county," or a similar reference.
13
FROM 1637 TO 1685.
We, whose names are underwritted. being by the providence of God, inhabitants of Seaconk, intending here to settle, do covenant and bind ourselves one to another, to subject ourselves to nine persons and to asist them according to our ability and estate, and to give timely notice unto them of any such thing as in our conscience may prove dangerous to the plantation, and this combination to continue until we shall subject ourselves jointly to some other government.
Thus was formed an independent body, subject only to the regula- tions imposed by the nine men, who were to be empowered with judicial and legislative functions. It was a perfect democracy.
The following document, copied from the Proprietors' Records, is self-explanatory and of great interest in connection with settlement in the western part of the county :
About the year 1643, a joint agreement was made by the inhabitants of Sea conk alias Rehoboth, ffor the bringing in of their estates; that soe men's lotments might be taken up according to person and estate, as alsoe for the carrieing on of all pub- lick chardges both for present and future; furthermore the means and interest of what is heare expressed is that by which lands, now granted by the Court of Plym- outh to the towne, is to be divided according to person and estate, as is expressed in the following list:
42 s. d.
£ s. d.
1. Mrs. Bur 100 00 00
Ruth Ingram accepted in her
place
2. Widdow Walker 50 00 00
3. John Read. 300 00 00
4. John Cooke 300 00 00
which still is in the town's hands.
5. The Schoolmaster 50 00 00
6. Will Cheesbrook 450 00 00 28. Job Lane, now Robert
7. Mr. Winchester 195 00 00
8. Richard Wright 834 00 00
9. Mr. Newman 330 00 00
10. Will Smith 196 10 00
11. Walter Palmer 419 00 00
12. James Clark, now John
Perrum's 71 00 00
13. Ralph Shephard, now Jas. Redewaye's 121 10 00
14. Zachariah Roads 50 00 00
15. John Mathewes 40 00 00
16. John Perrum 67 00 00
17. John Millar 69 10 00
18. Saml. Butterworth 50 00 00
19. George Kendrick 50 00 00
20. Abram Martin 60 10 00
21. The Teacher 100 00 00
22. Edward Seale 81 00 00
23. John Browne 50 00 00
24. Mr. Howard 250 00 00
25. Mr. Peck 535 00 00
26. Mr. Obed. Holmes, now Robt. Wheaton's 100 00 00
27. Edward Smith 252 00 00
Abell's 50 00 00
29. Thomas Hitt 101 00 00
30. James Walker, now John ffitche's 50 00 00
31. Thomas Blyss
153 00 00
32. The Governor's lot, now Richard Bullock's 200 00 00
33. Isaack Martin, now Thom- as Wilmot's 50 00 00
34. Robert Morris
94 10 00
35. Ed. Bennet, now Richard Bowen's, Jr 134 10 00
36. The Pastor 100 00 00
37. Mr. Henry Smith 260 00 00
38. Mathew Pratt
239 00 00
14
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
£ s. d.
s. d.
39. John Megg's 120 00 00
40. Thom. Clifton, now Ste- phen Payne's, Jr 160 00 00
41. Joseph Torry, now John
Peck's 134 00 00
42. Thomas Cooper 367 00 00
43. Robert ffullor 150 00 00
44. John Allen 156 00 00
45. Ralph Allen 270 00 00
46. Ed. Gilman, now Joseph Peck's. 306 00 00
47. Thomas Houlbrook 186 10 00
48. William Carpenter. 254 10 00
49. John Houlbrook, now Nich- olas Ide's 186 10 00
50. Robert Titus, now Robert Jones's 156 10 00
51. William Sabin 53 00 00
52. Stephen Payne 525 00 00
53. Mr. Browne 600 00 00
54. Ed. Patteson, now John
Woodcock's 50 00 00
55. Peter Hunt 327 00 00
56. Robert Martin 228 10 00
57. Robert Sharp, but now
Rice Leonard's
106 00 00
58. Richard Bowen
270 00 00
This action was probably taken before any other division of land was made, unless perhaps it was that assigning house-lots. A subsequent meeting of the proprietors was held, the date of which was destroyed in the records, at which it was voted that nine men should be chosen to order the general affairs of the plantation; they were given power to sell the lands "in lots of twelve, eight, or six acres, as in their dis- cretion they think the quality of the estate of the person do require." This provision applied to the house-lots. Also that no person should sell his improvements "but to such as the town shall acept of; " also it was voted "that the meeting house shall stand in the midst of said town."
The nine men thus appointed were the predecessors of the Selectmen, if, indeed, the title should not apply to them also. This office in the early years was one of great importance, and it is not quite certain when the first general law relating to it was passed, but probably there was no law actually requiring the towns to choose these officers until 1662; the records, however, contain many references to Selectmen prior to that year. In 1658 it was enacted by the General Court that one or two of the Selectmen, whom the court should appoint in each township, be empowered to administer an oath, grant executions, etc. Again, in 1657, the five Selectmen of Taunton are referred to by name. It is not until 1666 that lists of Selectmen for the several towns are given in the Plymouth Records.1
1 The first section of the law referred to reads as follows: "It is enacted by the court, that in every town in this jurisdiction there be three or five selectmen chosen by the town out of the free- men, such as shall be approved by the court, for the better managing of the affairs of the respective townships, and that the selectmen in every town or the major part of them, are hereby empowered
15
FROM 1637 TO 1685.
