USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Salem > Reminiscences of Salem, Massachusetts : embracing notices of its eminent men known to the author forty years ago > Part 14
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West of the Broadfield was a farm of sixty acres owned by Wm. Hathorne, and after his decease by his son John Hathorne, which bounded north and west on the highway, now Broad street, west and south-west on the way lead- ing to Marblehead, south on the Castle Hill farm, after- wards owned by Benj. Lynde, and east on the South River, now the Mill Pond, and on the Broadfield. On part of this farm was a little brook called Frost Fish Brook, described in the record as "coming forth betweene the twoe hills," on the east of which lived Richard Wa- ters, gun smith, as early as 1636, and near it was a house-lot granted to John Abby, Jan. 2, 1637 .* It appears by the Commoners records that there were three houses on this farm before the year 1661, and that Wm. Hathorne's house was still standing in 1714, being then · owned by his son Col. John Hathorne.
"Brick-kiln lane" led south from the western end of Essex street to the northerly gate of the Town Pasture ; and west of it extending to Norman's Rocks was the "brick-kiln field," about six acres, conveyed by the heirs of Thomas Trusler, in 1656, to Wm. Flint. Richard Nor- man, who probably gave the name to Norman's Rocks, lived on the southern part of it, and John Barber on the northern part of it, before 1661. This was, perhaps, the
* See Town Record, Jan. 2, 1636-7, and April 23, 1638.
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same brick-kiln mentioned by Francis Higginson in 1629. We find it referred to frequently in the early records.
The northern part of Brick-kiln lane is now merged in the Turnpike ; the southern part still remains leading from the western end of Warren street to the Pasture Gate. On the east side of this lane, bounding south by Broad street and east by Flint street, was the homestead of Richard Adams, conveyed by him to Lieut. John Pickering in 1679, and described as containing four or five acres, "being at the western end of the town over against Maj. Hathorne's : and is bounded with the street southerly, and a lane or street easterly, and a highway, or common land partly, westerly, and the land formerly of Wm. Flint, now the land of Edward and Thomas Flint, northerly." In 1646 the agents of Townsend Bishop conveyed to Richard Adams "one ould house with one acre of land within the common field, and about an acre and an half of land next to the common inclosed by itself." They also at the same time conveyed to Ralph Fogg "the new messuage or dwelling house of the said Mr. Townsend Bishop standing by the Rocks near Capt. Hathorne's house in Salem." It seems prob- able that Richard Adams came into possession of the lat- ter house also, though we cannot find any deed of it; and, from the description, we think that it may have been the same as that which was recently burned and taken down on the north-west side of the upper end of Broad street. When this house was taken down it was found to be lined with brick between the wall and plastering, and to bear other marks of great age. This estate was divided in 1694 between Benjamin and William, sons of John Pickering, Benjamin taking the western part of the house and land, and William the eastern part. In the Com- moners Record is entered for Benjamin Pickering "a cot-
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. tage right near the Bick-kiln on Adams' land." This was probably for the "ould house" of Townsend Bishop mentioned above. William Pickering also has two rights entered for " Adams' house."
On the east side of Flint street, was the homestead of Wm. Flint, which consisted of one acre, bounded north by land of John Reeves, east on Cotta's lot, so called, and south on Broad street, and was bought by him of Thomas James, by deed recorded in 1652. After the death of Wm. Flint, it was owned and occupied by his son Thomas Flint. Next east was "Cotta's lot," about five acres, extending from Broad street to Essex street, and owned before 1664, by Thomas Spooner, whose widow, Elizabeth, left it to her son-in-law, John Ruck. John Ruck conveyed half of it to Benjamin Gerrish, in 1681, and the other half to Thomas Maule, in 1687. Gerrish conveyed his part to Maule, in 1683. On the north-western corner of the lot, near where the Rev. Dr. Emerson now lives, was built the first Quaker meeting- house, the land being given by Thomas Maule for that purpose. The name Cotta's lot, originated from Robert Cotta, who was the first owner. There were two houses on it before 1661. Next east was a lot of three acres, also oxtonding from Broad street to Essex street, which Michael Shaflin conveyed, in 1684, to Robert Kitchen "as the son and heir of John Kitchen" in consideration of "£15 by me received of John Kitchen in the year 1638." John Kitchen had been in possession of this lot for many years, probably from the year 1638, and lived on it at one time, but afterwards removed to the other side of Essex street, where he built the house that was taken down about twenty years ago, on the western cor- ner of Beckford street. March 6, 1654, the town granted to John Kitchen sufficient land "to make a sellar neare
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unto goodman Trusler's fence over against the house of the said John Kitchen." Thomas Trusler's homestead was on the opposite side of Essex street, and was afterwards owned by Thomas Robbins, who in 1679 conveyed to Robert Kitchen, as son and heir of John Kitchen, a quarter of an acre, bounded east by Beckford street, and south by Essex street. This, as well as the deed by Michael Shaflin, was undoubtedly to supply the loss or want of a previous deed to John Kitchen.
