USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Wenham > The history of Wenham : civil and ecclesiastical, from its settlement in 1639, to 1860 > Part 6
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eral of them were passed by a close vote. The same year the town voted to accept a donation of $500 from Mr. Edmund Kimball, of Newburyport, a native of Wenham, for the purpose of aiding in the support of the gospel ministry, as the best means of promoting the present and future happi- ness of mankind, and the thanks of the town were officially returned to Mr. Kimball for his liberal and generous offer.
About this time the subject of temperance began to occupy the minds of the people, and the old drinking usages of society were gradually done away. For several years, this was an exciting question in town affairs. At length, in 1825, a vote was obtained, that it was inexpedient that any licenses should be granted for the sale of ardent spirits for that year, and similar votes were passed in several succeeding years. In 1842, a yea and nay vote was taken as to the propriety and expe- diency of allowing the sale of intoxicating liquors, within the limits of the town, which resulted in three affirmative and fifty-four negative votes. A Temperance Society was formed, pledging first, ab- stinence from distilled liquors, and afterwards from everything that could intoxicate. For many years intemperance was rare, but of late, it seems to be again on the increase. The same year, the town voted to grant to the first parish in Salem, the privilege of erecting a monument to Hugh Peters, once pastor of that church, on condition that it
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should be done within three years. As the offer was not accepted within that time, the town sold its interest to Charles B. Lander, for the ice busi- ness.
A portion of the surplus revenue of the United States being distributed to the town, in 1837, it was deposited with certain trustees, for three years, after which it was divided among the seve- ral districts, to aid in erecting and repairing school-houses. A committee from neighboring towns, viz., Elias Putnam, of Danvers, J. Safford, of Beverly, and Francis Burnham, of Essex, was appointed to divide the money among the dis- tricts. At the same time, 1840, the extreme east part of the town, which had hitherto been an ap- pendage of the Neck, was formed into a separate district. The privilege of setting their new school-house upon the common, was granted to the centre district for fifty years, with the right of passing to and from the same.
A piece of land, amounting to about four acres, had been purchased by the town, for a parsonage, as long ago as 1725, and had been occupied by the successive ministers of the town. A vote was passed, empowering a committee, with the consent of the pastor of the Congregational Society, to sell this land, which was situated on the north side of the road to the Neck, where it turns off from the main county road, and to appropriate the proceeds for the use of the Society. The money thus re-
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ceived, with other funds and contributions, was invested in a parsonage.
The want of a hall for public meetings, lectures, &c., had long been. seriously felt by the people of Wenham. Town meetings had been held, first in the meeting-house, and then in the vestry, but it was felt that the former was not a suitable place, and the latter was too small to accommodate all who wished to attend. At length, in 1854, a vote was passed by seventy-nine yeas to sixty-one nays, to erect such a building, and Messrs. John Porter, C. A. Kilham, A. Dodge, F. Hadley, J. Cook, B. C. Putnam, and M. Mildram, were appointed a com- mittee " to erect a Town House, such, as in their judgment, the convenience, interests and wants of the town require, at an expense not exceeding $5,000." Thus authorized, the committee proceed- ed to fill up a pond hole, which had long defaced the common, and to erect upon the spot a building thirty-eight feet wide by fifty-four feet long on the outside of the frame, with a projection on the front, sixteen feet by twenty-five. It is two sto- ries in height, besides a large and convenient base- ment. On the first floor is a large and convenient school-room, with a recitation-room, dressing-room, and a room for the meetings of the selectmen. The second story is occupied by the Town Hall, with a small ante-room in the projection. The entire building is surmounted by a cupola, which affords an extensive and beautiful view of the surrounding
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country. The hall is furnished with settees, and will seat three hundred and fifty to four hundred persons. This building is an ornament to the town. The convenience of its interior arrange- ments, and the neatness and even elegance which marks every part, are highly creditable to the com- mittee under whose superintendence it was built, as well as the architect who planned it, and the mechanics by whom the work was performed. On the whole, it is one of the finest.and most conven- ient buildings for town purposes, in this part of the State.
We close our review of the history of the town by giving a brief summary of its present condition. The population of Wenham, though never large, has of late years been gradually increasing, and is now supposed to number not far from eleven hun. dred persons. It is impossible to estimate with much accuracy, the number of inhabitants during the early periods of the history of the town. At the time of its incorporation in 1643, it may have been 150. In consequence of a part of the colony removing to Chelmsford, the population had probably increased but little at the settlement of Mr. Gerrish, in 1673. At his death, Jan. 6, 1720, there were said to be more than three times as many families in the place as at his ordination. The number of polls recorded in 1733, was 122; in 1750, it was 110; 1760, 128; 1779, 118. From these data we may conclude that the population of
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the town did not vary much from 500. In 1810, the census was 554; in 1820, 572; in 1830, 612; in 1840, 693; in 1850, 977; in 1855, 1073. Ac- cording to the census taken, June, 1857, the num- ber of voters is 228.
