USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Standard history of Essex county, Massachusetts, embracing a history of the county from its first settlement to the present time, with a history and description of its towns and cities. The Most historic county of America. > Part 49
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Daniel Witham (Harvard College, 1718), in early life a school- master ; became a physician ; was town clerk forty-two years, select- man thirty-seven years, and died about 1776.
GROVELAND.
CHAPTER I.
ITS TOPOGRAPHY - EARLY SETTLEMENT - LOCAL CHANGES AND IM-
PROVEMENTS.
The pleasantly located and thriving town of Groveland, situated on the southerly side of the Merrimac River, two miles and a half below Haverhill, was embraced in the original grant of land to the Rev. Ezekiel Rogers, in the name of Rowley, so named in honor of the town in England from which the reverend gentleman cmigrated. It first began to be settled in 1649, and was then a part of the territory called " Merrimack lands." It afterwards took the name of Rowley Village, and finally that of Bradford, in which name it received its corporate charter, in 1675. For more than fifty years there was no formal division indicating loeal interest or concentrated population. As the years passed, mechanical industries sprang up on Johnson's Creek, stores were built which created a centre for trade, and quite a village was gathered. In 1727, this section was set off as a second parish, when a church was organized, and the Rev. William Balch or- dained as the first pastor. As a town, it was chartered March 8, 1850, embracing half the population, and half the valuation, of the original town of Bradford. It is bounded, north by Merrimac River; east by West Newbury ; south by Georgetown and Boxford; and west by Bradford. It is thirty-three miles, by railroad, north-east from Boston, ten miles west of Newburyport, and twenty miles north of Salem. Its population in 1850 was 1,367, and its valuation $397,079. In 1875, its population was 2,084, its valuation $833,000, its mechan- ical products $647,518, and its agricultural products $77,072. Its location is picturesque, the soil good, being diversified by hill and val- ley, and is heavily wooded. There are indications of minerals in its hills, which have attracted some attention, and have led to explora- tions, but without practical results. Several springs exist, with min- eral impregnation supposed to possess valuable medicinal qualities. Johnson's Pond, a handsome sheet of water, is located between this town and Boxford, from which flows Johnson's Creek, which has sev- enty-five feet fall between the pond and the river, affording fine water- power, which has been variously utilized from the earliest times. At present, this power moves the machinery of Hale's Flannel Mills, standing at the head of manufactories of that class, owned and ope- rated by any single manufacturer in New England. At this point the tide in the Merrimac flows six feet, which renders the river navigable for vessels of more than two hundred tons burden, and also floats numerous steamboats, some of which are of capacity to carry twelve hundred passengers.
In 1745, Mulikin's Ferry was established here, which served the public till the bridge was built at Haverhill, in 1794, when its patron- age so declined that the daily income became less than "seven and sixpence " per day, and it was abandoned. For a time after that, Mr. Russell, a ship-builder there, accommodated the drizzle of travel across the river at that point; Cottle's Ferry, a little below, also served for the transit of the scattering travel; but from 1795 to 1826, there was no established ferry in that locality.
The want of such convenience was so great that Dr. Spofford con- ecived the idea of establishing a " Chain Ferry " there, by a stock com- pany ; but it was with great difficulty that the stock -only $300 - could be disposed of. It was finally taken, and became at once a snceess, and the property much coveted. Mr. George Mitchell was the ferryman for many years, and it continued to operate as a conve- nient and paying institution till the iron bridge was built across the river here, which opened direet and free communication with Haver- hill. The town contains over five thousand acres of land, having since 1850 received an accession from the town of Boxford, which places more than three-fourths of Johnson's Pond within its limits. This pond is stated to be one and a quarter miles long, and one mile wide. Crane Pond is also located in this town, containing fifty acres.
Some portions of the territory of this town are rugged and wild in appearance. There is a natural curiosity on the land of Eldred S.
Parker, in the shape of a huge rock, known as " Cradle Rock," stand- ing with its sharp edge resting upon a granite base, apparently ready to tumble over, but its position is firm, its over-hanging sides afford- ing considerable shelter. The weight of this mass of granite has been estimated as high as one hundred and fifty tons.
