USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Wenham > The history of Wenham : civil and ecclesiastical, from its settlement in 1639, to 1860 > Part 4
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place of a marble or painted mantel-piece, the fire- places were frequently ornamented with Dutch tiles representing Scripture scenes. The parlor was sometimes painted, but oftener the floor was sanded ; carpets were unknown in the country. Few houses were painted on the outside, as late as 1800.
As to clothing, that of our forefathers was usual- ly of their own manufacture. The act of 1642, re- quires that the Selectmen should, among other things, see to it that the " boys who were set to keep cattle, be set to some other implement with all, as spinning upon the rock, knitting, weaving tape, &c. They are also to provide that a suffi- cient quantity of materials, as hemp, flax, &c., be raised in their several towns, and tools and implements provided for working out the same." Thus every family was expected to do its own spin- ning and weaving. The hum of the great wheel and the clang of the loom were to be heard in every household. Every mother was tailor and dress-maker for her own family. Linsey-woolsey and homespun had not yet given place to broad- cloths, silks and satins. Our ancestors were not so richly nor so elegantly dressed as their descend- ants, nor would they have appeared to so good ad- vantage in the ball-room or the promenade; yet beneath their rough exterior, their hearts beat as warm and true as in any of their more polished but more effeminate posterity.
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As already intimated, few events of interest oc- curred for the history of Wenham, in the early part of the last century, and some of those come in more appropriately in other chapters. In 1714, the people of Ipswich Hamlet, many of whom had previously attended public worship in Wenham, withdrew and formed a church in their own town. Their loss, however, did not seem to be very se- verely felt, since, besides paying them for the part which they owned in the Wenham meeting-house, the people proceeded to raise £60 for repairing the house that same year. In the course of these re- pairs the ceilings were, for the first time, plastered.
From the settlement of the town especial pains were taken to prevent the settlement of any va- grant or worthless person within its limits. Nu- merous instances are detailed in the records, where such persons were summarily warned out. From many similar examples, we select one dated Feb. 11, 1714: " At a meeting of the selectmen, they appointed the Town Clerk to draw a warrant to constable Eben. Batchelder, to warn Margaret Po- land to depart and leave our town, and it was done and sent accordingly." " I have warned said Mar- garet Poland, widow, to depart and leave the town, and Samuel Patch, that he don't entertain her. Feb. 25, 1714. E. Batchelder."
The selectmen also exercised a careful super- vision over the morals of the actual inhabitants, as may appear from the following record : "Feb. 27,
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1719. Upon complaint made to the selectmen of Wenham that Robert Symonds, of said town, doth live as a common tippler, misspending his time and estate at the tavern, greatly to the damage of his family, these are to give notice to the tavern-keeper that he do not entertain him in his house, to sit tip- pling and misspending his time upon penalty of the law."
In 1725, the town agreed with Rev. Robert Ward, their pastor, to take a lot of land which he had purchased, and to hold it for the use of the parish. This lot, which contained three or four acres, was at the the corner, where the road to the Neck turns off from the highway to Ipswich. It was held by the town for the use of the minister, for more than a hundred years. It was at last sold by a vote of the town, April, 1840, and the proceeds appropriated to building a parsonage.
From 1732, till his death in 1742, the town was represented in the General Court by the Hon. Wm. Fairfield. He was regularly re-elected every year, and by a large majority. During the session of 1741, he was Speaker of the House of Representa- tives, at that time the highest office in the gift of the people, the Governor and Lieut. Governor being appointed by the King.