The people of Wenham are occupied principally with agriculture and the manufacture of boots and shoes. In 1855, one hundred and twenty acres were planted with Indian corn, yielding, it is estimated, thirty bushels to the acre, and worth $3,600. Thirty-three acres were sown with various English grains, and producing crops valued at $1,040. There were seven hundred and eighty acres of English mowing, bearing five hundred and fifty-five tons of hay, worth $10,530, besides two hundred and twenty-six acres of meadow, yielding 286 tons, valuedat $2,288. Of fruit, there were five thousand three hundred apple trees, worth $5,250, and three hundred pear trees, worth $275. There were also twenty acres of cranberry meadow, val- ued at $750 ; fifty-six acres were planted- with po- tatoes, the crop of which was valued at $5,936. Of butter, 14,655 pounds were made, worth $3,663,75. Of milk, sold from the town, and of the value of vegetables, for marketing, &c., raised here, no estimate was made.
Of live stock, there were three hundred and fif- teen horses, worth $8,750 ; oxen and steers, seven- ty-six, worth $3,750 ; milch cows, two hundred and twenty-six; heifers, fourteen, worth together,
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$7,500. Of sheep, there were thirty, producing seventy-five pounds of wool, and worth $100. It is manifest that many of the previous estimates are very low, and fail to give an adequate idea of the agricultural resources of the town. If, to the pre- vious sums, we add the value of fire-wood prepared for market, six hundred and fifteen cords, worth $3,000, we shall make the value of the aggregate productive industry from these sources, $27,058.
The value of wagons, sleighs, and other vehicles made in town during that year, was estimated at $4,250. Of shoes, made for dealers in Danvers, and Lynn, there were two hundred and five cases ; value of work, $36,560 ; number of men employed, one hundred and sixty. Besides these, four thou- sand two hundred pairs of boots, and twenty-five thousand pairs of shoes were manufactured at an estimated value of $20,000, and employing forty- six males and twenty females. The ice establish- ment cuts annually about twenty-five thousand tons of ice, valued at $40,000. Of blacksmiths' shops, there are two, doing a business, valued at $2,500 per year. There are also two stores, the annual business of which may be estimated at $35,000.
These statistics, taken from the official report of the census for 1855, may not attain to absolute ac- curacy, yet they show, somewhere near, the pro- ductive industry of the place, and may be worth preserving for reference in future years.
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The following is a list of the representatives from this town, to the General Court, from 1643 to 1857.
Joseph Batchelder, 1644; Mr. Sparrowhawk, 1645 ; Mr. Au- ditor, 1646; William Fisk, 1647 -'49 - '50 - 52; Esdras Reade, 1648-'50; Phineas Fisk, 1653; Charles Gott, 1654 -'66 ; John Fisk, 1669 -'81; Thomas Fisk, 1671 -'72-'78-'79-'80 -'86 -'94- 97; Walter Fairfield, 1692 - 1700 ; John Newman, 1698 -'99; William Fisk, 1701-'04-'11 -'13-'14; Thomas Patch, 1703 -'07 ; John Porter, 1712-'24 - "26; Thomas Fisk, Jr., 1715 ; William Rogers, 1717 -'18-'19-'25-'30; John Gott, 1720 ; William Fairfield, 1723-'28 -'30 -'32 -'33-'34 - 35 - '36-'37-'38 - '39-'40- '41; Samuel Kimball, 1729; Jonathan Porter, 1745 -'46 - 47 ; John Dodge, 1755; Benja- min Fairfield, 1767-'74 -'75-'76; Billy Porter, 1791 -'92 ; Samuel Blanchard, 1797 - '98 -'99 -1803 - 1808 unanimous - '09 -'10; John Dodge, '11-'12-'13; P. Porter, 1815 -'16- '17-'18-'28 -'29-'30; Moses Foster, 1833 -'36-37 ; John Porter, 1834-'35 - '50; Benjamin Edwards, 1838; Andrew Dodge, 1839-'40; Franklin Hadley, 1841; Joseph Cook, 1842 ; Edmund Kimball, 1846; Amos Gould, 1848; Moses Mildram, 1851; Benjamin C. Putnam, 1853; Orin Mildram, 1854.
