USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Salem > Ryal Side from early days of Salem colony > Part 4
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11
This grant to Henry Skerry covered the two points of land which were the subject of the controversy. The Town presented this copy of the records to the Court to show that the land had been disposed of by official action and a record made of the vote, and this appeared sufficient for the town to uphold the claim of Mr. Read to the land under the deed from Mr. Skerry:
Deed, dated October 8, 1673,2 given by Henry Skerry, Sr., of Salem, to Abraham Reade: a certain parcell or parcells of land or two poynts of land containing by estimation about six acres of land in & belonging to the sd poynts or necks of land situated lying & being on Ryalls side in Willistones River soe called it being the two necks of land that lyes below the stonie cove soe cal'd down the River to the south- ward, it being all my Right that I had given me by the Towne of Salem in that place, the salt marsh yt lyes at the
I Salem Town Records, volume I, page 177.
? Essex Registry of Deeds, book 4, leaf 148.
REID'S AND NEWMAN'S
Ellingwood's Cove lies between the 'two points' which were granted to Henry Skerry in 1654
43
THE SALT HOUSE AND NEWMAN LANDS
head of the cove between the two poynts excepted, being none of my land.
After consideration of the case, the Selectmen came to an agreement with the counsel of the Newman heirs, and early in the fall of 1677, issued a statement, which was signed by Attorney Epps. In this statement the Selectmen explained that the controversy had arisen in consequence of an error on the part of those appointed to lay out the land, they having exceeded any authority which the town had given.
Upon confirming the grant of forty-four acres to Mrs. Newman, the town received from Attorney Epps a release of 'all Claime or p'tence to ye Land before mentioned posessed by Abraham Read.' I
Whereas we Richard Leach & frances nurse were desired by the selectmen of Salem to lay out upon Royall Side a parcell of Land for mrs Newman Containeing forty four acres and to make returne thereof Wee haue accordingly, being desired by Daniell Epps senr of Ipswich, on 3 day of July 1678 performed the same in the manner following viz. after the point the Salthouse point was layd out wch Contained about seven acres the line was run neare wollistone river side leauing Abraham Reads land being two small necks, and is bounded by a Cove on the lower side about three rods more into the land then the foundation of an old Oven that mr Winthrop built many yeares agou, and from thence to Reades line runs to the Creke about six rods below the parting of the salt & fresh water when the tide is up upon stonie Brooke wher ther is two Small old stumps a litle aboue high water marke, and the aforesd line run by Wollistons riuer and Reads land to the sd stumps one hundred and foure rods and then we turned upon a kind of whele upon the north eight rods where we laid
I Salem Town Records, volume 2, pages 244-245.
44
RYAL SIDE
some stones upon a kind of a pointing rock and extended the line fifty two rods into the woods North and by east where we came to a little kind of a meadow ground & upon the east and by south of the same we marked two small walnut treese and layd a heap of stones betwen ym and from thence the line runs east and south one hundred and twelve rods to the brow of a steep rocky hill wher we marked a small walnut tree & layd Rocks about it the line being about one hundred and twelve rods in length and from thence to yt part of a stone wall that is against a litle cross stone wall to the uper end of a strip of marsh that lieth against a mudy coue be- tween the Salt house (that was) point & it the line contayne- ing neare yt coue at the south east end fifty two Rods as wollistons riuer from sd step hill to the place we first Began as witness our hands This 3 July 1678 1
The R mark of
The I mark Daniell Epps
of
Richd Leach fr nurse
The lands granted to John Leach, John Batchelder, and John Green under the general lease of the town of Salem February 1, 1677, bounded the Newman lot on the north and east, and while the bounds of the grant appear to have been defined only by certain marks, the walls built by the other grantees, as shown in the survey of 1850, a great part of which are still standing, show plainly the confines of the Newman grant, and in the description of the Batchelder lease, 'Mr Newmans line' and 'Newmans corner' are mentioned.
