USA > Massachusetts > Bristol County > New Bedford > The history of New Bedford, Bristol County, Massachusetts : including a history of the old township of Dartmouth and the present townships of Westport, Dartmouth, and Fairhaven, from their settlement to the present time > Part 16
USA > Massachusetts > Bristol County > Westport > The history of New Bedford, Bristol County, Massachusetts : including a history of the old township of Dartmouth and the present townships of Westport, Dartmouth, and Fairhaven, from their settlement to the present time > Part 16
USA > Massachusetts > Bristol County > Dartmouth > The history of New Bedford, Bristol County, Massachusetts : including a history of the old township of Dartmouth and the present townships of Westport, Dartmouth, and Fairhaven, from their settlement to the present time > Part 16
USA > Massachusetts > Bristol County > Fairhaven > The history of New Bedford, Bristol County, Massachusetts : including a history of the old township of Dartmouth and the present townships of Westport, Dartmouth, and Fairhaven, from their settlement to the present time > Part 16
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We occasionally but rarely see a member of either sex who ap- pears in good taste; and they are usually of that class of fortunate persons who appear well in any dress-nature's gentlefolk.
It is quite remarkable that George Fox, in his adherence to nature and simplicity, should have shaved off his beard. Some years ago a minister of the Society of Friends from North Carolina who wore a flowing beard preached in the meeting-house on Spring street.
Don't let any dear old Friend say that "these are but worldly views, creaturely notions," for, if we mistake not, this same fearful " world " has had something to do with the innovations herein re- marked upon.
These criticisms are not intended to be offensive or unjustly severe, for the writer would not detract from the real merits of a body with which he has so much unity, and from which his ancestors for many generations sprang.
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that nothing should escape him that had a tendency unnecessarily to hurt or wound, and he was pecul- iarly guarded as to whatever might lessen or injure the character of another. Being possessed of a meek and quiet spirit, Christian humility was in- deed a conspicuous trait in his character, which led him to prefer others to himself. By this blameless life and conversation, and the uprightness of his dealings among men, he endeared himself to all who were intimately acquainted with him, -the youth as well as the aged,-and was generally be- loved and respected beyond the limits of the soci- ety of which he was a member."
The life of James Davis was truly one of great peace and beauty,-so much so that it was almost void of any striking incidents. Such persons are rare indeed ; but their example is none the less val- uable and instructive. It certainly is the greatest mystery to possess the spirit in peace. The mem- ory of his transcendent worth will be long remem- bered and cherished in this community.
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CHAPTER XX.
THE EARLY AND CONTINUED ANTI-SLAVERY CHARACTER OF NEW BEDFORD - BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF CAPT. PAUL CUFFEE-LINES WRITTEN BY PHILLIS WHEATLEY.
I HAVE before spoken of the anti-slavery principles of the early inhabitants of New Bedford, growing out of the influence of the Society of Friends. It is said that at one time in the early part of the present century there was hardly a house in the place which had not given shelter and succor to a fugitive slave. Here he found a rest and protec- tion ; and at the present day, once arrived within our borders, the panting seeker for a land of liberty feels himself comparatively safe. The number of the colored population of New Bedford has always been large, and has increased proportionally with the growth of the place. At present there are proba- bly between two and three thousand, many of them among our most respectable and worthy citi- zens, and in their general character, as a whole, re- markable for their morality, industry, and thrift. For a number of years the children have had equal advantages with those of the white population in our public schools, and many of them have been among the best scholars. With the old stock of the people of New Bedford, owing to the early in- fluence of the anti-slavery principles of the Society of Friends, there is but little prejudice against color, and a general willingness and desire that the col-
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ored population may enjoy equal rights and privi- leges with themselves. This to a considerable ex- tent has been granted, and, so far as I am able to judge, not only with no disadvantage, but on the contrary has added to the respectability and pros- perity of the place. The passage of the odious " Fugitive Slave Bill " was received here, as will be well remembered, by an almost universal contempt; and it is thought that the rendition of a fugitive from our city could not be effected. We trust that the attempt will never be made.
In this connection I should not omit to notice Captain Paul Cuffee, a man of great worth, and who possessed a most noble character. He was born on Cuttyhunk, one of the Elizabeth Islands, in the year 1759, and died at his house in West- port, where he owned a farm of one hundred acres, in the autumn of 1817. He lies buried in the Friends' burying-ground near his farm.