The new iron bridge is King's patent, and was built in 1871, under the superintendence of the county commissioners, at a cost of $84,- 962.70, and was formally opened to the public April 10, 1872. In 1877, the Haverhill and Groveland Street Railway was built, extend- ing from the Boston & Maine Railroad, in Haverhill, across the bridge to Groveland, and is operated every day in the round year, affording excellent facilities for business, and on Sundays brings all the churches in Haverhill to the doors of the inhabitants of this suburban commun- ity. It is much patronized for purposes of pleasure, the ride along the Merrimac being delightful.
The early history of the town is closely interwoven with that of Rowley, having been the ontlying " pasture" of that settlement in the beginning, It is also closely connected with the opening history of Bradford, of which it was a part till 1850.
This town embraces within its limits thic extensive grants, made in 1658, to Ezekiel Rogers and Samuel Phillips, which were soon pos- sessed and improved by the Hardys and the Parkers ; following which other grants were made by the town of Rowley to various persons, which were also at once improved. Besides being an inviting open- ing for the agriculturist, the fine water- power afforded by Johnson's Creek attracted the weavers and other mechanics who had come over from England with Rogers to find homes in this new land. It is gen- erally conceded that most of what is now Boxford, Bradford, and Groveland, was not contained within the first patent granted to Mr. Rogers, but was the next year granted to him and to Mr. Phillips, at the special request of Mr. Rogers.
The first grant of land, which led to the settlement of the original Bradford, was made to Robert Haseltine, John Haseltine, and Wil- liam Wild, to each " forty acres of land to be laid out to them as con- venient as may be without the great prejudice of the town." In addition, each of them were "to have commons for twenty head of cattle, which commons they shall have liberty to fence in wholly, or in part, as they see cause "; but they were "restrained from liberty to erect more than three tenements upon any part of the aforesaid upland or commons." They were also granted " twenty acres of mea- dow and upland to be laid out to them when they claim it, unless some providence of God may hinder." They were cach to have lib- erty to " cut a thousand pipe-staves yearly for the space of seven years from 1649." They were to have liberty to cut firewood, timber for building, and for fencing in their grounds, " provided they are not to fall any fencing stuff within a quarter of a mile of the pasture fence." The further record is that "they are to be freed from all towne charges for the lands, houses, four oxen, and six cows, and four calves, each of them such a quantity, during the space of seven years, beginning in 1649; also they have liberty to keep swine." In consideration of this grant by the town of Rowley, the parties named " have covenanted with the said town for themselves, their heirs and assigns, sufficiently to look to the herd of eattle that the town of Rowley shall put into the pasture during the time of seven years, be- ginning in 1649, provided the cattle be two years old and upwards. Provided also, the towne shall pay 2s. by the day for so much tinie as they shall spend about looking to said pasture." Another consid- cration was, that " the said Robert, John and William doth covenant with the towne to provide convenient diet and lodging, at different times, to any that the towne shall send to keep any herd there." This mutual covenant was subscribed to by Robert Haseltine, Johu Haseltine, William Wild, Francis Parrot, Matthew Boyes, Richard Swan, William Hobson, William Stickney, William Tenney.
Although these carly settlers had not the characteristics of a noma- dic race, their necessities and interests pointed to seeking extensive pasturage for their herds, which they occupied in common ; indeed, their necessities required of them to be very neighborly, and to pos-
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HISTORY OF ESSEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.
sess many things on the community principle. This condition of things is clearly shown by the terms of the grant of the Merrimac lands to those who were to possess and improve them. This fact is further shown by the record of the settlement of Mr. Ezekiel Rogers. It is recorded in Gage's History, that " Mr. Rogers brought over from England with him, about twenty families. Before coming to Rowley, however, he had increased his company to about sixty families. These people, it appears, labored together and in common, for nearly five years, from the time they commenced a settlement in the place ; no man owning any land in severalty from the company, until after they had, probably, cleared up the lands on each side of the brook that runs through what is now the First Parish in Rowley, and had laid out the several streets and roads, as now improved."
From this community of sixty families in Rowley, having " all things common." came the ontflow to these lower " Merrimack lands." through the grants to Ezekiel Rogers and Samuel Phillips. which traets of land were soon after settled by the Hardys and Par- kers ; and here we find the connecting link between these settlers and the Haseltines, Wilds. and others on the upper " Merrimack lands." forming one town. under the name of Bradford, which held its corpo- rate union from 1675 till 1850.
