USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Wenham > The history of Wenham : civil and ecclesiastical, from its settlement in 1639, to 1860 > Part 8
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and structure, as well as in the inscriptions upon the monuments of the dead. The earliest stones were simply slabs of slate, of small size, and re- cording only the name and age of the departed. A little later, we find rude sculptures of angels, and Time with his hour-glass and scythe. Another age adds the urn and weeping willow, while more re- cently, these are replaced by wreaths and garlands, and other delineations of fancy. The rude slate has given place to the polished marble, and the brief record of the names and years of the deceas- ed, has been too often succeeded by far-fetched quotations, or elaborate eulogy.
The burial of the dead has been practised among all nations, and some memorials of the departed have usually been erected even by savages. The Indian will often travel hundreds of miles from his way, to visit the graves of his ancestors. There is engraven, as it were, upon the heart of man, the feeling that the dead have not wholly ceased to live, and hence the desire to guard their remains from irreverent approach, and to preserve their memory among the living. The grounds, the mon- uments, the inscriptions, should all speak the deep, underlying sentiment of humanity upon the solemn subject of death. The thoughts and feelings ex- pressed, should be those of pious trust and humble resignation. In general, there are no epitaphs like short and appropriate passages of Scripture, ex- pressive of faith, of confidence in God, and of a hope of a joyful resurrection.
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The grounds and all connected with the spot should breathe those soothing and tranquillizing in- fluences, with which nature steals into our hours of sadness. It should be a spot attractive to the liv- ing; lovely, for its floral beauty, and grateful for its pleasant shades, as well as sacred for the relics it contains. Here the passions which agitate the breast in the strife and bustle of life, are hushed to rest. Here the mourner's grief may lose half its bitterness, till resignation springs as naturally from the grave, as the wild flowers that overspread the turf by which it is covered. The wild passions are subdued, the emotions controlled and repressed in the solemn presence of death. Hither young and old may retire in thoughtful moments, to es- cape the din of selfish strife, to open their hearts to the holiest impressions, and to catch some faint glimpses of the world to come. Thus the thought- less as well as the sad, the gay as well as the mournful, are drawn into the circle of sacred inspi- rations, and find their spirits touched with the finest and purest emotions. And thus may a mu- tual relationship spring up between the burial ground and the walks of common life, till death it- self becomes an accepted and a powerful element in the experience and discipline of the world.
A private burial-ground, for the members and connections of the Fairfield family, appears to have been very early laid out upon a knoll at a little dis- tance from the place formerly occupied by them.
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This family, once so prominent, have long since left the place, and this spot has been, in consequence, neglected and allowed to be overrun with briers and brushwood. Here is a tomb in a dilapidated state, in which many members of this ancient fami- ly were doubtless interred. Several grave-stones upon the side of the little hill, indicate to the in- frequent visitor, the spot where some fellow-mor- tal lies sleeping. On the summit of the hill is a large slate slab with the following inscription :-
Here lies buried ye body of the Honorable WILLIAM FAIRFIELD, EsQ., sometime Speaker of the House of Representatives; and for many years a Deacon of ye Church in Wenham, and Representative for sd Town, who died Decr 18, 1742, in ye 81st year of his age.
And this is all that now remains, and almost all that can now be known of one who, in his day, filled so conspicuous a place in the affairs of his native town and State. I lately visited the spot and found the head-stone so overspread with ivy that it could hardly be discovered, amidst the shrubs and weeds by which it was surrounded. Thus time hurries us onward, and in the lapse of only a few years confounds the great and the small, the wise and the foolish, in one undistinguishable decay .*
* If this little volume should reach any of the surviving members of this once prominent family, it may remind them of their ances- tors, and of the spot where they lie almost unnoticed and forgotten.
PERSONAL AND FAMILY HISTORY.
IT is not my purpose here, to go into any ex- tended genealogical researches. The labor and overpowering tediousness of such a task can only be known to those who have been engaged in simi- lar investigations. Still, a short account of some of the old families which have figured in the histo- ry of the place, may, perhaps, be not without inter- est.
The most prominent name among the first set- tlers of the town was that of Fisk. Rev. John Fisk, who came from the county of Suffolk, in Eng- land, was the first minister of the place. As the parish of Wenham, in England, lies in the same county, it is not unlikely that the name of the town was taken from the original residence of this fami- ly. Rev. Mr. Fisk, after a residence of twelve years in Wenham, removed to Chelmsford, where he died. Besides him, three others, (probably brothers) of the name of Fisk, were among the original settlers, and did not leave with the colony
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that removed to Chelmsford. They appear to have been men of property, and acted an important part in the infant settlement. Phineas and John Fisk were two of the first board of selectmen, and Wm. Fisk was the first town clerk. From the frequen- cy with which the name occurs in the early records of baptisms, the descendants of the family appear to have been numerous, and for a hundred years or more, they acted a prominent part in town af- fairs. Three of them, at different periods, held the office of deacon of the church. Out of thirty-five times that the town sent a deputy to the General Court, before 1720, it was represented twenty times by some one of this name. The first school- master and the first commander of the militia, ap- pointed in Wenham, was Capt. Thomas Fisk, who, for a period of twenty or thirty years, appears to have been the most important man in the town. As early as 1655, he was appointed town clerk, and two-pence granted to him for every order he should record. The first book of the town records is mostly in his hand-writing, which is not quite as legible as that of the best writing masters. He was a prominent actor in the series of measures which resulted in the division of the common lands. There continued to be several of the name in the place, until the latter part of the last centu- ry, when it was reduced to a single family, and more recently, it has become almost extinct. Sev- eral farms have been at different times, in posses-
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sion of the family. The place however, where they lived longest, and which is the most identi- fied with their name, was on a lane leading from the Ober place, (so called,) towards Wenham cause- way. An old cellar alone remains to mark the spot, where generations lived, labored, and passed away.