From 'Stoney Cove' the bed rocks of a stone wall about eight rods in length mark plainly 'the whele to the north ' leading directly to 'a kind of a pointing rock' resting in the identical spot where it was placed by I Salem Town Records, Book of Grants.
THE 'POINTING ROCK' AT STONEY COVE
Designated by Richard Leach and Francis Nurse, July 3, 1678, as a boundary mark of the land granted to John Winthrop, Jr.
45
THE SALT HOUSE AND NEWMAN LANDS
Francis Nurse and Richard Leach, two and one half centuries ago.
After Mrs. Newman recovered her claim, she peti- tioned the Court as administratrix of her deceased hus- band's estate to sell some of the land:
Court held at Ipswich, Apr. 24, 1677. Mr Daniell Epps attorney to Mrs. Newman, relict and administratrix of the estate of Mr Antepas Newman late of Wenhan, desiring liberty to make sale of some land for the payment of debtd, court granted liberty to sell that land on Royall side in Salem. I
Instead of selling the Ryal Side land, she mortgaged a portion of it to Captain John Hull, of Boston, May 21, 1681,2 and by him it was assigned to Mary Green, widow of John Green, July 31, 1691.
On August 9, 1683,3 John Newman, of Salem, mer- chant, a son of Rev. Antepas Newman, sold to John Green, yeoman, for the sum of thirty pounds, the Salt House Point of ten acres. Mr. Green evidently intended to buy the entire Newman lot, but as he died January I, 1690/I, his widow, Mary, on July 31, 1691,4 received a deed from Elizabeth Endicott and her son, John New- man, as administrators, conveying the remaining land upon payment of fifty pounds. This deed covered forty- four acres, 'bounded southwest by land of Abraham Read & river called Wooleston, Northwest by the hi way for the Proprietors of Royall side to goe to Stoney Cove,
I Records of the Quarterly Courts for Essex County, volume 6, page 278.
2 Essex Registry of Deeds, book 6, leaf 2.
3 Essex Registry of Deeds, book 6, leaf 90.
4 Essex Registry of Deeds, book 9 leaf, 22.
46
RYAL SIDE
North east by land of heirs of John Bachelor & heirs of John Green & elsewhere by Basse river being all granted to Mrs Elizabeth Endicott formerly Mrs Elizabeth Newman in yt place.'
The deed also acknowledged the former payment of thirty pounds by John Green to John Newman in 1638 for the Salt House Point, and therefore gave the Green estate possession of the entire Newman grant of forty- four acres for the sum of eighty pounds, or at the rate of about nine dollars per acre.
On May 8, 1688, 1 Mr. Read sold to John Green, for the sum of four pounds, the southeast part of the large point containing 'about two acres bounded northwest by land of Read and on the southeast by Ellingwoods marsh ground till it comes to Mr. Newman's line.' March 19, 1689, 2 John Green conveyed this lot to John Cresy, of Salem, tailor, for the sum of four pounds and fifteen shillings. The large point was thus divided by a line from the river, northeast to the Newman wall. The smaller point of land and the northwest part of the larger point, on which the house stood, was sold by Abraham Read, on October 22, 1695,3 to John Cresy,4 of Salem, tailor, for the sum of fifteen pounds. 'Two small necks of land excepting small partition of marsh ground belonging to ye Ellingwoods, Ryall Side & con- tain 3 acres more or less, of upland and marsh with
1 Essex Registry of Deeds, book 8, leaf 84.
2 Essex Registry of Deeds, book 10, leaf 31.
3 Essex Registry of Deeds, book 11, leaf 61.
4 The name Cresy is spelled in this book as John Cresy spelled it in his signature to his will. Brothers and near relatives of John Cresy spelled the name differently. In the old records the name of this family is found in thir- teen different forms.
47
THE SALT HOUSE AND NEWMAN LANDS
dwelling house, fruit trees, fences &c., being ye whole of the said Reads lands at Ryall Side.'