It thus appears that the lot above mentioned was owned by Michael Shaflin before 1638; and the price which John Kitchen paid for it, indicates that there was a dwelling house on it at that time ; but it had disappeared in 1684. It was long known as the "Kitchen field," and extended from the east side of Hamilton street westerly two hundred and seventy-five feet, and southerly from Essex street to Chestnut street. After the death of Robert Kitchen it was owned by his son Edward Kitchen, who left it by will, in 1766, to Edward Kitchen Turner.
East of the Kitchen field was a lot of about the same dimensions, originally owned by Thomas Antrum. It extended easterly to a line about one hundred and twenty feet west of Cambridge street, and southerly to Chestnut street. East of this, and extending one hundred and twenty feet east of Cambridge street, was another lot originally owned by Richard Graves; and between that and Summer street was an acre of land, with a dwelling house on it, conveyed by the heirs of Philip Veren, in 1655, to Wm. Lord, and by him to Wm. Lord, Jr., in 1658.
South of the last two lots (those of Richard Graves and Philip Veren) and extending on Broad street from Summer street to a line one hundred and twenty feet west of Cambridge street, was the homestead of Francis
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Lawes, which, together with the Richard Graves lot which he also owned, making in all about five acres, he left by will, in 1666, to his son-in-law, John Neal, and his wife, and after their death to their son Jonathan Neal. Part of this estate has been retained in the same family to the present time. Francis Lawes lived on the east cor- ner of Cambridge and Broad streets, and the hill where the burying ground now is was in the earlier years called "Lawes Hill." In 1721, Samuel Gaskill, aged eighty years, testified "that the dwelling house upon the hill by ye Almshouse in Salem, where Jonathan Neal now dwells, built by Francis Laws, was standing there before ye year 1660." The Almshouse was where the Normal School building is now. Jonathan Neal left his home- stead, by will, in 1732, to his sons Jonathan and David, and in the division, in 1753, the dwelling house was assigned to Jonathan. In a deed by him in 1774, he mentions " my old house," as being on the eastern corner of Cambridge street ; and in the inventory of his estate, in 1795, is mentioned the dwelling house, now standing, on the west corner, and also "an old dwelling house" on the east corner of Cambridge and Broad streets. This last was no doubt the one referred to in the above deposi- tion.
Francis Lawes also owned the Antrum lot, above men- tioned, and left it to his grandson, Joseph Neal, descri- bing it as "part of that ground I bought of Mr. Edmond Batter and was formerly Thomas Antrums, and is bounded north with the street, east with the land of mine formerly the land of Richard Graves, south with the land of John and Jonathan Pickering, and west with the land of John Kitchen." In 1681 Thomas Maule bought of Joseph Neal the eastern portion of the Antrum lot, and also of Jonathan Neal a small portion of the
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Graves lot, and built the house in which he afterwards lived, and which was taken down a few years ago. Mr. James B. Curwen, who lives on the same site, has the original deeds in his possession.
Jonathan Neale also conveyed a house lot, in 1680, to Benjamin Marston, who built thereon the house now standing on the western corner of Cambridge street, which street was then first laid out as a private way be- tween that house lot and another which he conveyed to Samuel Wakefield. Wakefield sold his house in 1684, to John Bullock, Innkeeper, and in 1706 it was conveyed to Richard Pike. Another house lot, next east, was conveyed by Neal, in 1680, to Samuel Shattuck, Jr., hat- maker and dyer, who built there the house now standing, part of which is owned and occupied by Mrs. Mary C. Stowers. This was the house to which Bridget Bishop came to get some lace dyed, when the effect Shattuck thought her visits had upon his child, aroused his suspi- cions that she was a witch, and caused him to testify against her at her trial in 1692.
The house of William Lord, who owned the acre of land at the corner of Essex and Summer streets, was where Mr. Jonathan Peirce now lives. The southern part of his land, near the northern corner of Chestnut and Summer streets, was used by John Mason, from 1661 to' 1687, for making bricks, and afterwards by Isaac Stearns for the same purpose ; and west of that as far as to Cambridge street, was another " brick place" owned by Thomas Maule, and afterwards Samuel Woodwell.