A town meeting was held in Rehoboth on the 31st of June, 1644, at which lots were drawn for a division of the woodland between the plain and the town. Fifty-eight shares were drawn as follows:
1. Mr. Winchester.
30. The pastor's.
2. Mr. Leonard.
3. Peter Hunt.
32. Edward Smith.
4. William Cheesborough.
33. William Smith.
34. James Clark.
6. John Holbrook.
35. The Governour.
36. Edward Bennett.
37. Obadiah Holmes.
38. Mr. Browne.
39. Thomas Cooper.
11. Ephraim Hunt.
40. Thomas Holbrooke.
12. Samuel Butterworth.
41. Thomas Hitt.
13. Edward Patterson.
42. John Allin,
14. James Browne.
43. John Meggs.
15. Richard Bowin.
44. William Sabin.
17. Mr. Peck.
46. Zachary Roades.
18. Walter Palmer.
47. Edward Gilman.
20. John Sutton.
49. Joseph Torrey.
50. Thomas Dunn.
23. Isaac Martin.
52. Widow Walker.
24. James Walker.
53. John Miller.
25. Robert Titus.
54. Mr. B -- (obliterated).
55. The Teacher.
27. George Kendrick.
56. John Cooke.
28. (obliterated).
57. Ralph Shepherd.
29. Thomas Bliss.
58. John Read.
to hear and determine all debts and differences arising between person and person within their respective townships not exceeding forty shillings; as also they are hereby empowered to hear and determine all differences arising betwixt any Indians and the English of their respective town- ships about damage done in corn by the cows, swine, or any other beasts belonging to the inhabit- ants of the said respective townships, and the determination of the abovesaid differenees not being satisficd as was agreed, the party wronged to repair to some magistrate for a warrant to re- ceive such award by distraint." This act, as seen, gave the Seleetmen considerable judicial power. Their oath of office was as follows: " You shall, according to the measure of wisdom and discretion God hath given you, faithfully and impartially try all such cases between party and party brought before you, as also give summons respecting your trust according to order of the Court as Selectmen of the Town of -- for this present year. So help you God." Besides the duties thus described the Selectmen in early years were required to take notice of those persons who did not attend church, unless prevented by good cause; to see that no single person was suffered to live by himself or in any family but such as they should approve of; to vigilantly watch over their neighbors' doings; to see that children were taught the common branches of education by their parents or masters; to bind out neglected children; to make provision for the poor, etc. Their rule was almost autocratic.
19. Abraham Martin.
48. Thomas Clifton.
21. Robert Morris.
22. John Matthews.
51. Robert Martin.
26. Edward Seale.
31. Stephen Payne.
5. Ralph Allin.
7. John Perram.
8. The schoolmaster.
9. Matthew Pratt.
10. William Carpenter.
16. Mr. Newman.
45. Mr. Henry Smith.
16
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
Up to July, 1644, there had been three separate allotments of land made in Seekonk, and on the 5th of that month it was ordered that all who had allotments in either of the three divisions "presently to be laid out by Mr. Oliver and his partner, Joseph Fisher," and who did not pay for the surveys either at Boston or Dedham by the 28th of the following October, should forfeit their lands so laid out. The nine men chosen on the 9th of December, 1644, to direct public affairs were the following: Alexander Winchester, Richard Wright, Henry Smith, Edward Smith, Walter Palmer, William Smith, Stephen Payne, Rich- ard Bowen and Robert Martin. On the 10th of the succeeding Janu- ary, at a meeting of the townsmen, it was agreed that eighteen men should forfeit their lands for not fencing them, " or not removing their families according to a former order." These men were the following : Ralph Shepherd, James Browne, Mr. Leonard, The Governor's lot, Matthew Pratt, Thomas Dunn, John Meggs, Thomas Cooper, John Sutton, Mr. Peck, Obadiah Holmes, James Walker, Edward Gilman, Thomas Holbrooke, John Holbrooke, Mr. Browne, Edward Patteson and Ephraim Hunt. Probably these men conformed to the require- ments and retained their lands. At the same meeting all those men having lots on the neck of land were required to " fence so much as the number of his acres cometh to," by the 15th day of the second month, or pay two shillings for every rod not fenced.
The care with which the welfare of every settler was watched is shown in the following agreement made on the 17th day of February, 1644:
that whoever hath not convenient land to plant, for present getting of corn, shall be allowed to plant so much as they can break up this year, and shall have it six years, and then to fall to the town again, either upon Manton's neck, or else upon the back side of the lots on the southeast side of the town.
At another meeting it was ordered that the recording of any man's land in "the town book shall be to him and his heirs a sufficient as- surance forever."
Thus far the inhabitants of this large tract of territory considered themselves residents of Seekonk, and the meetings all bear that date. Though they purchased their land of the Plymouth Colony, yet their compact made when they became inhabitants of Seekonk indicates that they felt a large measure of independence. They were subsequently claimed by both the Plymouth and the Massachusetts Colonies. In 1645 they submitted to the jurisdiction of the Plymouth Court and were
17
FROM 1637 TO 1685.
incorporated with the name Rehoboth, which was given by Mr. New- man, the pastor.
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