John Cresy died in 1735, leaving a will in which he devised this portion of his estate to his sons, Daniel and Job. Daniel lived here a short time after his father's death, removing to Andover. March 1, 1737,1 Daniel and Job Cressy sold to their brother, Joseph, all their interest in the property for the sum of four hundred dollars.
Joseph Cressy lived here for a number of years, dis- posing of the property to James Smith, April 1, 1765.2 In the division of James Smith's estate, the lots were as- signed to his widow, Abigail, as dower, and mentioned as 'Abigail's two points.' Abigail married Peter Lovett, and the lots were sold by them in 1791 3 to Benjamin Very, whose widow, Mary, conveyed the two points by several deeds to Daniel Foster in 1798.4
By deeds of November 26, 1798,5 and August 3, 1818,6 Foster conveyed the property to Bartholomew Wallis, who, on December 28, 1823,7 sold the two points to John Porter, for the sum of five hundred and seventeen dollars. The upper or larger of the two points remained in the possession of the Porter estate until it was pur- chased by Benjamin L. Ober, August 6, 1929,8 and sold
I Essex Registry of Deeds, book 79, leaf 166, and book 79, leaf 173.
2 Essex Registry of Deeds, book 113, leaf 275.
3 Essex Registry of Deeds, book 160, leaf 18.
4 Essex Registry of Deeds, book 165, leaf 243.
5 Essex Registry of Deeds, book 167, leaf 206.
6 Essex Registry of Deeds, book 217, leaf 249.
7 Essex Registry of Deeds, book 312, leaf 15.
8 Essex Registry of Deeds, book 2815, leaf 455.
48
RYAL SIDE
by him to the City of Beverly, March 21, 1930,' to be used for playground purposes.
The lower or smaller point is owned and occupied by Mr. Robert Robertson, who maintains there a summer residence, having purchased the point of the Porter estate in 1903.
I Essex Registry of Deeds, book 2840, leaf 121.
LANDS OF WILLIAM KING
WILLIAM KING was a freeman as early as 1636 and was granted forty acres of land by the Town of Salem in the fall of that year.' On February 4, 1638/9, he petitioned the Salem Selectmen 'to have the land layed out that the Town had granted him.' 2
The land granted to Mr. King was bounded east and south by Bass River, the northerly point being at about the junction of Matthies and Mckay Streets and from that point, southwesterly as the wall runs; thence southeasterly to the river at a point west of the School for the Deaf on Elliott Street, near Herrick's Bridge. The cove running into the land at this point was for- merly called 'King's Cove.'
Mr. King chose wisely in selecting this site for his settlement. The land is of high elevation, surrounded by water on the south and east, and, though some of it could be used only for grazing purposes, a large portion of its acreage contained as good tillage land as can be found in the district.
The territory within the boundaries of the granted lands is now traversed by Echo Avenue, Pierson Street, Glidden Street, Sturtevant Street, Matthies Street, and a portion of Mckay Street.
Within the lands assigned to King, John Friend ob- tained two acres of land on which he erected his dwell-
I Salem Town Records, volume I, page 21.
2 Salem Town Records, volume I, page 80.
50
RYAL SIDE
ing-house, the site of which is the present junction of Mckay and Elliott Streets, and near by he located his cornmill.
The acreage exceeded forty, as an early instrument contains an estimate of fifty acres. Mr. King built a house near the river on the north portion of his land and lived there until he died in 1650, intestate. The widow, Dorothie, and William, the eldest son, were ordered by the Court on February 3, 1650," to dispose of the estate, which was appraised at one hundred and twelve pounds, from which William, the eldest, was to have a double portion of twenty pounds; Samuel, John, Hannah, Me- hitable, and Deliverance were to have ten pounds each, and Mary, wife of John Scudder, and Katherine, wife of John Swaysy, five pounds each.