CHAPTER II.
RELIGIOUS FEATURES OF THE SETTLEMENT - PARISII SET OFF - DI- VISION OF THE CHURCH - NEW THEOLOGICAL DOCTRINES - NEW SOCIETY, &C.
In the beginning of this settlement. as with all other of the colo- nial towns, the institutions of religion were of the first consideration ; the " meeting-house " was one of the first things to be provided for, and the support of preaching became an interest of the town. which of necessity made it an affair of the Province, and ultimately of the State.
From the historic sermon delivered in 1820, by the Rev. Gardner B. Perry, the earliest information is gathered, bearing upon this subject, he says : " At what time the people upon this river began first to enjoy the public worship by themselves. does not appear from any record that I have found." The Rev. Zachariah Synmes must have resided in this town. in capacity of a religions teacher. at least about fourteen years before his ordination. At the first town-meeting on record. held in 1668. it was voted that the seleetmen chosen that year should " have power to carry on the minister's house according to Mr. Symmes direction," though he was not ordained till 1682. And for his support. the first year. "he received fifty pounds ; the next fifty, which appears to have been the salary till the time of his ordination. The one half of this was to be paid in wheat. pork, butter and cheese ; the other half in malt, Indian corn and rye." This extraet indicates what the currency of those days was. and is suggestive of the proba- ble fact that " greenbacks." and "national entreney." were not even such " stuff as dreams were made of." at that time. In these stirring temperance times, it may also be a wonder with some, of what possi- ble value "malt" could be as a compensation for the " preached word."
These people were kind to the minister ; they built his house. they moved his goods to the town, and gave him fifty aeres of land near Indian Hill, appointing Sergeant Gage, John Simmons, and David Ilaseltine. to lay it out. The first meeting-house was built prior to the first town-meeting on record, but at what date is not now known. It was located west of the centre of the town, near the site of the old cemetery, and the second one was erected in 1705. They called the meeting-honse a " sanctuary " in those days. This is the record : " We the inhabitants of Bradford. met together at a legal town meeting. 13th March, 1682, in thankfulness to God for his great mercy in set- ting up His sanctuary among us. do hereby engage ourselves. jointly and singly, and do engage our children after us, as far as we may by our parental authority, to endeavor by our and their utmost powers, to uphold the faithful ministry of the gospel of Jesus Christ in this town of Bradford so long as we and they shall live."
The records do not show. that prior to the organization of the East Parish, there were any religions meetings held in that section ; but it is quite probable that there were frequent social meetings held in the houses of those who resided there.
With public worship established, the next step was to organize a
church, or. as they termed it, " to prepare for the settlement of the or- dinances of God in this place." The question proposed was. " Shall the minister and people of Bradford promote. without delay, a coali- tion of themselves into a church and society?" The answer to this was in the affirmative, " provided that the people do their utmost in taking effectnal care. that he that preaches the gospel among them. live on the gospel according to 1 Cor. ix. 14. that so he may provide for his own household as in 1 Tim. v. 2." This, with other condi- tions. completing a practical plan, was agreed to. it having been drawn by the pastors of several neighboring churches called in to settle the matter for the people. It was signed by the Rev. Elder John Higginson. William Hubbard. John Baak. Samnel Phillips,
John Richerson, John Hall. Edward Payson. "To the conditions of
these Reverend Elders the town assented at a legal town meeting the 13th of January, 1682. as attests Shubel Walker, Recorder."
Mr. Perry further relates, that " During the time these things were doing by the town. those who intended to unite in church relation, were preparing themselves for this solemnity."
The venerable Mr. Perry says : " Having. as they hoped. sanctified themselves. they united in fellowship the day Mr. Svinmes was or- dained, the names of those signing the covenant being. Zachariah Symmes, Samuel Stickney, John Tenney. Joseph Simmonds. William Huchence, Joseph Palmer. David Haseltine. Richard Hall. Thomas . West, Samuel Haseltine. John Hardy. Joseph Bailey, Abraham Has- eltine, John Boynton, John Walson. Robert Haseltine, B. Kimball, Robert Savory.