South of the "Kitchen field " and the Antrum lot, and fronting on Broad street from the land of Francis Lawes to Cotta's lot, above described, which was about two hundred feet west of Pickering street, was the homestead of John Pickering, of about five acres. The first house
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in which he lived when he bought the Broadfield of Emanuel Downing, in 1643, was near the site of the present dwelling now occupied by John Pickering, Esq., his descendant in the seventh generation. This house, now standing, is one of the most interesting relics of the past we have in the city, both from its having been always occupied by the same family, and on account of its well authenticated antiquity. The following is taken from. an account of this house in a memorandum book, and was written by Col. Timothy Pickering, Dec. 3, 1828. After referring to another house which his eldest sister Sarah (Pickering) Clark, who died Nov. 21, 1826, in her 97th year, remembered as standing at a small distance eastward of the present house, Col. Pickering writes :
"I well remember that when I went to the woman's school, being then only six years old, my father raised the roof of the northern side of the present house, and so made room for three chambers to accom- modate his family, having then nine children. The roof, according to the fashion of the time, running down on the northern side, so as to leave but one upright story. The windows were glazed with small panes, some diamond-shaped, and the others small oblongs. These were all set in leaden strips, formed thin, with grooves (by a machine made for the purpose) for the reception of the glass, on which the lead was easily pressed close down. Where the, leads crossed they were soldered together; and I perfectly remember seeing the glazier, Moore by name, setting glass in the old windows, in the manner here described.
I remember hearing my father say, that when he made the altera- tions and repairs above mentioned, the eastern end of the house was one hundred years old, and the western end eighty years old. Conse- quently the eastern end is now (Dec. 3, 1828) 177 years old. For I am 83, and was but six years old in July, 1751, the year in which the alterations and repairs took place.
I also remember hearing my father say, that, supposing the sills of the house must be decayed, he had provided new white oak timber to replace them; but that the carpenter, when he had ripped off the weather-boards, found the sills sound, of swamp white oak; and the . carpenter told him that they would last longer than any new sills he could provide ; and the same sills remain to this day.
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At the southern side of broadfield, a little eastward of the salt marsh, were many logs projecting beyond the low bank - manifestly the remains of a wharf,* erected when what is now the Mill Pond of the South Mills was a continuance of the South River."
Col. Pickering's father was Deacon Timothy Pickering, who was born in 1703, and to whom Jonathan, a son of the first John, conveyed, in 1727, his portion of the homestead land, being the eastern part, and consisting of an acre and a half, together with the dwelling house on it. in which he then lived. This house was no doubt the one remembered by Col. Pickering's sister, Sarah. Deacon Timothy Pickering had five years before inherited the western part of the homestead, including the house now standing, from his father John, who was a grandson of the first John. There can be no doubt, therefore, that his statement of the age of the house was correct; according to which the eastern half of the house is now two hun- dred and eighteen years, and the western part one hun- dred and ninety-eight years, old. This is also confirmed by the records, particularly the Commoners record, which shows that John Pickering was, in 1714, allowed two rights "for his father's house ;" that is, the house in which his father had lived (the one now standing) was built before 1661. It also appears from the same record, that Jonathan Pickering's house (which stood to the east of the present house) was the same "which one Deacon built before 1661." The first John Pickering died in 1657, and his widow Elizabeth married John Deacon. The oldest son John, remained in the house which his father had built in 1651, while his mother and the younger son Jonathan, removed to the new house which John Deacon built on that part of the homestead which was set off to Jonathan. The mother died in 1662;
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* See Essex Inst. Coll., Vol. VIII, p. 22.
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and in 1671, the two brothers made a final settlement of the estate between them, at which time, according to Deacon Pickering, the western part of the present house was built. In regard to the original house in which John Pickering lived previous to 1651, we have the fol- lowing evidence given in a deposition by his grandson, showing that it was sold in 1663 or 1664, and removed to another place. On the Commoners Record for 1714, is entered one right to John Pickering "for his grandfather's house," which shows that another house had stood on his land which had belonged to his grandfather and was built before 1661. The following explains what became of it, and is also interesting as showing at what an early period houses were moved.
" The testimonie of Jolin Pickering of full age saith, to his cer- tain knowledge the little house that was William Beenses * was his father's Cottage Right, that is allowed to me. He further saith that in the year 1663 or 1664, my father sold it to William Beens and it was removed to that place with oxen. JOHN PICKERING."