John was to serve his brother, William, seven years, and Samuel was to serve him three years. By agreement with his mother, William had the homestead.2 The agreement was sworn to by John Weston, July 1, 1685.
William King, Jr., who became possessed of the estate, improved the farm of his father and also worked as a cooper. While yet a very young man, he became at his father's death the main hand of support for his mother and several children.
On December 14, 1665,3 he sold to Robert Stone, for forty-seven pounds, 'About twenty acres upland and one and one half acres salt marsh adjoining it being ye one half of my forty acres upland and three acres marsh
I Records of the Quarterly Courts for Essex County, volume I, page 206.
2 Essex Registry of Deeds, book 13, leaf 246.
Essex Registry of Deeds, book 4, leaf 48.
KING'S LANE, LOOKING SOUTH
The lane led directly to the Cornmill and was much used by those living in northern territory, who carried grists to the mill
5I
LANDS OF WILLIAM KING
adjoining situated and lying at ye head of Basse river and bounded with ye said river to ye east and with the land of Abram Warren to the northwest and west, on ye South west with ye land of John Bachelor ... being the one half of all ye land I have lying in that place at Basse River Head the whole containing forty three acres with one half of all the housing.'
The half of this property conveyed by this deed lay on the east side of the granted lands and was bounded by Bass River on the east and south. The house stood near the river, near the junction of Matthies and McKay Streets, and was occupied by the Kings and Stones until William built for himself, about ten years later, a new house on his own division on the west side of the lane which ran south to the cornmill.
King had two neighbors, Thomas Robbins and John Kitchin, both of whom had acquired house lots of King, and, as they appear to have been well situated, he purchased land of Robbins, June 2, 1676,' on which he built his house, the deed describing the lot purchased as a 'part of land adjoining dwelling house of Thomas Robbins and lyes next vs the lane and adjoins to ld of John Kitchin about eight, one half poles-17, upon wch sd land William King having lately built a dwelling house ... so that the bounds are sd lane east and fence of Kitchin south and land of sd Robbins north and west.'
These three houses were thus located on the west side of the lane (King's Lane) which ran from Elliott Street, north along the west side of the wall which runs parallel with Pierson Street.
Essex Registry of Deeds, book 4, leaf 138.
52
RYAL SIDE
King took an active part in questions concerning the laying-out of the highways in the early days of the settlement. His dispute with Roger Haskell, 'about a highway from the mill to the meeting house,' was settled by the Salem Selectmen September 14, 1657,' and re- sulted in the laying-out of Mill Street.
A short time prior to this event, King was a party to another dispute about a way, which was disposed of at a meeting of the Selectmen, June 8, 1657: 2 .
Its agreed that John Porter Jacob Barney & Jefferie Massey haue hereby full power and authoritie to heare and determyne a Certaine Difference depending betwixt William King John Bachellor Nicholas Heaward &c on the one ptye & Ensign Dixey Josiah Roots & Samuel Corning on the oth(er) ptie concerning a drift way from the head of bass riuer into Royalls neck & the pties are hereby required to meete to- gether at the house of William Kings the 16th of this p'sent month wch will be on the third day Come seavenight at 8 a clock in the morning.
To conform to this requirement the committee would have met at King's house on a Tuesday morning seven nights after the date of the vote. No report of this committee appears in the records, but it is evident that there was no highway from northern territory to the Wooleston River prior to this time. The early necessity for such a way for these families is easily seen and its location is readily determined, as it passed through the lands of the parties in interest except that of King, but his lane was connected with it.
It was brought from the 'Countryway' from nearly
I Salem Town Records, volume I, page 207.
2 Salem Town Records, volume 1, page 201.
53
LANDS OF WILLIAM KING
the junction of Cabot and Dodge Streets and passed through the Raymond, Dodge, Haywood, and Batchel- der lands to Abraham Warren's house lot, and, coming out of what is now the golf grounds, passed on through the Green lands to the shore lands of Corning and Dixie at Salt House Point. This was 'the way into Royall Side.'
