USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Newbury > Reminiscences of a nonagenarian > Part 19
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Though during this controversy, George Little adhered to his pastor, in company with Philip Squire, Nathaniel Cheney, William Sayer and wife, Ben- jamin Morse and wife, Mr. Edward Woodman and wife, John Sayer and Abel Merrill, he joined the Baptist church at Boston, and in 1682 that church assented to the formation of a Baptist church in Newbury. This church never gained many converts, and it was too few in numbers to long maintain a separate existence.
In 1654, "John Emery was chosen to answer at the next court at Ipswich, concerning the presentment about the way to Andover."
April 10, 1644. "There was laid out to John Emery, jun., four-score akers of upland, bee it more or lesse joining unto Merrimacke river on the north, and running from the mouth of Arti- choke river, unto a marked tree by a swampe on the north-west corner, being about one hundred and thirty-two rods long at the head of the cove, thence about a hundred rods to the south- east corner, thence running a strait
lyne about a hundred and fifty-six rods to Artichoke river on the east about eighty rods broad."
March 3, 1679, the town granted to Sergeant John Emery twelve acres of land on the west side of Artichoke riv- er, "provided he build and maintain a corn mill, to grind the town's corn from time to time, and to build it within one year and a half after the date hereof," and so forth. This farm is still owned by the descendants of John Emery, jr. John Emery. senior, passed the latter part of his life there ; he died Nov. 3, 1683, aged 85.
A portion of the estate of David Emery, above, on the main road, is still in the possession of his descend- ants, and there is a wood lot owned in my family which was purchased with money inherited from that ancestor.
Jonathan Emery, the youngest son of John Emery, senior, fought through King Philip's war, with the renowned "Flower of Essex." He belonged to Major Appleton's company, which was considered the crack company of the Small army. In the archives at the state-house, Boston, is the original mus- ter-roll of the company, and it is there recorded : "Jonathan Emery, wounded in the neck." This wound, from an Indian arrow, was received at the cap- ture of the fort in Narraganset, Dec. 19, 1675.
This was a terrible battle, the most sanguinary of the campaign. The In- dians had built a fort in the Narragan- set country. Within a strong palisade of timber were nearly five hundred wig- wams, sheltering nearly five thousand persons, with great store of provisions. The cold was intense, and the air filled with a frosty rime, as our brave little army drew near to the great swamp.
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Around the fated hamlet, outside the palisade, was a high barricade of felled trees, almost or quite impossible to climb, and a nearly impenetrable thick- · et of swamp wood ; surrounding these defences was a broad moat filled with water, which could only be crossed by passing over a large tree placed by the Indians for a bridge. At about one o'clock p. m. our bold men began the attack. Though they were obliged to pass over that tree trunk single file, in the face of a terrible fire from the ene- my, which sent many a man instantly to his death, they persisted, again and again. Six of our captains were killed and a proportionate number of men, before a few of the brave soldiers ef- fected an entrance into the five-acre enclosure of the Indians. Here the slaughter was hand to hand, with horri- ble odds against the invaders. Never- the-less, they won the day. The cry that the Indians were flying rallied our men outside, who had recoiled some- what from the death-line of the tree. The Indians were left dead in heaps " upon ye snow." The wigwams were soon in flames, and several hundred of the hapless children of the forest per- ished in the fire; other hundreds were taken prisoners, while the great Philip barely escaped. Our army lost about eighty killed and nearly one hun- dred and fifty wounded. The total loss of the Indians was computed at about a thousand. After this fearful combat our people marched seventeen or eigh- teen miles " in a most horrid and bois- terous night," before the wounded could be cared for. Several of our dead were left in the burning ruins of the fort. The sufferings " of the Eng- lish after this fight have hardly a paral- lel in history." What, then, must have
been the sufferings of the Indians? The English lions won their victory, at great cost of pain and blood, over the Indian tigers.