The father of Paul Cuffee was a native of Africa, a slave belonging to Slocum, of Dartmouth. His mother was a native Indian, by the name of Ruth Moses. It was the custom then, as now, for the slave to take the surname of his master, and the father of Paul was, I conclude, known as Cuffee Slocum. But Paul, with the spirit of a freeman, chose the name his father brought from Africa. I have, however, seen it stated that the name of the father of Paul was John. In the year 1773, when Paul was about fourteen years of age, his father, dying, left a widow with six daughters to the care of him and his brothers.
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Although he had no learning, except what he received from the hand of friendship, yet by that means he advanced to a considerable degree of knowledge in arithmetic and navigation. Of the latter he learned enough in two weeks to enable him to command his own vessel in his voyages to many ports in the Southern States, the West Indies, England, Russia, and to Africa.
He afterwards became a worthy and much respected member of the Society of Friends, and occasionally appeared in the ministry. His com- munications were usually short and modestly expressed, but marked by good sense and a deep devotional feeling. His great respectability and noble character rendered him a welcome guest at the house and table of the late venerable William Rotch and other members of his family, as well as of the Society of Friends generally. A little anecdote connected with this subject I have heard related. On the occasion of one of his visits, he stopped at one of the public houses in this place; and while warming himself by the fire in 'the travellers' room, the hour of dinner having arrived, the landlady came to Friend Cuff, and told him that she would prepare a separate table for him. He politely thanked her for the attention, and then informed her, much to her chagrin, that he had previously accepted an invitation to dine with William Rotch.
Upon a certain occasion William Rotch, Sen., and some English Friends attended the meeting in Westport, of which Paul Cuffee was a member,
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the meeting-house, as before stated, being not far from his house. At the close of the meeting, the strangers, with their kind companion on this visit, were invited to dine with Friend Cuffee, a recip- rocal kindness which was readily accepted by his friend on the behalf of himself and his guests. After the dinner was laid upon the table in a neat and bountiful manner, Friend Rotch observed that Paul and his wife had no chairs set for themselves, and were modestly preparing to retire or remain until their guests had dined. At this Friend Rotch arose, and, in a firm but kind manner, addressing his host and hostess, said that he could not consent to such an arrangement, and that he should not take his seat at the table unless Paul and his wife presided. With all his gentleness and humanity, no man was more unflinching where a matter of conscience was concerned than Friend Rotch, and Paul was too well acquainted with this trait in his friend's character to demur. The company was soon seated, and an agreeable as well as bountiful dinner partaken of.
Paul Cuffee, or Cuff, is represented to have been a man of noble personal appearance, tall, portly, and dignified in his bearing. His complexion was not dark, and his hair was straight. After he became a member of the Society of Friends, he wore the plain dress. His farm was situated upon the west shore of the Westport River, a short distance below " Hix's bridge." The house stood near the shore, where he also had his wharf and a storehouse. Here his vessels were built.
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A man who lived in the neighborhood of Paul informed me, that upon a certain occasion he applied to him for the loan of four hundred dollars, which was readily granted him, and Paul counted out the amount in Spanish dollars to him.
At the age of sixteen he became a sailor, and made a whaling voyage to the Bay of Mexico. His second voyage was to the West Indies; but on the third he was captured by a British ship, during the war of the Revolution, about the year 1776, and detained three months as a prisoner at New York. After his release he went to Westport, and worked at farming for two years. During this time Paul and his brother, John Cuffee, were called upon by the collector of the district for the payment of a personal tax. This they for some time refused to do, upon the ground of their not possess- ing the full right of citizens; but being peacefully inclined, they finally paid the demand, and then sent in a petition to the Legislature, representing the injustice done to the free colored people in this particular. Their petition created a considerable excitement, as well as debate, and was strongly opposed by a few; but a large majority were con- vinced of the reasonableness of their claim, "and in defiance of the prejudice of the times, they passed a law rendering all free persons of color liable to taxation, according to the ratio established for white men, and granting them all the privileges belonging to other citizens. This was a day equally honorable to the petitioners and the Legis- lature-a day which ought to be gratefully remem-
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bered by every person of color within the boundaries of Massachusetts; and the names of John and Paul Cuffee should always be united with its recollection."