In these days every town was required to pay its own deputy, but in case a town failed to send once within a certain number of years, it was lia- ble to a fine. In this state of things, men who
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were possessed of property and leisure, and withal, had a share of ambition, would sometimes offer to forego their salary, and even to pay their own ex- penses in case they were elected. Such an ar- rangement seems to have been made several times in the early history of Wenham. But even so, it was not always possible to secure the services of a representative. The people seem to have been so absorbed in their own affairs as often to take less interest than is usually now the case in the affairs of the nation. Thus in 1749, May 17th, we find the following record: " At a meeting of the freehold- ers and other inhabitants of Wenham, lawfully warned and assembled in order to make choice of a person to represent them in a great and general court in Boston, upon Wednesday, the thirty-first day of May current, after several trials made for the choice of a person for said service, none could be obtained, and therefore the compassionate re- gards of the Honorable, the House of Representa- tives were humbly requested." Whether these " compassionate regards " were obtained or not, history does not inform us. At all events, no rep- resentative was chosen for six years, and but two during the twenty-five years which followed. A somewhat similar record to the above is found May 14, 1736, viz .: " At a town meeting to choose a representative, we being met together, have en- deavored by all the best means we could, but could not have a legal choice, and so dismissed the meet-
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ing and returned the precept, praying the favor of the Honorable Court of Representatives."
During the French War of 1756 to 1763, the re- sources of most of the New England towns were severely taxed. Several of the inhabitants of Wen- ham enlisted in the regiment commanded by Col. Ichabod Plaisted, of Salem. Perhaps in conse- quence of this, the Rev. Mr. Swain was chosen as their chaplain, and accompanied them in the expe- dition to Crown Point. Two years earlier, the French settlements in Acadia were reduced, and the inhabitants forced to remove. The event has been recently brought into general notice by the thrilling tale of the wanderings of Evangeline, as related by one of our most popular poets. One of the families appears to have fallen to the share of Wenham, and repeated orders are given by the se- lectmen, for various articles for their support. Their names are nowhere found, being probably too hard for the learning of the town officers. They are mentioned simply as "neutral French," or the "French family." They are supposed to have occupied the place now known as Herrick's Corner. The house was at this time owned by Mr. Jonathan Porter, and was rented by him, with the garden belonging to it, for 20s. per annum. This rent was afterwards changed to " 14s. and 8d. and the herbage of the burying place." Whether Ga- briel or Evangeline visited this family in their wan- derings, we are not informed. The " French neu-
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trals " were finally disposed of, Dec. 20, 1762, to Dr. Putnam, of Danvers.
At the commencement of this war, all the colo- nies north of Virginia met by their delegates, at Albany, and drew up a plan of union for the differ- ent colonies, by which they might co-operate more effectually against their enemies, the French and Indians. This instrument was signed by all the deputies, except those from Connecticut, on the 4th of July, 1754, just twenty-two years before the Declaration of Independence. It provided that a General Assembly should be formed by deputies from each of the colonies, and that this Assembly should have the power of enacting laws, imposing taxes, arranging for the common defence, &c., subject to a veto from the Governor General, who was to be appointed by the King. It will be perceived that this plan of union much resembles the one afterwards adopted by the provincial Con- gress. It proved, however, to be extremely dis- tasteful to the people. A town meeting of the in- habitants of Wenham was called to consider the subject, and " the question being put, whether the plan for a general union of the several colonies on this continent shall pass to be enacted, it was unanimously resolved in the negative." And then a resolution was passed, which was also unanimous, instructing Capt. John Dodge, their representative, "to use the utmost of his endeavors to prevent any plan for a union, that may be concerted by the
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General Court." The latter part of this resolution probably referred to another plan proposed by the mother country, that the Governors, and one of the Council from each colony, should annually meet and be invested with similar powers to those above granted to the assembly of deputies. Neither of these plans was carried into effect. It is not unlikely that the local attachment of each colony to its own charter and form of government had its influence in the matter ; but the principal opposition arose from jealousy of giving the mother country or the King too much power. It is wor- thy of remark, as showing the spirit of the colo- nies, even at that early day, that they volunteered, if the union should go into effect, to manage the war upon this continent, without any help from England.
The part which the people of Wenham bore in the events of these old wars, is unfortunately not recorded. The men who took part in those scenes have long since passed away. In those tedious and often bloody campaigns, we have no doubt that the people of this town contributed their full share both of blood and treasure. It has been estimated that nearly one-third of the men in the colony, able to do military duty, were called into the field in the course of this war, and every town was com- pelled to furnish its quota both of troops and pro- visions. The burdens, which our ancestors had to bear in these protracted struggles, were such as
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can hardly be estimated or imagined by the people of this generation. It is no small proof of the in- herent energy and vitality of the colonies, that they not only sustained these continual drafts upon their strength and resources, but continued to in- crease in numbers as well as in material wealth and prosperity in spite of them.