Jonathan Emery after his return from the war used this seal, which he probably had engraved to commemorate his deeds and sufferings. The Lion repre- senting the bold Briton inspiring terror, the arrow seized by the rampant beast, the emblem of Indian warfare, which from its position indicates the Lion's victory, The decendants of John jr. and Jonathan Emery have become widely scattered, Many have been, and are still counted amongst the prom- inent men and women of the country. The name has been, and still is, well represented, amongst the clergy, at the bar, in the medical profession, in the military, literary and mercantile walks of life. Some of the family have ex- celled in mechanics, and in an unusual degree as a race, they possess the tal- ent of a "ready writer."
The spirit of emigration decended from the sires. Several of the family pressing into the wilderness, founded, what are now flourishing towns. Mo- ses Emery, a great grandson of John Emery jr. was the first settler at Minot, Maine. Edward Emery, seventh son of Jonathan Emery, married a Miss Sarah Sibley and settled at Contoocook (now Boscawen, N. H,) in 1734 or thereabouts. In 1740 he was one of a committee there to secure a minister for the plantation. He was killed by the Indians while. hunting beaver at Newfound Lake, in 1756. Ezekiel Flanders his companion was also slain by the savages. Anthony Emery, third son of John and Hannah Emery, grad-
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uated from Harvard College in 1736. He was surgeon in the English army at the capture of Louisburg, and was the first physician at Chelmsford, Mass., then at Hampton N. H., where he died, Aug. 19th, 1781, aged 67. Dr. Emery was one of the proprietors of Andover N. H., which for some time bore the designation of "Emery Town." His son William settled on his father's land, being the third settler in the town. His son, Captain Anthony Emery succeeded on the paternal acres, where he was distinguished as a sheep-grower. He kept more sleep, sold more inutton, and procured the manufacture of more of the old-fashioned coverlets, than any three men in his eounty.
Rev. Samuel Emery, born in New- bury Dee. 20th, 1670, graduated at Harvard in 1691, and was ordained in Wells, Me., the 29th of October 1701, he died Dec. 18th, 1724.
Rev. Stephen Emery was born in Newbury, graduated at Harvard in 1730 ; was soon after settled over the society in Nottingham, N. H.
Thomas Emery, son of David Emery, sen., graduated at Harvard in 1768, and studied medieine ; he died Nov. 21st, 1772. aged 22, leaving one son, Thomas Emery, who married first a daughter of the Rev. Moses Hale of the lower parish, by whom he had three sons, Flavius, Charles and Moses ; his second wife was Margaret, widow of Joseph Coffin, of Oldtown.
Rev. Samuel M. Emery, son of Moody and Abigail Emery, of New- bury, now West Newbury, born April 10th, 1804, graduated at Harvard in 1830, received the Master's degree at Trinity college, Hartford, Conn., and several years after the honorary degree of D. D., from the same. He was or-
dained Deacon in Trinity church, Bos- ton, in July, 1835, and soon afterwards receiven a call to Trinity church, Port- land, Conn., where he was ordained priest. He remained rector of that . parish until August, 1870,-nearly thirty-five years. Since then he has retired from the active duties of the ministry. He married Mary Hale, only child of Eliphalet Emery, Esq. of the Artichoke river farm, and grand- daughter of the Rev. Moses Hale.
Rev. Samuel Hopkins Emery, born Aug. 22d, 1815 ; graduated at Amherst in 1834 ; at Andover Theological Sem- inary in 1837 ; was ordained at Taun- ton, Mass., Nov. 23d, 1837 ; pastor at Quincy, Ill., and Bedford, Mass. ; stated supply at Chicago, Providence, Bridgeport, Ct., and North Middle- borough, Mass. ; now city missionary, and minister of Cedar street chapel, Taunton, Mass. ; married, March 7th, 1838, Julia Reed of Taunton.
