USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Boxford > The history of Boxford, Essex County, Massachusetts, from the earliest settlement known to the present time: a period of about two hundred and thirty years > Part 16
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"To the First Church and Parish in Boxford, honoured and be- loved : Inasmuch as you have called to the sacred office of a Gospel minister among you, and have voted me such a maintenance as, accord- ing to the situation, may be sufficient, together with such an agreeable harmony among yourselves in desiring a re-settlement of the ordinances of Christ, and your unexpected unanimity, both in church and parish, and having taken those previous steps necessary to determine myself in such important affairs, I take the present opportunity to express my gratitude to you for having such an esteem for me, which I trust has moved you to act as you have, and hereby testify my acceptance of your invitation with an humble dependence upon Divine grace that I may be enabled to act in the station of a minister of Christ among you, agreeable to those sacred rules delivered to us from Heaven ; at the same time entreating your earnest prayers for me that, in the course of my ministrations among you, we may be preserved in that unity and charity, with all other Christian graces, necessary to be exer- cised between those who stand in so near and sacred a relation to each other. And it is my earnest desire and prayer to God that we all may be perfect and of one mind, living in peace, that the God of Love and Peace may be with us.
" CAMBRIDGE, Dec. 29, 1758."
" ELIZUR HOLYOKE.
Jan. 8, 1759, the church met, and sent letters to the First Church in Boston, Third Church in Dedham, church in Wilmington, First Church in Danvers, Second Church in Boxford, First Church in Bradford, church in Topsfield, Second Church in Rowley (now Georgetown), and church in Byfield, desiring their assistance, by their elders and messengers, in the ordination of Mr. Holyoke. Jan. 31, every thing being ready, the ordination duties were per- formed. The exercises began with prayer by Rev. Mr.
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Morrill ; Rev. Mr. Cushing then preached from I Thess. v. 12, 13; Rev. Mr. Clark prayed, and gave the charge ; Rev. Mr. Emerson prayed after the charge was given; and Rev. Mr. Parsons of Bradford gave the "right hand of fellow- ship." To the record of the exercises, which was made by his own hand, Mr. Holyoke adds, " And thus to one who is less than the least of all saints is this grace given, that he should preach the unsearchable riches of Christ."
A church-meeting was held April 2, 1759, at which Aaron Kimball and Joseph Hale, jun., were chosen dea- cons. A church-covenant was also adopted, which we here give verbatim : -
"We, whose names are hereunto subscribed being members of the first church in Boxford, in consideration of the unsettled state we have been in for some years past, but now through the goodness of God whose tender mercies are over all His works, are blest in the resettlement of the gospel ministry and ordinances ; hoping that in some degree we have learned obedience by what we have suffered; would now give thanks for what we enjoy. And first of all we con- fess ourselves utterly unworthy of such distinguishing favors, admir- ing that free grace which triumphs over so great unworthiness; with an humble reliance on which, sensible we hope of our own inability to perform that which is good, do wait on God while we thankfully lay hold of his Covenant & choose the things that please Him. - We declare our serious belief of the Christian Religion as contained in the Sacred scriptures, which we own, and acknowledge, to be the only rule of Faith and Practise, heartily resolving to conform ourselves unto the precepts of that Holy Religion as long as we live. We give up ourselves to God the Father as our Father and receive him as our Portion forever. We give up ourselves to God the Son as our Re- deemer, the Great-Head of His people in the covenant of grace as our Priest, Prophet, and King, to bring us to eternal blessedness. We give up ourselves to God the Holy Ghost as our Sanctifier, Guide & Comforter to Eternal Glory. - We acknowledge our everlasting & indispensable obligations to glorify God by a Sober, Righteous, & Godly Life, & very particularly in the Duties of a Chh State depend- ing upon his gracious assistance for the faithful Discharge of the Duties incumbent on Us. We desire & intend (by ye help of Christ's Powerful Grace) to walk togeather as a Chh of the Lord
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Jesus Christ in the Faith & Order of the Gospel so far as the same shall be revealed unto us :- Conscientiously attending the Public Worship of God, the Sacraments of the New Testament & the Dis- cipline of His Kingdom, & all his holy Institutions in Communion One with another ; Watchfully avoiding all sinful Stumbling-Blocks as becomes those whom God hath called into so near & holy Relation to himself. And with the same Seriousness & Soleminity we do also present our Ofspring unto the Lord, purposing & promising by the Assistance of his Spirit to do our Duty to them in the methods of a religious Education - that they also may be the Lord's. - And all this We do repairing to the Blood of the Everlast."