At this period, much of the country was yet covered with extensive forests, in which wild beasts were still not uncommon. Between 1752 and 1757, the wolves seem to have been unusually numerous and troublesome. In 1754, one article in a warrant for a town meeting was, " to see what measures the town will come into for the destruc- tion of wolves." Accordingly a vote was passed to give, in conjunction with the towns of Ipswich, Manchester, Gloucester, and Beverly, “ A bounty of £6 13s. 4d. in addition to the province bounty, to any person or persons who shall kill a wolf, or wolf's whelp, within the limits of the towns afore- said." The next year a vote was also passed, offering " to Jona. Page, of Lunenburg, or Robert Dodge of Beverly, or any other person, who shall kill a wolf within the limits of the above towns, during the next twelve months, the bounty of 28s. out of the money of the town, for each wolf so killed."
After the close of the French War, the currency became again depreciated. A committee appointed in 1765, to investigate the effect of this upon Mr.
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Swain's salary, " and to run a parallel between the price of the necessaries of life, from this day back to the day when he was settled with us in the work of the ministry," reported that £57 ought to be added to his salary, which was originally £70. In addition to this, £30 was granted to him the next spring, “ to relieve him from immediate em- barrassments."
The prices of labor on the highway, were fixed in 1763, at two shillings per day, for every man ; one shilling and fourpence for every yoke of oxen ; one shilling for a cart, the same for a horse, and one shilling fourpence for a plough.
REVOLUTIONARY PERIOD.
WE come now to a most interesting and impor- tant portion of the history of the town. But I must commence with apologizing for the meagre and unsatisfactory sketch, which even after the most careful research, it is in my power to give of it. The persons who lived and acted a prominent part in the scenes of that day, are all gone. Scarcely one or two survive, who can faintly remem- ber the closing scenes of the war. Had the task been attempted twelve or fifteen years ago, while several who distinctly remembered those scenes, were still alive, many important particulars might have been preserved, which are now irrecoverably lost. Many anecdotes and traditions of things trivial in themselves, would still have been valua- ble, as showing the spirit of the times, and giving breadth and fullness to a picture of which we are able to present only the rude outlines.
The idea of taxing the colonies by Act of Parlia- ment, for the benefit of the home government, had
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long been entertained in England. Sir Robert Walpole, when the proposal was made to him in 1735, while he was Prime Minister, replied, “ I leave it to some of my successors, who are bolder than I." And Pitt, twenty years later, said, " I will never burn my fingers with an American Stamp Act." But soon after the French War, the ministry, not perceiving the difficulties which those great statesmen had foreseen, determined to impose a tax upon the colonies. The beginning of these measures was the odious Stamp Act, passed in 1765, and the manner in which it was received, might have shown the people of England that the inhabi- tants of the various colonies knew and prized their rights, and were not disposed to give them up without a struggle. The Stamp Act was soon re- pealed, and the people rejoiced as if their troubles were at an end. But other measures of taxation were speedily introduced, including a tariff upon glass, paper, and tea. The duties upon these arti- cles were also taken off in 1770, except those upon tea. The merchants, in many towns of the State, at once determined to import no more tea, and the people sustained them in that resolution. The measure found more favor with the men than with the female part of the community, who, though they were generally on the side of freedom, were many of them unwilling to give up their favorite beverage. Many amusing anecdotes are told of the manner in which they used secretly to obtain
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and drink it in the absence of their husbands, whose unexpected return home sometimes sadly disappointed their hopes and deranged their schemes.
In 1768, the town appointed Benjamin Fairfield, as their delegate " to convene with such persons as shall be sent from the several towns in this province, as a committee of convention, to meet in Faneuil Hall, in Boston, that such measures may be consulted and advised, as His Majesty's service and the peace and safety of his subjects in this province may require." This convention continued its sessions for several days, and the difficulties between the mother country and her colonies were fully discussed.