Rev. Joshua Emery, born in New- buryport Aug. 1807, graduated at Am- herst in 1831 ; at Andover Theological Seminary in 1834 ; was ordained pastor of Calvanistie Congregational Church, Fitchburg Mass., May 13th 1835; was called to First Church (old North) Wey- mouth, Mass., Dee. 1837, and install- ed pastor Jan. 25th, 1838 ; retired from active service in 1873. He marr ed May 19th, 1835, Hariet, daughter of Jacob Peabody, of Salem, Mass.
Horace Brown, son of Hayden and Hariet (Emery) Brown, and grandson of Moses Emery, born in West Newbury Aug. 31st, 1851, was fitted for college at Phillip's Academy. Exeter and grad- uated at Harvard in 1872, and the Harvard Law School, in 1874. He began the practice of his profession in the office of Ives & Lincoln, Salem,
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Mass., July 7th, 1874 ; was admitted to the United States Supreme Court Jan. 1878; was elected to the State Legis- lature, to represent the city of Salem, Nov. 5th, 1878; is a member of the Essex Institute, and of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Samuel E. Emery D. D. S., son of Rev. Samuel M. Emery, D. D., was born at Portland, Conn., April 10th 1852. Graduated at the Boston Den- tal College 1876. A practising dentist in Newburyport.
Flavius Emery, son of Thomas and Elizabeth (Hale) Emery, married Eliz- abeth Emery, daughter of Moody and Abigail Emery, of West Newbury, Nov. 1 1826. Their son, Rufus Emery, born July 25th, 1827 ; graduated at Trinity college, Hartford, Conn., in 1854 ; was tutor in the Institution from 1855 to 1857. He graduated at the Berkley Divinity school in Middletown, Conn., in 1858; took charge of the church in Southport, Conn., where, Aug. 5th, he was ordained priest, re- maining over the society about twelve years. He married Adelaide, daughter of Erastus and Mary W. Brainerd, of Portland, Conn., Nov. 17th, 1858. Having resigned the parish of Trinity church, Southport, he officiated some two years in Calvary Church, Stoning- ton, Conn., when he accepted a call to the rectorship of St. Paul's Church Newburg, N. Y.
Emery is both an ancient and an historic name. In the "Doom's Day Book," 1086, those of the Norman French family D'Amery, who fol- lowed the Conqueror to England, are recorded as landed proprietors in Ox- ford and Devon, in the mediæval Latin as Haimericus. At present the Emerys
of England, as a rule, use the ortho- graphic form, most prevalent in the United States, though some as here, prefer Amery or Amory. From the old records, it is seen that the first set- tlers here, as was then common, spelled the name in a variety of ways. John Emery of Romsey, in old age, spelled his name Emerry, but his will, now on file among the Essex county, Massa- chusetts court papers, exhibits his sig- nature as John Emry. The name is not rare in France ; there its usual forms are Amory, Em- ery, and D'Emery. The name does not appear in France previous to the Nor- man invasion of Gaul. It was brought with the fierce followers of Rollo, gathered from Norway, Sweden, Den- mark, and some of the North German provinces, who in the early part of the tenth century invaded the beauti- Autograph of John Emery of Romsey, ful land of Neustra, and wrested it from Charles the Simple, changing the name to Normandy. It has been claimed that the practice of giving "Sir" names originated in Normandy, and was transported to Great Britain at the time of the conquest. The name Emery, or its equivalent, however, appears in Europe as early as the fourth century, where it is found in Switzerland, Spain and Italy, and it is well known in Germany, Emmerich, an ancient fortified town of Germany, derived its name from Count Embric or Emerie.
Anderson (Sir Names) Edinburgh, 1865, says, "From Amalarich (exalted ruler)-Gothic-has come descended in regular transformation, Amalric, Alma-
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ric, Amaury, Aimery, Ermenrich, and Emerich, the English names Amory, Damery, Damer and Emery."