With the spirit of this covenant, under the ministerial charge of Mr. Holyoke, and rejoicing in the again settled state of affairs, the church began to revive. During the first year of Mr. Holyoke's ministry a small. legacy was bequeathed to the parish by the will of Capt. Jeremiah Perley, which was applied to paying a portion of Rev. Mr. Holyoke's settlement. The church was also newly painted * of an olive color.
In October, 1782, Mr. Holyoke asked for an addition to the amount of his salary (about £66), and was granted six pounds extra.
During the years of 1766 and 1767 much of the First Church records was taken up by records of meetings held to see whether "Tate and Brady's New Version of the Psalms" should be introduced and sung by the choir in- stead of the " Old Version." It was proposed in December, 1765, by Mr. Holyoke, who said he had compared the two Versions with the Scriptures, and found the New Version to be much better than the Old, giving a more clear and instructive sense of the Psalms ; and that the "Hymns" (which formed an appendix to the New Version) were suited to Christian worship. After the New Version had been sung for six weeks, a lecture was appointed for Wednesday evening, Feb. 12, 1766, when a discourse was delivered from Col. iii. 16. As the vote was not unani-
·
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mous the New Version was not immediately introduced. Several meetings were held on account of this matter, which were of little consequence. Nov. 5, 1767, Mr. Hol- yoke received a petition, signed by six members of the church and eighteen of the congregation, signifying their desire that " Dr. Watts' Psalms " be sung six sabbaths up- on trial, and after that time to take a vote whether they should be introduced or not. After they were sung six weeks it was put to vote, but no vote could be obtained either for or against their introduction.
" Tate and Brady's Version " continued to be used until they were superseded by "Dr. Watts' Psalms" in 1801. " Dr. Watts' Hymns" were jointly introduced two years later. March 30, 1772, the Second Church voted " to sing Dr. Watts' version of Psalms in the congregation instead of the Old Version." Many of the elder members thought, no doubt, they would be ungodly if they changed the old- time customs. They had become habitually attached to the Old Version of the Psalms, from which they had sung year after year; and to change for the new-fangled tunes would be like putting out the light of the gospel from the service of the sabbath.
The State of Maine was now fast being settled. Many settlements were newly instituted, and in a short time were thriving villages. Several of these settlers were from Boxford, and most of them from this vicinity. In 1766 several men in this section of Essex County obtained a grant of the present town of Bridgton, Me., among whom was Richard Peabody of Boxford. Solomon Wood of Box- ford was employed by the proprietors to lay out all that part of the township lying west of Long Pond, into lots of half a mile in length, and one hundred rods in width, containing one hundred acres each. Mr. Wood, with five assistants, - Stevens, Stacy, Adams, Parker, and Field, - commenced this work on the 8th of September, and com-
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pleted it on the 16th of October, 1766. He was accom- panied by, and acted under the direction of, a committee of the proprietors, consisting of Moody Bridges (from whom the town received its name), Richard Peabody, and Col. Thomas Poor. The families of Amos Gould, Daniel Perley, Reuben Burnham, and David Hale were among the earliest settlers. Enoch Perley went there in 1776, married two years later, and built the oldest house now standing there, and which is in possession of his grandson Hon. John P. Perley, who resides upon the old farm.
The settlement of Harvard, Mass., was partly composed of Boxford families. Caleb Brown went there in 1743; Jonathan Cole, 1746; Ambrose Hale, 1765 (?) ; and other families removed there early.
Amherst, N. H., was also partly composed, originally, of Boxford families. Among these were Andrew Bixby, who removed thither, 1745, and John Cole about 1764.
Thomas (son of Joseph) Bixby, with his two nephews, Joseph and Abner, sons of Joseph Bixby, removed to, and settled in, Hopkinton, Mass., in 1727. Their families were prominent in advancing the new settlement.
Lunenburg, Mass., was settled by Essex-County people. Several sons of Samuel Gould of Boxford married and settled there about 1730. Abijah Hovey removed thither in 1765.
Brookfield, Mass., was increased in population, about 1750, by several Boxford families, - the Goulds, Hales, and others.
Rindge, N. H., was first settled about 1752. About 1776 several of the sons of Capt. Isaac Adams of Boxford settled there. Richard Kimball settled there at the same time; and also Jonathan Sherwin, who became the progenitor of a worthy posterity. Thomas Ames removed to Rindge about 1778.