There were four families living at the northern part of the King lands, that of William King, of Robert Stone, of John Kitchin, and of Thomas Robbins. These, with other families living adjacent, comprised a small colony of Quakers, who, it appears, gave the authorities no end of annoyance. Attendance at religious service was compulsory in the early days, but it was not without the service of the constable that the rule was respected in many cases and the continued absence of these people indicated total disregard or disrespect for the estab- lished Church. In the records of the Quarterly Courts, there are nearly a score of recorded prosecutions against these people for this offense.
As an instance: in November, 1660,' Katherine, wife of William King, Sara, wife of Robert Stone, and Elizabeth, wife of John Kitchin, were presented at Salem Court for 'frequent absence from the public or- dinances; and as a member of the jury, Thomas Robbins was obliged to pass judgment on the conduct of his neighbors. Mrs. King and Mrs. Kitchin were persistent absentees, and as all were apprehended and fined on so many occasions, they were finally threatened with 'imprisonment at the gaol at Ipswich.'
* Records of the Quarterly Courts for Essex County, volume 2, page 265.
54
RYAL SIDE
William King seems to have been regarded by the Court as the chief offender and his influence over his neighbors was the probable cause for this attitude of defiance, for, on October 8, 1659, he was sentenced to be whipped and banished from the colony. He was not allowed to return to his home until May 22, 1661, and, upon signifying his willingness to withdraw from the Quakers, was pardoned.
A short time after King was pardoned, the authorities relaxed from their severe intolerance of the Quakers, but the records show that in this neighborhood for several years, there was a ceaseless and brutal persecu- tion of a small community of people, who, aside from their religious conflicts with the authorities, were in- dustrious, peaceable, and law-abiding.
Vagabondage was prevalent to some extent in these times, but those who practiced this manner of living were complained of by the inhabitants and dealt with severely by the Court. They were a source of consider- able annoyance to the planters, from whom they would steal food, milk their cows, and by sleeping in barns sub- ject the property to the liability of fire.
King had a thrilling session with this element of society, and, in the interest of peace, complained of the intruders. At Salem Commissioners' Court, January 30, 1679, complaint was made of one Samuel Foster and his wife for being at William King's house, disturbing the family, and using very threatening words. The Court found them 'to be wandering vagabond persons and the man was ordered to be whipped out of town at the carts tail Io stripes and the woman to ride in the
55
LANDS OF WILLIAM KING
cart.' They were to be passed along to 'constables of Salem, Linne, Boston, Roxburee and Dedham' and so conveyed out of the colony.
William King died in 1684, possessed of the house in which he lived, a one-half interest in the house occupied by Robert Stone, and one half of the lands granted to his father.
By will, proved November 25, 1684, he devised one half of his real estate to his wife, Katherine, for her life, and at her death this portion was to go to whom his wife by will should appoint. In her will, dated June II, 1708, proved January 1, 1718, she gave to her nephew or cousin, Samuel Stone, and to her niece, Sarah Manning, wife of Jacob Manning, of Salem, all her estate real and personal.
The other one half was devised by William King to his brother's sons, 'either the eldest or the youngest as that hath most need of it as my brother shall judge meet.'
The estate was divided June 18, 1719 ': 'And whereas William and Katherine left a dwelling house and about 12 or 13 rods of land in Salem bounded South West & North on land of Bethia Kitchen & east on ye lane yt leads to ye North River & also a tract about 40 or 50 acres Upland & Marsh, situated in Salem at or near a place called Royall side bounded by land of John Green decd on northwest with straight line from stump in fence to Oak tree standing by ye Mill Pond and other- wise mostly with the Mill Pond & river yt runs up befor ye house yt was & formerly stood on sd land. Now for Amicable settling of the estate.'
z Essex Registry of Deeds, book 36, leaf 106.