Though of historic interest, it is not generally known that this western con- tinent, in a slightly modified form bears the name under notice. Columbus nev- er doubted that the lands he had dis- covered were parts of the East Indies or Asia ; but, after extended explora- tion, Americus Vespucius (or Amerigo Vespucci, as his name appears in Ital- ian) became assured that they were no other than a second or western conti- nent. His written accounts of the cli- mate, people and productions, obtained a corroboration of this idea among the inhabitants of the old world. The hon- or of having his name applied to the extent of the mainland of South Amer- ica, by him visited and described, was not sought by the daring Florentine. The suggestion of his name came from Matthias Ringman, the poet, and a few friends, students at the College of St. Die in Lorraine, among the Vosges mountains, in a corner of France. In 1507 they put forth a little work entitled " Cosmographiæ Introductis," in which the suggestion was made that the New World should be named America, after a man, inasmuch as Europe and Asia had been named after women. The suggestion was adopted, and America finally became the name of the whole western continent. Thus was Ameri- cus Vespucius honored in the use of that part of his name which then had been known for more than ten centu- ries.
Dixon, in his " Sir Names," says :
"Emmery (F), Armanarciks (Go :), ' Most exalted or universal ruler.' The Gothic name became changed to Arma- narich, Ermanarich, Ermenrich, Em-
menrich, etc. ; and from it were prob- ably derived the English Sir names, Emerich, Emeryke, and sometimes Em- ery. The forename of the Italian Ves- pucci was also a corruption of the name of a king of the Goths in the fourth century."
Americus is not properly a corrup- tion of the original Gothic, but rather its legitimate Latinized form. Another author (M. A. Lowe, Patronymica Britannica) writes :
" From the personal name Emeric or Almericus, equivalent to the Italian Amerigo, Latinized Americus, whence the name of the great western conti- nent. It seems to have undergone the following changes : Emeric, Emery, Amery, Amary, Ammary, and, in the Domesday Book, Haimericus. It is asserted that the family of D'Amery came to England with the Conqueror, from Tours."
The following statement appears in "English Sir-Names : their Source and Signification," by Charles W. Bailey, A. M., London, 1875 :
" Emery, though now .utterly forgot- ten as a personal name, may be said to live only in our Sir names. It was once no unimportant sobriquet. Ame- ric, Almeric, Emeric, and Eimeric, seem to have been original spellings in Eng- land, and thus, at least, it is more like- ly to remind us that it is the same name to which, in the Italian form of Ameri- go, we owe the title of that vast ex- panse of Western territory which is so indissolubly connected with English in- dustry and English interests."
While it is true that Emery is not now used as a personal or given name in England, it is frequently so used in the Eastern States of America. All , things considered, the name in question may fairly claim to rank amongst the most remarkable in the whole range of personal nomenclature.
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The arms of Amery, or Emery, are :
FIDELIS
SAUVIS.
ARGENT, THREE BARS NEBULÉE, GULES; IN CHIEF, AS MANY TORTEAUX. CREST -OUT OF A MURAL CROWN, A DEMI-HIORSE ARGENT, MANED OR, COLLARED GULES, STUDDED OF THE FIRST.
THE LEGEND, " FIDELIS ET SAUVIS."
Shatswell, Shotswell, Satchwell, or Satchell. John, Ipswich, 1633 ; died in 1647. His will was proved March 30. It names wife Joanna, son Rich- ard, brother Theophilus, brother Cur- win, and sister Mary Webster, widow of John. The widow Mary (Shats- well) Webster, with her children, John, Thomas, Stephen, Israel, Nathan, Ma- ry, Hannah, Elizabeth, and Abigail, removed to Newbury about 1642. On October 29, 1650, she married John Emery. She died August 28, 1694. John Emery was very fond of his step- children, and they reciprocated the af- fection. Israel and Nathan, the one eighteen and the other fifteen years of age, with their mother, soon after her marriage, petitioned the General Court to consent to their choosing their fath- er-in-law, John Emery, senior, and brother, John Emery, jr., as their guardians. All of the Websters were remembered in Mr. Emery's will, where they are styled "his dear children."