Oliver, Israel, and Asa Perley, Francis Peabody, John
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Hale, and others of Boxford, were among the first English inhabitants of the Province of New Brunswick. They settled on the St. John River about 1765, and began, with others of Essex County, the settlement of that now populous province.
From that time to the present, families have continually removed from Boxford, and joined the first settlers, and helped lay the foundation, of many prosperous towns and cities. When the West began to be settled, Ohio received the first instalment of our emigrants who have gone to reside in the new States ; and from that time forward a few have settled each decade upon that fertile prairie-land, and reaped the first cultivated crop. And as civilization has pushed on, farther and farther, until it has reached the Pacific Coast, our emigrants have gone farther west, so that we can now literally affirm that our representatives can be found from Maine to California.
Let us return to Rev. Mr. Cushing's ministry in the West Parish. Mr. Cushing's health failing him, he was not able to preach regularly after the summer of 1763. The next winter's services were very much broken, - so much so that the parish voted, Sept. 17, 1764, to hire some one to preach four sabbaths. The next month a committee was chosen to discourse with Mr. Cushing about the pul- pit's being supplied, to see what measures he proposed to adopt as to how the pulpit should be supplied, if he remained " weak and unable to carry on the ministry." No conclu- sive discussion was held with him until about a year after- wards, when he agreed to pay "Tow Thirds of the Cost Exclusive of the Horses Keeping," if the parish hired a minister. The parish did not desire to enter into this compound way of obtaining their preaching, as Mr. Cushing was not likely to recover from his illness; and therefore, May 19, 1766, chose a committee to call on him, and learn his mind, if possible, about resigning his pastoral charge.
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After due consideration, he offered to accept of £30 per annum and his firewood, "togather with other Things mentiond in a former mefsage," as terms for resigning his pastoral office; which was accepted by the parish.
Mr. Cushing continued to linger until Jan. 25, 1772, when he died, being in the sixty-third year of his age, and in the thirty-sixth of his ministry. He was son of Rev. Caleb Cushing of Salisbury, where he was born April 10, 1709. His mother was Elizabeth, daughter of Rev. John 'Cotton. He graduated at Harvard College, 1729. He had two brothers, Caleb, State Counsellor, and Rev. James (H. C., 1725) of Plaistow. His grandfather was Hon. John Cushing, one of the governor's assistants in 1688.
Mr. Cushing married Elizabeth Martin of Boston, April 8, 1740. The result of this union was but one child, John, born May 1, 1741, who married Dorothy Bagley, and had a number of children. This son was known as Esquire Cushing, was a graduate of Harvard College in 1761, and a very learned man, being employed on all kinds of com- mittees, &c., and filling many offices of trust with honor and fidelity. We should judge he was the very counterpart of his father, who appears to be a man of extensive learn- ing, and a very popular preacher.
Rev. Mr. Cushing resided across the street from the residence of Mr. Wyatt. His son resided on the place after his father's death, till he removed to Waterford, Me., where he died in 1815.
July 1, 1767 ,was appointed as a day on which to hold a " fast," previous to calling a minister, which the neighbor- ing ministers were invited to attend. But no one was invited to preach until Sept. 28, when the parish concurred with the church in extending a call to Mr. Edward Perkins Sparhawk, who had been occupying the pulpit for about two years. Mr. Sparhawk declined the invitation, and probably left the pulpit at the same time. Another "fast"
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was called Oct. 1, 1770, at which the neighboring ministers were invited as before. But this also resulted in nothing.
Mr. John Hale built the late ancient Low mansion about 1750, and a few years later erected the saw-mill, which has been constantly in use ever since. When the "Janes Road " was laid out in 1772, we find the mill mentioned as " Hale's new mill." About the same time it came into the possession of Nathan Low (father of Gen. Solomon Low), and was kept in the family until the death of Major William Low (son of Gen. Low) in 1870, when it was sold to Mr. Israel Herrick, who is engaged in getting out ship- timber, as well as various kinds of other lumber, in addition to his extensive farming operations.
Boxford was also supplied with tailors during the period of which we are writing. One of these was Joseph Stick- ney. Nathan Perley, as we find by some ancient account- books, was hired to " cut wescutts."
When Solomon Wood, who was a man of much learning for that time, and a surveyor of note, was elected clerk of the East Parish, a new blank-book for records was placed in his hands : on one of the fly-leaves we find the following " caution" to his successors in that office : -
"A CAUTION TO CLERKS.