By a recent change in the Constitution of the State, Wenham, as a town, no longer sends a rep- resentative. It is now united with Beverly and Topsfield, into one district, which has the right of sending two representatives annually, to the Gene- ral Court.
The following is a list of the Moderators of the annual town meeting, since 1700, previous to which, the Moderator's name is not usually given.
Thomas Fisk, 1700-'04 -'05 ; William Fisk, 1702 -'03 - '12 -'13 -'14; Walter Fairfield, 1706-'07-'08 -'09; Thomas
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Fisk, Jr., 1710 -'11 -- '20 ; William Fairfield, 1715-'16 - '33 - '34-'35-'36-'39 -'41 ; John Gott, 1717 -'18-'19; John Por- ter, 1723 -'24 -'27 -'28 -'29; Ephraim Kimball, 1725 ; Samu- el Kimball, 1733 -'38 -'40 -'42 -'43 ; John Dodge, 1744; Jona. Kimball, 1745-'47-'48-'49 -'50-'51 -'53-'54-'56 - '57 -'58, Samuel Gott, 1745; Samuel Rogers, 1752; Jona. Por- ter, 1755 ; Nathaniel Brown, 1758 -'59-'60 - '63- '68 -'69 - '70 - "71 -'72; Benjamin Kimball, 1761-'66; Josiah Fairfield, 1762 -'64 -'65 -'73-'74 -'77; Josiah Herrick, 1767; John Friend, 1775 -'76 -'78-'79-'81-'84; Samuel Tarbox, 1780 - '82 -'83 ; Pelatiah Brown, 1785 -'86-'93-'98 - 1802 ; John Dodge, 1787-'88 -'90-91 -'94 ; Tyler Porter, 1792 -'95 - '96 -'97- '99- 1803-'04; Stephen Dodge, 1789; Samuel Blan- chard, 1800-'01 -'05 -'06 -'07-'09-'10-'11 -'12-'13; Tim- othy Pickering, 1808 ; John T. Dodge, 1814-'15 -'17 - 18 - '19 -'20, Isaac Dodge, 1816 ; Paul Porter, 1821 - '22-'23 - 24 -'25-'26- '27 -'28- '29-'37 - '38-'39 -'40 ; Andrew Dodge, 1830-'31 -'32-'33-'34 -'35 -'36 - '41 - '42- '43 -'44 - '45 - '46-'47 - '48 - '49 - '50-'51 -'52 - '53 - '55-56; Rufus A. Dodge, 1854 - '59 ; Benjamin C. Putnam, 1857; S. Porter, 1859.
The following persons have held the place of Town Clerk since its incorporation in 1643.
William Fisk, 1643 -'60; Thomas Fisk, 1661-'94; John Newman, 1695-'96-'97-,98 -'99 - 1700-01; Thomas Fisk, Jr., 1702-'03- '05-'05; William Fairfield, 1706-'07-'08- '09 -'10 -'11-'24 - '25 - '26 - '27 - '28 - '29; William Rogers, 1712 -'13-'14-'15-'16-'17-'18-'19-'20 -'21 -'22 - '23 - '31 -'32 -'33 -'34 -'35; Nathaniel Brown, 1737 -'39 -'40-'41; John Gott, 1738 ; David Batchelder, 1742 - '43 - '44 - '45 - '46 '47 ; Jonathan Kimball, Jr., 1748- '49 - '50 - '51 - '52-'53-'59 -'60 - '61 -'62 - '63 ; Samuel Goodrich, 1754 -'55 - '56 - '57 - '58 ; Edward Waldron, 1764 - '65 - '66 - '67 - '68 - '69 - '70 ; William Fairfield, 1771 - '72 ; Tyler Porter, 1773 - '74 - '75 - '77 -'81 -'82-'83 ; John Orme, 1776; Richard Dodge, 1778 -
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'79-'80-'89 -'90; Stephen Dodge, 1784 -'85-'86-'87-'91- '92 ; John Dodge, Jr., 1793 - '94 - '95-'96 -'97-'98 - 1808- '09; Joseph Fairfield, 1799- 1800 -'01 -'02-'03 -'04-05-'06 -'07 ; Paul Porter, 1809 -'10 -'11 -'12 - '13 -'14 - '15 - '16 - '17 - '18 ; John T. Dodge, Jr,, 1819 - '20 - '21 - '22; Moses Foster, 1823 -'24 -'25 - '26 - '27 - '28 - '29 - '32 - '33 - '34 - 35-'36 -'37 -'38 - '39 : David Starrett, 1830 -'31 ; John Por- ter, 1840 - '41 - '42 - '43 - '44 - '45 - '46 - '47 - '48 ; Stephen Dodge, 1849-'50 -'51 ; John A. Putnam, 1852-'53-'54 - '55 -56; Benjamin C. Putnam, 1857 -'58 -'59.
PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF WENHAM.
THE first settlers of New England were fully sensible of the necessity of education. Many of their number were men of high attainments, and they early took measures to provide for their chil- dren and successors, advantages like those they had themselves enjoyed. Harvard College was estab- lished within six years of the settlement of Boston, and all the towns in the colony were speedily called upon to contribute to its support.
But the fathers of New England were not con- tented with providing for the education merely of the few, who were required for the different profes- sions, or for the service of the State. They ven- tured upon what was then a novel, and, as it was generally considered, a hazardous experiment. They aimed to make education universal. At the present time, when we see its fortunate results, we can hardly estimate the boldness of this undertak-
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ing. Scarcely had they built houses to cover their heads, and planted corn enough to supply the immediate necessities of nature, when they pro- ceeded to make provision for the training of their children and youth. In 1642, the Legislature passed an act, that " the selectmen of every town, appointed for managing the prudential affairs of the same, should take accompt of the parents and mas- ters of their children, concerning the calling and the implement of their children, especially of their ability to read and understand the principles of re- ligion and the capital laws of the country." They were also required to see that the young were brought up to some trade or useful occupation ; and all parents who should fail in these first duties to their offspring, might be deprived of their chil- dren, who should be apprenticed to others.
The kind of education contemplated in this act, was to be given at home, by parents and masters. In many parts of the province, schools were scarce and remote. Children, if they attended at all, were obliged to travel three or four miles, and that perhaps, in an unfavorable season of the year. In religious things the clergy were active in impart- ing instruction, and often assembled and catechised the children. Moreover, in their frequent pastoral visitations, they did not neglect the lambs of their flock. Many of them had acted as teachers before ordination, and it was not uncommon for them to combine secular with religious instruction, after they became pastors.
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The act of 1642 required that all should be edu- cated, but did not provide the means for effecting it. In 1647, therefore, it was further enacted, that, " It being one chief project of the old delud- er Satan, to keep men from the knowledge of the Scriptures, and that learning may not be buried in the graves of our forefathers, in the church and commonwealth, the Lord assisting our endeavors ; it is therefore ordered that every township in this jurisdiction, after the Lord hath increased it to the number of fifty householders, shall then forth- with appoint one within their town to teach all such children as shall resort to them, to write and read." The penalty for disobeying this act was £5, but was afterwards raised to £10; in 1683, to £20, and in 1718, to £30. This act is regarded as laying the foundation of the Massachusetts common school system.
For many years after Wenham was settled, the immediate necessities of their new situation seem to have occupied all the thoughts and energies of the inhabitants. It was some time before the num- ber of householders increased so as to bring them within the provisions of the last-quoted statute. The early period of the history of the town was evidently a time of much privation. It was only with extreme difficulty that the people were able to meet the expenses of government and the sup- port of the gospel. We find no reference to any school till the close of the seventeenth century, or
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more than sixty years after the place was settled. Yet the inhabitants somehow contrived to obtain a considerable degree of education. The early records are marked by good sense and general correctness. The hand-writing, though sometimes obscure and often defaced by time, is creditable, and some of it really elegant. The signatures of the various deeds and contracts are usually in the writing of the subscribers. In one instance, where the signatures of forty six of the commoners are given, only ten of the number were under the ne- cessity of making their mark.
The style of these old documents is quaint and the spelling strange to our eyes. But it must be remembered that the English language at that time was not fully formed. The grammar and orthogra- phy of that age differed considerably from ours. The same peculiarities of spelling and in the use of words, are found in the works of the best writers and scholars of those times. When these consid- erations are kept in mind, the perusal of the old records of the town cannot fail to give a very fa- vorable impression of the intelligence and good sense of those who wrote them.
During the half century and more, that preceded the establishment of schools, children must have obtained their education mostly at home. Parents felt it as much their duty to instruct their children in the elements of learning as to teach them the means of gaining a livelihood. £ Books in those
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days were few and costly, while newspapers and the whole tribe of periodicals were wholly want- ing. But they all had one Book which they had learned to love and reverence, and which they as- siduously taught to their children. Not unlikely many of those whom we regard as rude and igno- rant, would far exceed their more favored descend- ants in familiarity with the Scriptures. They had no lack of men competent for the service of the Church and the State. And when we remember that the foundations of our free institutions were laid, and the elements of all our subsequent pros- perity and progress were developed and applied by the men of that generation, we must give them no small credit for liberal and enlightened views, as well as for practical wisdom. In this point of view, home education, when well performed, ap- pears to have been a very good thing after all.