Hannah Webster married Thomas Em- erson ; her daughter Hannah Emerson, married Thomas Dustan, and became the famous Indian slayer, to whose memory a monument has been erected in Haverhill.
CHAPTER XXXII.
Thomas Colman, born in 1602, came from Marlboro, Wiltshire, Eng- land, to Newbury, in the party who landed with Messrs. Parker and Noyes. His first wife Susanna, died the 17th of Nov. 1650. The same year he re- moved to Hampton, and married Mary, widow of Edmund Johnson, July 11th, 1651, who died in Hampton Jan. 30th, 1663. His third wife was Margery -. After 1680 he moved to Nan- tucket, where he died in 1685, aged 83. His children were Benjamin, Joseph, Isaac, Joanna, John and Tobias. To- bias, the last child of his third wife, was the ancestor of the Byfield family. Deacon Benjamin Colman, born in 1724, married first, Ann Brown, from the Brown's Spring Farm on the main road. This lady was a decendant of John Brown of Turkey Hill, whose dwelling was attacked by the Indians in 1695. Their children were John, Dudley, Thomas, Samuel, Benjamin, Moses, Caleb, William and Mary. Deacon Colman's second wife, was widow Sarah Stickney, whom he mar- ried Oct. 27th, 1778. John, born 1774, married a Miss Danforth. This was the migratory couple I have mentioned.
Dudley, born Aug. 13th, 1745, grad- uated at Harvard in 1765. He mar- ried Mary, daughter of John and
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Mary(Whipple) Jones, and established a tavern in Oldtown on the old Boston road. The house is still standing on High street, now styled the old Ilsley house. He was town clerk for New- bury, and at the commencement of the Revolutionary war entered the army, where he attained the rank of colonel. Mrs. Colman, a tall, dignified woman, possessing a superior education, and "much elegance of manner, during her husband's absence, conducted the public house with great success. Col. Colman removed to Boston, where for several years he was landlord of the "Bunch of Grapes Tavern." His health failing he purchased a farm in Brookfield, N. H., where he died Nov. 16th, 1797.
The following items of Col. Col- man's military career are of interest. The first is taken from the order book of Col. Moses Little, the October suc- ceeding the battle of Long Island :
FORT CONSTITUTION, Oct. 13th.
It is Gen. Greene's orders that my Brigade move over the Ferry immedi- ately. The regiments to leave a care- ful officer & 12 men each to bring for- ward their baggage to King's Bridge, who is to take care that none of it be left behind or lost. When the Reg'ts are over the ferry, they will march to Mt. Washington & remain there till further orders. You will hurry the march as fast as possible, as they must cross the ferry this night.
.
JNO. NIXON, B. C. To Dudley Colman, A. B. M.
EAST CHESTER, Oct. 16th.
The several reg'ts in this Brigade are to draw 4 days provision & have it cooked immediately. The Q. M. will apply to the assistant Q. M. Gen'l for carriages to transport their provisions. Col. Varnum's Reg't to relieve Col. Nixon's at Frogg's Point this P. M.
Oct. 16th.
Sir :- You are to order Col. Var- mum's reg't to march immediately to Frogg's Neck to relieve Col. Ritzema's or Col. Malcom's reg't (which of the two you find there not relieved). You will get a pilot from Col. Nixon's reg't to direct them thither.
JNO. NIXON, B. C. To Dudley Colman, Brigade Major. MILES SQUARE, ) EAST CHESTER, Oct. 18th.
Sir :- You will have a working party of 300 men & officers ready to go to work as soon as the tools arrive, which I have sent for, & you will see that suit- able guards are mounted by each regi- ment.
JNO. NIXON, B. C. To D. Colman, B. Major.