This church was after the order of the Puritan church ; its faith and its principles were kindred to those which sailed in the " Mayflower," and the church then established was of the " standing order," claiming to be thoroughly evangelical, and, so far as its belief went, was such.
Mr. Symmes was a graduate from Cambridge, in 1657, and a suc- cessful minister, gathering 126 to the church. and baptized 238. In 1705. the town voted to employ a colleague, appointing Capt. David Haseltine, and Ensign John Tenney to go abroad and invite some one to come and labor among them. Mr. Hale was invited. at a compen- sation of " thirty pounds a year, his own board and horsekeeping, and the next year his pay was the same with fifty shilling added instead of keeping his horse." In 1706. a difficulty arose between Mr. Symmes and the town, which occasioned the call of a council, but it was ami- cably adjusted through the prudent management of Dea. Tenney, Dea. Bailey, and Philip Atwood ; and in 1807, Mr. Symms died at the age of seventy-onc. passing out from the conflicts of the church militant. into the silent land. July 20th, 1708. Thomas Symmes. son of the former pastor, was called, and settled in the December follow- ing. He was a native of Bradford, and educated at Cambridge. It is said of him, that he " was a man of strong powers of mind, and of considerable learning, often reading in his family the Hebrew scriptures." He was a man of revival powers, adding sixty- four to his church in 1720. and forty-six in one month. Two hun- dred and seventy-three were added to communion during his min- istry. four hundred and seventy-four were baptized, and eighty-seven couples were married, which are indications that marrying and giving in marriage. and infant baptism, were the usages of those days. He died, Oct. 6. 1725, aged forty-eight years, and the town voted fifty pounds to defray his funeral expenses.
The successor of the second Mr. Symmes was the Rev. Thomas Par- sons. of Brookfield, who was ordained June 8, 1726, with a hundred pounds settlement. a hundred and ten pounds salary, and the use of the parsonage and dwelling-house. Under his ministry. 288 were added to the church. 831 baptized, and 176 couples married. He was an accomplished penman, and kept a splendid church record. In a memorandum attached to the records. he observes that " the earth- quake on the 29th of October. 1727, produced a great effect upon the minds of his people, and was the means of awakening their attention to the things of religion." Mr. Perry remarks that " the same provi- denee was followed with the same effect in his parish. and many were in consequence added to the church." Changes in the physical eon- dition of the earth in this latitude seem to have taken away this in- strumentality for the promotion of church growth. and earthquakes are not now reckoned among revival instrumentalities. Mr. Parsons died, May 4, 1765, aged sixty-three years, and in the thirty-ninth year of his ministry.
When Mr. Parsons was called to the ministry, the question of set- ting off the East Parish into a separate religious precinct had begun to be agitated, which caused the people of that section to vote against his settlement. to avoid the expense attendant upon the settlement of
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HISTORY OF ESSEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.
a man whose ministry they did not expect to wait upon. In June following his deceasc, the East Parish was set off; and from that time dates its religious history as a separate parish. From that date, the title of West Parish was applied to the organization hitherto serving the purpose of the whole town for religious worship.
Immediately after the incorporation of the East Parish, a meeting- house was erected, located very near the site where the present one stands, and the first parish meeting was held July 4, 1726, at which Samuel Tenney was moderator. On the 8th of November of that year, the Rev. William Balch, of Beverly, became the preacher, and on the March following, he was invited to the pastorate, with one hun- dred pounds settlement, and one hundred pounds salary, and the use of the parsonage, with the provision that if, at the end of four years, that should not prove enough for his support, as "signified under his own hand," they would give him ten pounds more, and if that should not be enough, they would add still other ten pounds. He graduated at Harvard in 1724, was ordained in 1728, and " fell asleen" with the people of his first charge in 1792, at the age of eighty-eight years.