But in process of time Wenham increased and prospered, but still without a public school, till at last, in 1700, a complaint was made to the Court, against the town. The matter, of course, could not any longer be neglected. Two men were im- mediately appointed “ to answer such presentment, on the town's behalf." Meanwhile a school was at once established. Sept. 9, 1700, we find the fol- lowing record : " At a meeting of the selectmen, Capt. Thomas Fisk was appointed to keep a school in town, for the year ensuing, for the learning of children and youth to read and write ; and he be
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allowed by the town, his proportion of rates to county and town, for the year ensuing, from this time, besides what he shall have of those that he shall so learn to read and write." This action of the selectmen was confirmed by the town, in No- vember of the same year, and it was further voted, that " if what the scholars shall pay for their learn- ing shall not be sufficient satisfaction for the mas- ter that shall keep such school, the selectmen are empowered to make such further satisfaction to said schoolmaster, as in equity and justice shall be convenient."
Thus meagre is the only account that can now be obtained of the first school in Wenham. It was probably kept at the house of the teacher, or, pos- sibly, as was often customary, in the meeting- house. Of the length of time it was kept, or of the number of its scholars, we have no means of information. The old records, however, throw some light upon the character of the teacher. Nearly thirty years before he had been chosen to represent the town in the Legislature, and had been repeatedly re-elected to the same position. He had been, for more than twenty years, captain in " the trainband," no insignificant post in those days, and had been more concerned in town busi- ness than any other living inhabitant. At this time he must have been the patriarch of the place, and it shows conclusively, the high estimation in which education was held, when such a man was appoint-
10
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ed schoolmaster. He seems to have continued in charge of the school for several years, "receiving reasonable satisfaction for his pains," and, we doubt not, from the intelligence and good sense of the men trained under him, that he was a faithful and successful teacher. Wenham has certainly no reason to be ashamed of its first schoolmaster.
Capt. Fisk was succeeded as teacher by William Rogers, who also subsequently attained to the dig- nity of captain, was actively employed in town af- fairs, and appears to have enjoyed the esteem and confidence of his fellow-citizens. For many years he officiated as town clerk, and the neatness of his penmanship as well as the correctness of the records, speak well for the faithfulness and general ability of their author.
It is difficult to say what wages were paid for teaching in those days. From occasional notices it appears that the scholars used each to pay about sixpence a term; besides which the selectmen used to allow what they called " reasonable satisfac- tion." In 1713, an agreement was made with Wm. Rogers, " to keep school in our town, to teach the youth to read and write, and to sweep the meeting- house, and ring the bell for the year, and we do allow him 55s. for his allowance."
There seems to have been but one school in town till 1719, when, besides the one taught by Mr. Rogers, arrangements were made for a second, under Mr. Daniel Dodge, and these two men con-
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tinued to officiate as teachers for several subse- quent years. Mr. Dodge was, for many years, one of the most prominent and respected citizens of the place, and extensively engaged in town affairs. In 1729, he was chosen one of the deacons of the church, which place he filled acceptably till his death. The name of Nathaniel Rogers occurs as teacher, first in 1726. In 1733, he was made a kind of educator-general for the town. An agree- ment was made with him by the selectmen, “ to keep a writing and reading school for the year en- suing; and whereas it is impracticable for all the children to come together in one place, it is cove- nanted and agreed that he be allowed to teach little children to read by suitable women, in the several parts of the town, that he shall agree with, by the approbation of the selectmen; also to teach to write by another man, in another part of the town." This is the earliest account of the employment of females in the business of education.
In 1734, it was voted by the town, that our pres- ent Representative, Mr. William Fairfield, “ be di- rected and empowered to present a petition to the General Court, for a grant of some land belonging to the province, to enable the town better to sup- port a school." It was a frequent practice for the Legislature in those times to make grants of land for the establishment of institutions of a higher grade than common schools. Many academies, in which young men were fitted for college, and
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others instructed in the higher branches of an Eng- lish education, were founded in this way. It was probably in reference to an institution of this kind that the present petition was offered, for the town already had two or three common schools, and had no difficulty in supporting them. Had the grant been obtained and such a school been established, there is no estimating the good effects it must have produced, not only on Wenham, but on the towns around.
In 1739, it was voted to raise £30 for supporting the public schools. This was the first appropria- tion by the town, for the purpose, and when com- pared with what was paid a few years before, it appears quite liberal ; but it must be remembered that the currency was somewhat depreciated.
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