Subjoined is a copy of a letter from Col. Dudley Colman to Col. Moses Little, of Turkey Hill :
CAMP ALBANY, Oct. 28th, 1777.
Dear Sir :- I have the pleasure, though late, to congratulate you on the surrender of Gen. Burgoyne and his army. Some of them doubtless you will have the pleasure of seeing before this reaches you. It may I think be reckoned among the extraordinary events history furnishes us with to have 5000 and upwards of veteran, disciplined troops, besides followers of the army surrounded & their resources & retreat so cut off in the field, as to oblige them to surrender prisoners of war, without daring to come to further action, is an event I do not recollect to have met with in history, much less did I ever expect to see it in this war. I confess I could hardly believe it to be a reality when I saw it, the prospect was truly extremely pleasing to see our troops paraded in the best order, and to see them march as prisoners by after they had laid down their arms, who but a few days before had preten- ded to despise (although at the same time I believe they did not think so lightly of us as they pretended) afford-
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ed a most striking & agreeable pros- pect. I can but mention the good order observed by our troops on see- ing them march by, no langhing or marks of exultation were to be seen among them, nothing more than a manly joy appeared on the countenan- ces of our troops, which showed that they had fortitude of mind to bear prosperity without being too much elated, as well as to encounter the greatest hardships & dangers. It has likewise been observed to me by sev- eral of the British officers, that they did not expect to be received in so polite a manner. & that they never saw troops behave with more decency, or a better spirit on such an occasion.
We have I think for the present re- stored peace in the northern quarter & although for a little time past viewed the evacuation of Ticonderoga as a misfortune, we may now see it has proved a means of destroying this ene- my.
Gen. Clinton has of late made an attempt to come up the river & has de- stroyed several places in order to make a diversion in favor of Gen. Burgoyne, but he was too late. We expect orders to strike our tents every day, as we have been under marching orders these three days, & part of the army are gone. I know not where we are to march to, but suppose it to be down the river, when if we can get between the enemy & their ships, we shall en- deavor to convince them that they are not to proceed in the way they have done, of destroying the property of our fellow-countrymen. Please to give my best regards to Mr. Gray and fam- ily, & all friends, & I should be hap- py to have a line from you.
I am, dear Sir,
Your most obedient, humble servant, DUDLEY COLMAN.
To Col. Moses Little, member of the House of Representatives.
The following letter, dated Newbury, July 19th, 1792, was written by Dea. Benjamin Colman, soon after the death
of his second wife, to his son, Col. Dudley Colman, in Boston. The latter part refers to Col. Colman's having em- braced more liberal religious views than those in which he had been edu- cated. I omit an account of the sick- ness of Mrs. Colman ; after announc- ing her departure, Dea. Colman writes :
"In the time of her sickness, as well as before, I used to put questions to her that I might know the state of her mind. She used always to entertain a hope that God had given her a gra- cious turn of mind, but she was press- ing after that full assurance of an in- terest in the favor of God, whereby she might be actually ready for the sum- mons of death & meet it with an holy confidence. I can't say that she did attain to that full assurance which she wished & longed for, but about three days before she died, which was the last time I could understand what she said, I ask'd her about the state of her mind, how it was as to her hopes & fears, and she answered me as near as I can repeat in the following words, viz : 'Mr. Colman, I am conscious to myself of many failings, infirmities and shortcomings, I have no righteousness of my own to plead for my justification before God, my only hope of salvation is in the atoning blood, and righteous- ness of the great Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ.' Some other things she spake at the same time to the same purpose, after that conversation her speech failed, so that I could under- stand but little she said, though she continued near three days, I hope and trust she was sincere and sound in the faith, so that she is received to the merey of eternal life thro' Jesus Christ our Lord. And now in my old age, God has a second time deprived me of a companion, my prayer is that God will grant me his quickening grace that I may double my diligence in prepar- ing to follow my deceased wives to that world of spirits to which we are all hastening. And now my dear child, what shall I say to you. You and I
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