The people of Boston were, from their position and circumstances, placed in the van of the revolu- tionary movement. But though they thus stood in the forefront of the battle, they had ample as- surances of sympathy and support from the coun- try towns. Committees of Correspondence were early appointed in the various towns to whom the people of Boston communicated respecting their grievances, and thus a mutual good understanding was kept up between them and every part of the commonwealth. Thus the inhabitants of the coun- try were informed of every event of importance as soon as it occurred, and their minds were gradually prepared for prompt and decisive action, when the hour of action had arrived. The example of Mas-
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sachusetts, in this respect, was followed by other States, and these committees, by diffusing informa- tion and promoting harmony of sentiment and action, became an important part of the machinery of the Revolution.
A meeting of the people of Wenham was called May 19, 1773, to take into consideration the letters and pamphlet of the Boston Committee of Corres- pondence. Benjamin Fairfield was chosen mode- rator, and the subject was referred to a committee of five persons, viz., Messrs. Benjamin Fairfield, John Friend, Daniel Kilham, Jr., Tyler Porter, and Edward Waldron, with instructions to make a report at an adjourned meeting. This report was as follows : '
" We, the subscribers, being a committee ap- pointed to take into consideration the Boston let- ters from the Committee of Correspondence of said town, wherein are inserted certain grievances, having maturely considered the same, are of opin- ion that the rights of the colonies, and of this, in particular, are infringed upon in many instances, and therefore is a great grievance to all His Majes- ty's loyal subjects, and has a direct tendency to the destruction of our happy constitution. We will not descend into particulars, they having been so often enumerated before, but only mention some of the most obvious, viz. : the giving our chief for- tress into the hands of His Majesty's troops, over
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whom our Governor saith he hath no power or command ; and 2dly, the appointing salaries to our Chief Justices at home, and that we are denied the privilege of choosing an agent, and hereby render- ed unable to petition His Majesty, but by way of the Governor, who is perhaps the very man we want to petition against. We are far from being easy under the present administration of govern- ment, and the situation of our civil rights and priv- ileges, and ardently wish they may be redressed speedily. Having no representative to give in- structions to, we shall always be ready to join with the town of Boston and others in all constitution- al methods, to preserve our civil and religious priv- ileges inviolate, and may that Almighty Being who governs all things in infinite mercy, preside in all our councils, and direct to such measures as he himself shall approve of, and may we ever be a people favored of heaven, and may this become Immanuel's land."
Dated at Wenham, June 30, 1773,
And signed by BENJ. FAIRFIELD, JOHN FRIEND, DANIEL KILHAM, JR. TYLER PORTER, 7 Com.
The above report was " accepted by a great ma. jority," and it was voted that a copy be sent to the Committee of Correspondence at Boston." This was two years before the battle of Lexington, and shows how gradually and thoroughly the people were prepared for that great event. About the 7
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same time, the selectmen examined the town's stock of ammunition, (which used to be kept under the pulpit in the meeting-house,) and found it in good condition. An anecdote is still related which may be worth preserving, as showing the spirit of the times. Mr. William Fairfield at this time, lived in the house now occupied by Mr. William Porter. Some British troops were marching across the country, and their uniforms were suddenly discov- ered, as they ascended the little eminence by the burial-ground. The others present proposed to flee ; " not a step," cried Mrs. Fairfield ; " give me a spit, and I'll pepper one of the villians." Armed with this rude weapon, she stood her ground man- fully, but the soldiers passed on their way without turning aside to molest her.
The next year the Boston Committee of Corres- pondence made other communications to the town, and Messrs. Billy Porter, John Friend, Stephen Dodge, William Cleaves, and Tyler Porter were ap- pointed a committee to make a reply, which unfor- tunately has not been preserved. At the same time, the town voted to pay its proportional part in any sum of money, which might be granted by a provincial Congress. In September, 1774, Benja- min Fairfield was chosen to attend the General Court, which had been summoned to meet at Salem, and received instructions " to join the other mem- bers in forming a provincial Congress, if need be." In December of the same year, Mr. Fairfield was
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re-elected to this Congress, which met at Water- town. A vote was also passed " to raise fifteen minute men, and that each man shall have one shil- ling for every half day he is mustered by his offi- cers to exercise." The following persons were appointed a committee " to draw up articles, and to enlist the men," viz., Messrs. Billy Porter, Richard Dodge, Jr., and Matthew Fairfield. A fine of £10 was imposed upon every one who should enlist and fail to be properly equipped, or to attend upon the exercises according to the direction of the officers. Upon the recommendation of the provincial Con- gress, a collection was taken up for the poor of Boston, who had suffered severely in the interrup- tions of business, occasioned by the occupation of the town by the British troops.