56
RYAL SIDE
To Samuel Stone there was given one quarter part; to Jacob Manning, in right of his wife, Sarah, one quarter part; to Samuel King, of Southold, Long Island, a brother of William King, one quarter part, and the remaining one quarter part was divided among the heirs of his deceased brother, John, as follows: to Samuel and William, one sixteenth each; to six children of a son, John, deceased, one sixteenth; and to seven children of a son, Jonathan, deceased, one sixteenth.
The instrument of partition, June, 1719, shows that the house built by William King, Jr., in 1675, was still standing on the west side of the lane, but the house built by his father in 1636, which stood near the river, was gone. It stood for about eighty years and was one of the earliest erected on the Cape Ann side. As the old house stood at the northern end of the granted lands of William King, Sr., and 'river yt runs up befor ye house,' its location was probably near the house of Mr. Stuart M. Leach.
On November 29, 1710,' Samuel King, the second brother of William, quitclaimed to his youngest son, John, all right, title, and interest 'as he ye sd Samuel King hath or ought to have' in the property. 'Whereas William King decd eldest brother of sd Samuel at time of his decease in possession of several tracts of Upland & Meadow in Salem and whereas sd William did not leave issue of his body to inherit neither did in his life- time make any legal conveyance from ye said Samuel King his second brother who is ye undoubted heir to ye same.'
I Essex Registry of Deeds, book 36, leaf 106.
57
LANDS OF WILLIAM KING
In the same year of the settlement of the King estate, all the property devised by William King and his wife, Katherine, was sold by the various heirs and came into the possession largely of the Herricks and Dodges.
Katherine, the widow, probably did not live on the farm for several years prior to her death, for she leased the house to Ebenezer Woodberry, who owned the corn- mill in 1702, and who worked with his father-in-law, John Dodge, as a miller prior to that time. Mr. Wood- berry died in 1714, but, as the house was under lease to him, his widow occupied it at the time it was sold, 1719.
On January 8, 1718/19,' Samuel King, the eldest son of a deceased brother, sold to Jonathan Dodge 'All in- terest and right in a certain house and about forty acres of land in Salem, bounded by land of John Green on the northwest as the wall now standeth and east and south upon ye Mill pond and ye land of Ebeneezer Woodberry decd or howsoever bounded, being that house and land leased by Katherine King ye widow of William King to Ebeneezer Woodberry, Miller, and now in occupation of Hannah the widow of Said Ebeneezer.'
June 24, 1719,2 William, a brother of Samuel, con- veyed to Jonathan Dodge his share of one sixteenth, and on June 29, 1719,3 John King sold to Mr. Dodge the one quarter part which his father, Samuel, had quit- claimed to him in 1710. Mr. Dodge sold the property acquired under these deeds to William Elliott, July 10, 1719.
I Essex Registry of Deeds, book 35, leaf 94.
2 Essex Registry of Deeds, book 35, leaf 209.
3 Essex Registry of Deeds, book 37, leaf 21.
58
RYAL SIDE
The heirs of Jonathan King, and other holders of smaller parts, sold their interest to Jacob Manning, who, with Samuel Stone, sold to Captain Joseph Her- rick, Samuel Herrick, and Joseph Tuck, February 22, 1719,' 'All that moiety or one half of a certain farm in Salem at or nigh a place known by ye name of Royall Side called King's farm.'
Joseph Herrick sold one quarter part of his right to Moses Gage, fisherman, in 1720. John Tuck, in 1721, sold to Joseph Herrick and his son, Henry, his rights in the salt marsh, and, in 1727, he conveyed to Henry Herrick his upland, 'bounded by land of Moses Gage and Andrew Elliott on the east and upon the same line thirty five poles and one third to a stake between Jonathan Green and the premises and from thence southwest twenty poles to a stake and from thence southeast by ye said Herricks fence to ye salt marsh.' On this lot the buildings of the Beverly School for the Deaf now stand.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.