BY SOLOMON WOOD.
A Clerk Should be an Honest man
Not one that is Self willd Nither an Ignoramous But one that is well Skilld
Not only for to write a line With Letters fair and Clean But to indite that Readers may Know what his Records mean.
ye[a] He Should be a Carefull man and Not trust his own brain that those that trust him Never may have Reason to Complain.
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Ah one that Never bribed Can be by gold nor what men tell For Such as will its plain to me Expose them Selves to Hell.
For my Successors this I Leve be faithfull to your trust you Shall be Blest if wholly Right if E-re So often Curst. -
The Curs thats Causleff Shall not Come No Shuning whats your Due - But merit none and then Ill Say a happy man are you.
By What I Here Exhibit Do Successors good I Seek That when Im Dead and gone I may by this too you yet Speak. - Amen.
" BOXFORD, March ye 20th AD 1765.
S. W."
A century ago trouble about the various dams across the streams was in continual foment. This was because the fish could not go up the streams on account of the obstructions. "July 26, 1763, the town voted to choose a man to join with other men, chosen by the towns of Tops- field, Danvers, Middleton, Wenham, and Reading, to agree with the proprietors of the mill-dams in the town of Ips- wich that prevents the fish going up the rivers or brooks into said towns, - which they otherwise would do if there were no dams across Ipswich river, - to open waste-ways sufficient for the fish to go up the brooks or rivers." This was the beginning of a new office known as the "Fish Committee."
About this time we find a new blacksmith here, - Solo- mon Wood. His shop stood near the residence of the late Mr. Albert Perley, which house was built and occupied by Mr. Wood. Paul Prichard was a house-wright at this time; and he erected and resided in the house now owned and occupied by B. S. Barnes, Esq. Prichard's wife was an
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able doctress, more by nature and experience than by the study of medical works, and her skilful treatment was much sought. The family removed to New Ipswich, N. H., just previous to 1777. A new innholder also presents himself. This last is Solomon Dodge, who denominates himself "innholder" in 1754.
A century ago, or more, a potash-manufactory, or leach- ery, was located near the residence of Mr. Cornelius Pier- sons in the East Parish. The brook that runs south of his house was flowed, and by the pond thus formed the ashes were leached. Quite a business was carried on.
In an old memorandum-book, found among some pri- vate papers belonging to the Hon. Aaron Wood, the wor- thy servant of the town in the last century, is contained a list of the taxable property in the town. It is interesting in showing to what extent the farmers of the present gene- ration in Boxford have decreased in the raising and keep- ing of cattle, as well as in other particulars. The list is as follows : -
" What the town of Boxford is set at in the list of valua- tion in the several articles, in the year 1768 : Heads ratable, 209 ; heads not ratable, 13; houses, 134 .; shops, I; tan- houses, I ; mills, 62; trading stock, £30; money at inter- est, £843 13s. 4d .; horses, 132 ; oxen, 270; cows, 609 ; sheep, 1,200; swine, 113 ; acres of pasturage, 2,836- will pasture 960} cows ; tillage, 646 acres - produce, 9,692 bush- els ; cider, 1,392 barrels ; acres of mowing-land, 1,880 ; acres of upland, 448 ; acres of meadow-land, 1,0762 ; and salt-hay brought into town, 298 tons."
CHAPTER IX.
THE REVOLUTION.
THE STAMP ACT. - REPRESENTATIVE'S INSTRUCTIONS. - RE- SOLVES. - CARDING, SPINNING, AND WEAVING, INTRODUCED INTO ALL CIRCLES. - FURTHER ACTS OF GREAT BRITAIN ; RECEPTION BY THE COLONISTS. - ENGLISH SOLDIERS IN BOSTON. - DUTIES, EXCEPT ON TEA, REPEALED. - " BOSTON MASSACRE." - MORE RESOLVES. - " BOSTON PORT BILL." -- COMPANY OF MINUTE-MEN FORMED.
E are about to enter upon a series of scenes which have not had their parallel in modern history, and which have been acknowledged by the whole world to have been, in the result, an achievement to be wondered at. The British colonies in America united in one strong band, fought the British crown, and proclaimed themselves independent of Great Britain. That mighty nation was forced to accede to their requests, and thus the United States was ushered into exist- ence. This struggle, - for liberty which had been denied them, - between a few feeble colonies, much debilitated by the French and Indian war, and the powerful nation of England, demands our closest attention, as the part that Boxford took in it was almost unparalleled throughout the land. Though the Yankees, being encouraged by the aspect of liberty before them, fought with earnest zeal and unbounded patriotism, yet we must ascribe the result to Him who rules all nations, and setteth the bounds of men's habitations.