At the age of twenty, Paul, in company with another brother of his, David, built a boat. They were to navigate her together; but it then being war time, and his brother having never been at sea, after having proceeded a part of the way on their voyage to Connecticut became so much alarmed for their safety that Paul was obliged to return with him. Soon after this Paul undertook a trip to Nantucket with a boat-load of produce, but in crossing Buzzard's Bay was seized by "refugee pirates," who robbed him of his boat and cargo. Nothing daunted, in connection with his brother, before mentioned, they built another boat; and having procured a cargo upon his credit, Paul again started for Nantucket, and was again chased by pirates; but night coming, he escaped from them, but ran his boat upon a rock on one of the Elizabeth Islands, and so badly injured her as to render it necessary for him to return to his home on the Westport River. After having repaired his boat, he again set off for Nantucket, reaching there in safety this time, and disposed of his cargo to good advantage. On a subsequent voyage, how- ever, he was again taken by the pirates, and deprived of all except his boat. Still he continued his trips to Nantucket until he had acquired enough to look for a more lucrative business. He applied himself to the study of navigation, and, as before
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stated, in a short time acquired a sufficient knowl- edge to command his vessels. He now obtained a vessel of about twelve tons burthen, and hired a hand to help him. His voyages at this time were mostly to Connecticut. At the age of twenty-five he married a descendant of the same tribe to which his mother belonged. For some time after his marriage, he resided at home, and was busily en- gaged in farming; but his predilections were for the sea, and, having procured a vessel of eighteen tons, he sailed for St. George's Banks, and returned with a cargo of codfish. This, proving profitable, awakened a spirit for the business in his fellow- townsmen, who entered upon it, and it became a source of considerable profit to the inhabitants.
Having formed a connection with his brother-in- law, Michael Wainer, who had several sons well qualified for the sea service, four of whom after- wards became captains and first mates, they built a vessel of twenty-five tons, and made two success- ful voyages to the Strait of Belle-Isle. His next vessel was of forty-two tons burthen, in which he made several profitable whaling voyages. In the year 1793 he took a valuable cargo of oil and bone to Philadelphia, which was disposed of to advan- tage. He purchased iron necessary for bolts, and materials suitable for a new vessel; and in 1795 his schooner of sixty-nine tons burthen was launched, and named the " Ranger." Having sold his two boats, he purchased a cargo for his schoon- er valued at two thousand dollars. This he dis- posed of at Norfolk, Virginia, and loaded his
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vessel with corn upon the eastern shore of Maryland, which he purchased at a low price, after consider- able difficulty on account of his color, as well as his crew, which considerably alarmed the people there at first for fear of the unfavorable influence it would have upon their slaves seeing men of their own complexion engaged in such different employ- ment from their own servile labor. His cargo consisted of three thousand bushels of corn, with which he returned to Westport, and that article being in great demand at that time, it was rapidly disposed of, yielding him a profit of one thousand dollars. Another cargo soon after proved as profit- able; and, with subsequent success in the freighting business, the addition to his property was sufficient to enable him to purchase the house in which his family resided and the adjoining farm, for which he paid thirty-five hundred dollars.
In the year 1800 a brig of one hundred and . sixty-two tons burthen was built, of which he owned one half, and placed in the command of his nephew, Thomas Wainer, a man of much respect- ability and capacity for that situation.
The next vessel, of which Paul owned three fourths, was the ship Alpha, built in 1806. Of this vessel he was the commander, the rest of the crew consisting of seven men of color. In this ship he made a voyage from Wilmington to Savannah, thence to Gottenburg, and back to Philadelphia.
After his return from this voyage, the brig Trav- eller, of 109 tons burthen, was built at Westport, of which he owned one half. After this period
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his mercantile and agricultural business had so much increased that he found it necessary to remain at home for several years.