Opposite the Pickering house and south of Broad street (which at first included the present Cemetery and a strip of land west of it), was the "Broadfield " consist- ing of twenty acres and extending from the Hathorne farm, the line of which corresponded nearly with Phelps Court, east and south to the South River, now the Mill Pond. This was at one time called the "Governor's field." t It was sold by Gov. Endicott to Emanuel Downing before 1640, as appears by a deed of mortgage on the Suffolk Records, dated June 8, 1640, and ac- knowledged Dec. 20, 1644, by Emanuel Downing of "his mansion house # at Salem with four acres more or
* William Beans lived where now is the corner of Boston street and the Turnpike. .
t See Essex Inst. Coll., Vol. VIII, p. 23.
# Afterwards Gov. Bradstreet's.
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less thereto adjoining, and twenty acres more purchased of Mr. Endicott, lying upon the South River." John Pickering subsequently came into possession of the Broadfield by virtue of a deed of Indenture, now in the possession of John Pickering, Esq., of which the follow- ing is a literal copy :
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"This indenture made the 11thi day of February anno 1642 Wit- nesseth that Lucey Downinge tlie wife of Emanuel Downinge of Salem in New Englande Esq. & Edmund Batter of Salem, gent : for & in consideration of the summe of twenty two pounds haue bargained & sould & by these presents doe bargain & sell to John Pickerring of Salem aforesaid carpenter all that parcell of grounde lying before the now dwelling house of the sd. Juo. Pickerringe late in the occupation of Jno. Endicott Esq. with all the appurtenances thereto belonging, abutting on the East & South on the river commonly called the South river & on the West on the land of William Hawthorne & on the North vpon the towne commou. To haue & to houlde to him, liis lieirs & assignes forever. In consideration whereof the said Jno. Pickerring doth couenant to pay to the said Lucey & Edmund or either of them the aforesaide sume of twenty two pownds in manner and forine fol- lowinge. That is to say nine pownds of her debts to such persons as she hath appointed & eight pownds in bacon at vid the pound & corne at such rates as they are sould commonly by Capt: Traske the 2d week in Aprill next whereof xxI bushells is to be of Indian the rest pease and wheate and the other five powndes in such comodities as her occasions require excepting money & corue. Prouided that if the aforesaid Jno. Pickering shal not duly performe the several payments according to agreement that then it shall be lawfull for the said Lucey & Edmund or either of them to reenter and enjoy the said premises as before notwithstanding this agreement or any thinge therein con- tained : In witness whereof the parties aboue-said have hereunto set their hands & seales interchangably the day and yeare aboue written. Sealed & delivered in the presence
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of vs SAM: SHARPE. WILLM HATHORNE
LUCIE DOWNINGE [Seal. ] EDMOND BATTER [Scal.]
This Indenture is endorsed as follows : - Mrs. Down- ings and Mr. Batters Sale of the Broadfield unto Carpen- ter John Pickering-1642-
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On a separate paper is the following confirmation by Emanuel Downing :
"I doe freely agree to the sale of the ffeild in Salem made by wife to Goodm : Pickering witness my hand this 10th of the 12 moneth 1643.
EM : DOWNINGE.
(Endorsed.) This Febr: 10th 1643 Emmanuel Downinge Esq. his Confirmation of his wife Lucies Sale of the Broadfield unto Carpen- ter John Pickering."
These papers have always remained in possession of the family and were not recorded till 1785. The expres- sion . "late in the occupation of Jno. Endicott Esq.," has been thought to apply to the dwelling house of John Pickering,* but it seems most probable that it referred to the "parcell of grounde" which it appears by other evi- dence had belonged to Gov. Endicott.
The westerly half of the Broadfield, being that part lying between Phelps court and Winthrop street, consist- ing of ten acres, came, in some way, into the possession of William Lord, Sen., who, in 1668, conveyed it to Nicholas Manning ; and it finally, in 1756, came into the possession of Joseph Hathorne, and thus became merged in the Hathorne farm, except one acre and a half on the eastern side. Hathorne street was laid out, as a private way, through this portion of the original Broadfield in 1807. In 1808 the Town conveyed to the abutting own- ers a strip of land which until then had formed part of Broad street, lying on the north side of the Broadfield from Winthrop street, where it had the same breadth as the burying ground, extending two hundred feet west of Hathorne street where it came to a point. Winthrop street was not laid out till 1842 ; and up to that time the Broadfield, except the western part above described, re-
* See Essex Inst. Hist. Coll., Vol. II, p. 40.
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mained unbroken in the Pickering family, with the excep- tion only that, from 1720 to 1731, five acres on the east side of Winthrop street were owned by Samuel Browne, to whom was allowed, in 1722, "a cottage right in the broadfield" for Edward Adams' house, built before 1661.