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HISTORY OF BOXFORD.
When the Sugar Act was passed by Great Britain, Box- ford made no dissent to it, as far as we can learn from the town-records; but when the Stamp Act was passed, Jan. 10, 1765, without the Colonies being represented, as was their legal right, the town met, Oct. 8 (1765), to instruct their representative (Hon. Aaron Wood) to join in no measure countenancing the Act. His instructions were as follows : -
" We, the free holders and inhabitants of the town of Boxford, being met this eighth day of October, 1765, to give you our advice and directions respecting the state of the Province at this difficult and dangerous conjuncture. We acknowledge it to be our duty to make supplications, prayers, and intercessions for the King, and for all men that are in authority, that we may lead quiet and peaceable lives, and that we should submit ourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, so far as they are consistent with natural Constitutional reason, and religion ; and would be always careful to render unto the King the things that are his. When there was occasion to make our yoke heavy we did cheerfully submit to it; but when there is no greater occasion, to add to our yoke, and to make 'a little finger thicker than a man's loins,' is a just reason for a non-compliance. It fills us with great concern to find that measures have been adopted by the British Ministry, and Acts of Parliament made, which we appre- hend press hard upon our natural rights and liberties, and tend greatly to distress the trade of the Province, by which we have hereto- fore been able to contribute something towards enriching the land of our forefathers. But we are more particularly aroused at the last Act, called the Stamp Act, by which a very grievous and, we think, unconstitutional tax is to be laid upon the colonies. By the Royal Charter, granted to our ancestors, the power of making laws for our internal government, and of levying taxes, is vested in the General Assembly. And, by the same charter, the inhabitants of this Prov- ince are entitled to all the rights and privileges of natural, free-born subjects of Great Britain. The most essential rights of British sub- .jects are those of being represented in the same body which exercise the power of levying taxes upon them, and of having their property tried by juries. These we apprehend are the very pillars of the British Constitution, founded on the common rights of mankind. It cannot be said that we were in any sense represented in the Court of Great Britain when this Act of taxation was made ; and, as we under-
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stand the Act, it admits of our properties being tried in certain contro- versies, arising from some internal concerns, by Courts of Admiralty, without a jury ; a thing which, we think, we may fully abhor. But, we admit, though we had no complaints of this sort, yet we should have reason to except against the inequality of these taxes. It cannot be denied that the people of this Province have not only settled here at the greatest hazard, but have enlarged and defended the British Dominion in America at a large expense of blood and treasure. They have also exerted themselves in a very distinguishing manner in services for their King, by which means they have often been reduced to the greatest distress; and in the late war, more specially, by their ready and surprising exertions, they have loaded themselves with a debt almost insupportable; and we are well assured that if these expensive services (for which very little, if any, advantage hath ever accrued to themselves) together with the necessary charges of sup- porting and defending his Majesty's Government here, had been estimated, the moneys designed to be drawn from us by this Act would have appeared greatly beyond our proportion. We look upon it as a peculiar hardship that, when the representative body of this Province had prepared and sent forward a direct remonstrance against those proceedings, while they were depending in the House of Com- mons, it failed of admittance there ; and this we esteem the more extraordinary inasmuch as being unrepresented. It was the only method whereby they could make known their objection to measures in the event of which their constituents were to be so deeply inter- ested. This Act, if it is carried into execution, we fear will afford a precedent for the Parliament to tax us in all future time, and in all such ways and measures as they shall judge meet, without our-con- sent. In short, the duties imposed on us by this Act are so heavy that, if complied with, they would bring us and our posterity into slavery and bondage as long as the Stamp Act continues and is enforced upon us. We, therefore, think it is our indispensable duty, in justice to ourselves and posterity, as it is our undoubted privilege, in the most open and unreserved, but decent and respectful terms, to declare our greatest dissatisfaction with this law. And we think it incumbent upon you to, by no means, join in any public measures for counte- nancing and assisting in the execution of the same ; but to use the best endeavors in the General Assembly to have the inherent, unalienable rights of the people of this Province asserted and vindicated, and left upon the public records, that our posterity may never have reason to charge the present times with the guilt of tamely giving them away. And we further instruct you to take particular care that the best econ-
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