Although Paul Cuff received much attention and kindness from his fellow-citizens, and particu- larly from the members of the Society of Friends, his interest and sympathy for the people of his own color was ever uppermost in his mind. The English colony at Sierra Leone, which at this period had enlisted much of the attention of phi- lanthropists of Great Britain, awakened in his benevolent mind a strong desire to co-operate in their operations; and he was induced to believe, from his communications from Europe and other sources, that his efforts to contribute to its welfare, and to his fellow men, might not prove ineffectual. Under these impressions, he sailed for Sierra Leone in the commencement of the year 1811 in the brig Traveller, his nephew, Thomas Wainer, being the
captain. He remained there about two months; and having received a license obtained for him by the " African Institution," he sailed for Liverpool with a cargo of African produce, leaving his nephew in the colony to further his benevolent plans in teaching a knowledge of agriculture, and taking with him to England Aaron Richards, a native of Sierra Leone, with a view of educating him, and particularly of instructing him in the art of navigation. His crew consisted of eight men of color and an apprentice boy. The notice of his arrival is thus recorded in the Edinburgh Review for August, 1811 :
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"On the first of the present month of August, 1811, a vessel arrived at Liverpool with a cargo from Sierra Leone, the owner, master, mate, and whole crew of which are free negroes. The master, who is also owner, is the son of an Amer- ican slave, and is said to be very well skilled both in trade and navigation, as well as to be of a very pious and moral character. It must have been a strange and animating spectacle to see this free and enlightened African entering as an independent trader with his black crew into that port which was so lately the nidus of the slave trade."
The brig was consigned to W. & R. Rathbone, merchants, of Liverpool.
While in England Paul Cuffee was twice in London, the second time by invitation from the African Institution, whose members received from him valuable information as to the best means of promoting their views. While in London he re- sided at the house of one of the directors of this society, who had received letters from most respect- able persons in America, -one of whom was probably the late venerable William Rotch, Sen., - speaking in the highest terms of his integrity and abilities. He was also consulted by several members of the old Abolition Committee. A meet- ing of the African Institution, at which the Duke of Gloucester presided, was held purposely to confer with Captain Cuffee. His answers to the questions of the royal Duke and other members present, from his frankness and strong good sense, gave great satisfaction. Having presented "his royal highness" with some articles of African manufacture, he received a highly complimentary
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letter in return, which I regret I am unable to place before my readers.
I have obtained the material for the sketch of this noble representative of the colored race from various sources, but for a large portion of it I am indebted to an interesting article written for the Liverpool Mercury while Paul Cuffee was in Eng- land. Many of my readers will remember Captain Cuffee, for he was well known and much respected by our older merchants and the inhabitants gen- erally.
Much more might be added to this sketch, did time and space permit; but in conclusion I would add, that herein we have a striking evidence of what may be done by a man of color, laboring under many great disadvantages. May his noble example prove an encouragement to others of his race; and let those who are disposed to detract from the just merits of our colored brethren revert to the life and character of Paul Cuffee, or to that of the noble but unfortunate victim of the treachery and cruelty of Bonaparte, Toussaint L' Ouverture, and, in another field, that of the sweet poetess, Phillis Wheatley, whose admirable lines addressed to Joseph Rotch, a brother of William Rotch, Sen., are annexed.
TO A GENTLEMAN, ON HIS VOYAGE TO GREAT BRITAIN FOR THE RECOVERY OF HIS HEALTH.
While others chant of gay Elysian scenes, Of balmy zephyrs, and of flowery plains, My song, more happy, speaks a greater name, Feels higher motives and a nobler flame. For thee, O R-, the muse attunes her strings, And mounts sublime above inferior things.
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I sing not now of green embowering woods - I sing not now the daughters of the floods- I sing not of the storms o'er ocean driven, And how they howled along the waste of heaven: But I to R- would paint the British shore, And vast Atlantic, not untried before. Thy life impaired commands thee to arise, Leave these bleak regions and inclement skies, Where chilling winds return the Winter past, And nature shudders at the furious blast.
O, then, stupendous, earth-enclosing main, Exert thy wonders to the world again! If e'er thy power prolonged the fleeting breath, Turned back the shafts, and mocked the gates of death ; If e'er thine air dispensed a healing power, Or snatched the victim from the fatal hour, - His equal care demands thy equal care, And equal wonders may this patient share. But unavailing - frantic - is the dream To hope thine aid without the aid of Him Who gave thee birth, and taught thee where to flow, And in thy waves his various blessings show.
May R- return to view his native shore Replete with vigor not his own before: Then shall we see with pleasure and surprise, And own thy work, great Ruler of the skies!
The fervent wish of the gentle Phillis was not granted. The subject of her invocation died in Bristol, England, soon after his arrival, about the year 1776. His grave was visited by his brother William about ten years afterwards.