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Cotta's lot (see p. 6) bounded southerly on Broad street, extending from a point two hundred feet west of Pickering street, westerly two hundred and seventy feet to what was then the homestead of Wm. Flint, and so through to Essex street, where it extended from the eastern side of the estate now owned by Jos. S. Cabot, Esq., westerly to the homestead of Rev. Dr. Emerson. As already stated there were two houses on this lot in the very early years of the settlement, but they had dis- appeared in 1677. The first Quaker meeting house was built on the north-west corner of it by Thomas Maule in 1688. When the second meeting house was built on the north side of Essex street, in 1718, the old house was turned into a dwelling house, and in 1788, was sold to Robert Wallis. It stood on a small piece of land next east of Dr. Emerson's house. The next house built on Cotta's lot was by Richard Oakes in 1711, where the house next but one east of Dr. Emerson's now stands. The old house, now standing between that and the house of Mr. Cabot, was built by Jeffry Lang in 1740 (Essex Inst. Hist. Coll. Vol. 6, p. 257). The Cabot house was built about the year 1744, the land having been sold that year to Francis and Joseph Cabot.
Between Cotta's lot and Flint street, and north of Wm. Flint's homestead (see p. 5€), was a lot of about four acres on which John Reeves lived before 1661. One- half acre of this on the east side, with a dwelling house on it, was given by John Reeves to his daughter Eliza- beth and her son John Richards. Elizabeth, daughter of
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John Richards and wife of Thomas Hooper, of Medfield, sold the same to John Dynn, in 1708. In 1713 it came into possession of his mother Elizabeth Derby,* widow of Roger Derby, and after her death in 1740, was owned by her son-in-law, Joshua Hicks, and was conveyed to James Ford, schoolmaster, in 1764, and to Rev. Daniel Hop- kins, father-in-law of Dr. Emerson, in 1788. James Ford built the house now occupied by Dr. Emerson. The house of John Reeves was on the corner of Essex and Flint streets, and was left by him to his daughter Mary, wife of Ephraim Kempton.
West of Flint street, and north of the land of Richard Adams (see p. 55), was a lot of seven acres extending west to "Brick-kiln lane," now the Turnpike. It was owned by Wm. Flint in 1659, and appears to have been originally two house lots, the western one owned and oc- cupied by Henry Kenny, and the eastern one by Thomas Gouldthwait. Their houses had disappeared in 1672.
Between "Brick-kiln lane" and Norman's Rocks, was the "Brick-kiln field," which, in the deed to Wm. Flint in 1656, is described as extending north "to the land of John Alderman and Lawrence Southwick." In 1694 the executors of the will of Lawrence Southwick conveyed about three acres of land on the northerly side of the Brick-kiln, to Wm. Pinson, whose wife Rebecca was niece and heiress of Thomas Robbins to whom the land had been sold long before, but the deed "did not appear on record." This lot was bounded west by Norman's Rocks and the common land, and extended north to the Town Bridge (see p. 5+), and included the "pond" or salt marsh made by the flowing in of the creek under the bridge. In 1699 it came into the possession of John Beckford and his wife Rebecca, who was the only child
* Wm. Dynn married Elizabeth Haskett, June 6, 1684, and had two sons, John and William. His widow became the second wife of Roger Derby.
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of Wm. Pinson, and they divided it in 1757 between their sons John, George and Benjamin, Beckford.
The Town Bridge was first built probably about 1640, the first mention of it on our records being an order, Oct. 11, 1640, that "Philip Verin, or any other, shall make the fence that leadeth to the bridge of [off ] one side from the bridge to the highway that is by Richard Norman's house, * and that the towne will pay him." It was first built of timber, and in 1644 an agreement was made by the town with John Pickering to keep it in repair for six- teen years ; but in 1646 it was taken down and a cause- way built instead,
Next east of the bridge and north-east of Boston street were two houses, owned in 1659 by Giles Corey, the resolute martyr of witchcraft times. The western one, which stood eight rods north-west from the north corner of Boston and Federal streets, was his own homestead ; the other, which stood four rods north-west from the north corner of Boston and Fowler streets, had been the home- stead of John Alderman, who had left it by will to Ezra and Nathaniel Clapp of Dorchester. They gave a deed of it in 1663 to Giles Corey, who had been "several years in possession," describing it as "one dwelling house and two acres of land," "bounded with the land of Robert Buffum, east, and the land of said Giles Corey, west, abutting upon the North River north and the street south."
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