The early years of his ministry were pleasant and harmonious ; but theological difficulties finally appeared which gave rise to much controversy, ont of which, it is recorded, "a spirit of disorganiza- tion prevailed in many places, especially in the towns near the Mer- rimack. Nine members of Mr. Balch's church declared themselves dissatisfied with the preaching of their minister, and made a formal complaint to the brethren. The church thought the complaint un- reasonable and refused to act upon it." This did not dispose of the matter, the conflict between opposing theological dogmas not being so casily disposed of. An appeal was made to a neighboring church " to admonish their pastor," as it is recorded, "according to the dircetion of the [church] platform, by the third way of the Com- munion." A couneil was called, of which the venerable John Barnard, of Andover, was moderator, which approved of the action of the church, and sustained Mr. Balch. The difference was that which exists between " Arminianism and Calvinism," at that time the vital bone of contention among theologians of the evangelieal type. Mr. Balch published the proceedings, together with his able replies to his antagonists.
Two years after, Messrs. Wigglesworth, of Ipswich, and Chipman, of Beverly, became his assailants, charging him with propagating Arminian tenets, and ably maintaining the doctrines of Calvin, which had come to be quite generally the accepted sentiments of New England planters. Out of this controversy came a division, those withdrawing terming themselves "Separatists," and, joining with disaffected members of other churches, built for themselves a meet- ing-house in Bradford. This was the beginning of the Baptist denomination in this section, which name the new order soon after took. This mecting-house was afterwards moved to Rowley.
Mr. Balch was much beloved by the flock which he had gathered about him, and to whom a life ministry had been given. His life was one of comparative retirement from the public activities which marked the career of many clergymen of his time, and he was fond of agriculture. His fruit orchard was reputed to be the best in Essex County. He was an accomplished conversationalist, and was particularly fond of the logical discussion. He was a man of liberal- ity in opinion and thought. and was ready to hear and read the latest thoughts in ethics and metaphysical lore, and was fond of the society of young men of thought and culture ; to a late hour in life retaining his mental vigor. His freedom of thought and opinion upon doctrines which some thought had been taken out of the range of questioning or debate, because embodied in a creed or confession of faith, led those not satisfied with his religious opinions to make the declaration that "their pastor propagated doctrines not agreeing with the confes- sion of faith of these Congregational churches; and also, that the church neglected the proper means of convicting said pastor of his errors." To this, his defence was manly and able, and while he did not wander far enough away from the landmarks of faith, as held by the "standing order," to lead to schism between himself and the churches composing the council called to pass upon his doctrinal offences, he was so committed to freedom of thought and free inquiry as to remove him from harmony with the men who separated from his communion to rally around these differences of opinion, and found a new scet.
The time at length came when he was nnable to discharge the full duties of pastor, and his people were led to consider the question of settling a colleague. The Rev. Mr. Chaplain, of Rowley, was called, and accepted ; but some objections arose which led to his relcase, the
effect of which was to create some division, though nothing existed derogatory to the ministerial standing of the prospcetive pastor. The division led to the multiplication of ministerial candidates ; but, in 1779, both church and parish united in calling Rev. Ebenezer Dutch, of Ipswich, who accepted, and he was ordained on the 17th of November of that year. He is described as "a man of impas- sioned eloquence, and could, without preparation, hold forth on any subject connected with his profession. He was a man of quick feel- ings, which led him into eccentricities, contradictions, and irregularities of action and expression, and for a time he engaged too much in speculations of a worldly nature, which injured his fame and his estate." Notwithstanding these peculiarities, he retained his posi- tion, and the closing years of his ministry were full of good fruits. During his pastorate, 147 were added to the church, 218 married, and abont 300 baptized. He died Ang. 5, 1813, in the thirty-fourth year of his ministry.
His successor was the Rev. Gardner B. Perry, D. D. , who was ordained Sept. 28, 1814, entering at once upon a vigorous and successful ministerial career. In his historical discourse in 1820, he says : " Previous to the separation of the town into parishes there were 399 gathered into the visible church ; since that time [to that date] 333 have been added to the church in the west parish, 542 to that in this, making 1284 in all; while the town worshipped together 837 were baptized; since that time 1175 have been served with this ordinance in the west parish, and if our calculations concerning the number baptized by Mr. Dutch be correct, something more than 1000 in this, making altogether more than 3000. The whole number who have lived and died, or who do still live in this town, is about 7000; of whom, as we have mentioned, 1284 have made open profession of having obtained a saving interest in the Lord Jesus Christ."
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