For the information of those who may never before have heard of Phillis Wheatley, I would add that she was a native of Africa, and was brought to this country when a child, in the year 1761, and sold to John Wheatley, a citizen of Boston. Evincing superior intelligence, Mrs. Wheatley became much interested in her, and not only gave her a good education, but adopted her as a bosom friend and companion. She subse- quently accompanied a son of Mr. and Mrs.
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Wheatley to England for her health, where her poetical talents attracted considerable notice. She was presented to Lady Huntingdon, Lord Dart- mouth, Mr. Thornton, the philanthropist, and many other individuals of distinction. These attentions, however, did not injure her: "she was still the same single-hearted, unsophisticated being." Her poems were first published in London in 1773, and dedicated to the Countess of Huntingdon. They have since been published in this country, the last edition by Light & Horton, Boston, 1835.
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CHAPTER XXI.
THE TOPOGRAPHY OF OLD DARTMOUTH, CONTINUED FROM A PREVIOUS CHAPTER-THE VILLAGES IN THE VICINITY OF NEW BEDFORD: RUSSELL'S MILLS, WESTPORT, SMITH'S MILLS, ACUSHNET, LONG PLAIN, AND PADANARAM OR SOUTH DARTMOUTH VILLAGE : WITH GENERAL OBSER- VATIONS INTERSPERSED.
BESIDES the flourishing town of Fairhaven, our neighbor across the river, so intimately connected with us by the bridge and the excellent steam ferry, as well as from its particular commercial interest in the whale-fishery, by which the two places become almost identical, the villages in our vicinity possess much interest to our inhabitants, contrib- uting to the prosperity of New Bedford, whence they also receive a reciprocal advantage, a market being afforded for their produce, and an opportunity for investments in the different departments of the business of our city. I shall therefore devote a considerable portion of this chapter to a more particular notice of them than what I have made heretofore. These villages and the country around them, as well as New Bedford and Fairhaven, it will be borne in mind, are a part of what formerly constituted the old township of Dartmouth.
Russell's Mills has the honor of being the first settled part of the old township. Here, as early as the year 1652, it will be remembered Ralph Russell removed from Raynham, and established
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an iron-forge and other machinery, mills, &c., upon the Pascamanset River, now more generally known as Slocum's River, so called probably from Anthony Slocum, who was also a settler in this quarter, and, as I conclude, coeval with Ralph Russell aforesaid, from whose mills the village received its name, as I have also in a prior chapter mentioned.
This is the most picturesque and romantic part of old Dartmouth; the river, the hills, the masses of grotesque rocks, from the fissures of which shrubs and trees appear, added to the peace and general prosperity of a rural district, render the little village of Russell's Mills one of the most attractive spots to the lovers of nature, and a favorite drive for our citizens and visitors during the summer season.
About two miles to the north-east of this village is the spot where the old Friends' meeting-house -the first house for religious worship built in this township-stood. It was built, as before stated, in the year 1699, and was taken down in the latter part of the last century, and the present house, which occupies the same spot, erected. In the old graveyard lie the remains of a large portion of the early settlers of Dartmouth; but, owing to the custom of the Society of Friends, which obtained until within a few years, of not permitting grave- stones with inscriptions, it is impossible at this day for any one to ascertain where the bones of his ancestors rest, except some private designa- tion has been preserved. Here, in their mingled dust, remains the perishable part of the ancestors
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of a considerable portion of our present busy population.
" The breezy call of incense-breathing morn, The swallow, twitt'ring from the straw-built shed, The cock's shrill clarion, or the echoing horn,
No more shall rouse them from their lowly bed."
At present a plain stone, with a simple inscrip- tion, is allowed; but it is to be regretted that in the early restrictions of the Society of Friends the ordinary rude memorials of the dead could not have been spared. In their anxiety to " humble and abase the creature," the earnest founders of this worthy body of Christians were occasionally too little regardful of the more tender and sympathetic parts of human nature. They, however, by no means succeeded in this attempt, for no people have been more remarkable for the kindlier graces and amenities of character than the Friends. With them, if to strangers their customs may appear austere and cold, there is no exception to the common emotions of the human heart, fully recognizing the spirit of the beautiful lines follow- ing, taken from the same source before quoted, the soul-endeared Elegy of Gray :
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