These preparations indicated that the critical moment was at hand. The slightest spark only was needed to set the whole country on fire. The attempt of the British troops to seize the Ameri- can stores at Concord, kindled at once the flame of war. The farmer left his plough, the mechanic his workshop, and bidding a hasty adieu to their wives and little ones, rushed to the scene of action. The people of Wenham were too remote to have any share in the deeds of that illustrious day. But here, as elsewhere, the tidings lighted a flame of fire in the breast of every man who heard of it. Almost the entire population of the town enlisted n the service. One hundred and thirty-seven men,
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which must have included almost every able-bodied man in the town, were (for a short time) under arms, although it is probable that many of them served but a few days or weeks. Quite a large number, however, remained in the service, from two months to a year.
May 22d, Mr. Benjamin Fairfield was chosen a delegate to the provincial Congress at Watertown, and a committee of safety was appointed " to guard against our enemies, and to conduct as they think best for the safety of the town." This committee consisted of Messrs. Caleb Kimball, Tyler Porter, Daniel Kilham, Jr., Stephen Dodge, and Thomas Kimball.
The British troops, in the meantime, remained closely shut up in Boston, narrowly watched by the provincial troops, who occupied the surround- ing towns. Gaining courage by delay, the latter soon ventured upon offensive operations. On the night preceding the 17th of June, they ventured into Charlestown, and erected some hasty fortifica- tions upon Bunker's hill. The next day followed that desperate and glorious conflict, in which an ill-armed and half-disciplined militia thrice repelled the assaults of veterans. "That day," Gen. Bur- goyne wrote to his superiors at home, " America was lost to the British Empire." In the scenes of that day, the citizen soldiers of Wenham bore their part.
No other battles occurred upon the soil of Mas-
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sachusetts. The remainder of the campaign was spent in drilling the troops and in blockading and harassing the English in their stronghold. Early the next year, Gen. Washington, by fortifying Dor- chester heights, compelled the British troops to evacuate Boston, and the war which had opened thus gloriously upon Lexington and Bunker's hill, was transferred to other States, where the enemy hoped to find an easier field for operations and a less determined resistance. In consequence of this change in the seat of war, the people of New England were relieved from the immediate danger of assault, and were left to pursue their own affairs in comparative quiet. They did not, however, lose their interest in the obstinate and protracted struggle, which was carried on during seven long, weary years, in the middle and southern sections of the Union. No State contributed more recruits to that noble continental army, which, under the command of Washington, was the principal instrument in securing our independence. Nor was any State more liberal in furnishing the sup- plies of money and provisions, by which that army was sustained. Every year, as long as the war lasted, we find the people of Wenham providing the required number of soldiers, equipping them for the war, and taking care for their wives and children, during their long absence. £10 a year was paid by the town, to each soldier, in addition,
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to what they might receive from the State, besides a bounty at the first enlistment.
From the report of a committee which has been preserved, it appears that at the time this was made, Dec. 23, 1776, the town had already paid, in this manner, £574 5s. 6d., since the battle of Lex- ington, which was about a year and a half previ- ous. At this time, twenty-five of the citizens of Wenham had been a year or more in the army, and thirty-six others had served for periods vary- ing from six months to a year. After this, no reg- ular account has been preserved, of the services of our people. But from the muster rolls, still pre- served at the State House, and from the pension lists, we learn that the town furnished its full quota of recruits for each campaign. Unfortunately, no one is now living who is able to give those inci- dents, details and particulars on these points, which we should so much like to know.
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