Another conspicuous name in the early records is that of the Gott family. Charles Gott was the only one of the first settlers who was honored with the title of Mr. After the removal of Rev. John Fisk, he was appointed, in conjunction with James Moulton, to procure a minister, and when the church was re-organized, under Mr. Newman, in 1663, his name stands next to that of the pastor. He was also a member of the first board of select- men chosen by the town, and he repeatedly served as representative to the General Court. The fam- ily continued to act a prominent part in town af- fairs, until the time of the Revolution, when those of them who remained, appear to have left the place. Tradition says that they were tanners, and that their tan-yard, which stood on the north side of the road to Danvers, and a little west of the house now occupied by Mr. Joseph Kent, was once the largest in Essex county. Many stones, inscribed with their names, are still standing in the burial-ground. The entire family of Mr. John Gott, consisting of five children, were swept away in 1737, within a few weeks of each other.
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The name is still common at Rockport, Glouces- ter and other places in Essex county. But here in their original seat, none survive to perpetuate their remembrance.
No name is more conspicuous in the first centu- ry and a half of the history of the town, than that of the Fairfield family. John Fairfield, the first of the family, died Dec. 22, 1646, leaving two sons, Walter and Benjamin. The inventory of his es- tate, as returned by Elizabeth, his wife, was £113 3s. 7d. - a large estate for those days. In 1692 and 1700, Walter Fairfield served as representative to the General Court, the first time, with the con- dition that he was to have two shillings a day for his salary, and bear his own expenses.
His son, the Hon. William Fairfield, was, for many years, a useful and highly respected citizen. In 1723, he was chosen to represent the town in the Legislature, to which he was again chosen in 1732, and he continued to be re-elected, as it is stated in the records, " by a great majority," ten times in succession, until his death, in 1742. Nor were his talents appreciated only by his own townsmen. He was chosen Speaker of the House of Representatives, the highest office then in the gift of the people. The Governor and deputy- Governor was then appointed in England. For many years no name is more conspicuous upon the town records. He appears to have been one of those shrewd, clear-headed, practical men, whose
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minds are formed and trained by reflection and ex- perience, rather than by a knowledge of books, or by intercourse with the world. He held, at different times, every office in the gift of the people of his native town and State, and in all, he gained the confidence of those whom he was called to serve. He was also an active member of the church, and for many years one of its deacons.
We regret that so little can now be ascertained concerning Mr. Fairfield. An anecdote is still told of him, which is quite characteristic. The common mode of travelling in those days was on horse- back. Setting out to attend a session of the Leg- islature, he became so absorbed in thinking of the business on which they were to enter, and upon his duties as Speaker, that he is said to have actu- ally reached Boston, bridle in hand, before discov- ering that he had left his horse at home.
The names of Goldsmith and Waldron are promi- nent among the first settlers of Wenham, and fre- quently appear in the records of the town, down to the period of the Revolution. Both have since become extinct, or survive only in the female line. The Waldron place was in the eastern part of the town, and is supposed to be the one now occupied by widow Elizabeth Dodge.
Among the list of active and useful citizens, the name of Capt. Wm. Rogers should not be omitted. For a period of nearly thirty years, he officiated as town clerk, and any one who has taxed his eyes
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and racked his brain in deciphering the hiero- glyphics of the early records, will know how to ap- preciate his plain and legible hand-writing. He was the second school-master employed in town, and appears to have been the second person who enjoyed the high military dignity of captain in "ye trainband." Five times he was chosen by the town, to represent them in the Legislature, which he ap- pears to have done with general acceptance. He was evidently a man of integrity and energy, and he was accordingly rewarded with the respect and confidence of his fellow-citizens.
The name of Tarbox first occurs in Wenham about the beginning of the last century. The fam- ily occupied the farm lying upon the road to Tops- field, and now owned by Mr. Smith. During the latter part of the last century, Dea. Samuel Tarbox was one of the leading and influential citizens of the town. He is described by some who still re- member him, as a man of strong common sense and much force of character. In his younger days he had been, for those times, quite a traveller ; and the story is still told of him that, as the result of his observations, he had come to the sage conclu- sion, which he used often oracularly to repeat, " that if a man could not live in Essex county, he could not live anywhere." A daughter of his was the mother of Col. Paul Porter, from whom the above anecdote was obtained.
We have mentioned the names of several old
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families, once prominent in the history of the town, who have passed away. But several of the early settlers have descendants still remaining, to perpetuate the ancestral name. We apprehend, indeed, that it is rather rare to find among our restless, shifting, emigrating population, so many families, who have occupied for more than two hundred years, the place of their original settle- ment. It has been difficult, in this part of the work to know where to begin or when to stop. Several families, perhaps equally worthy of notice, I have been compelled to omit for want of space, and difficulty of obtaining information.
James Moulton was one of the original settlers of Wenham. He was one of the first men chosen by the town, to serve on the grand jury, and he was afterwards elected to various important sta- tions. On the removal of Rev. Mr. Fisk to Chelms- ford, he and Charles Gott was appointed a commit- tee to procure a successor, and when the church was re-organized under Rev. Mr. Newman, in 1663, his name appears among the male members. He was afterwards, in 1674, chosen the first deacon. From the amount paid by him, in the early tax lists, he appears to have been a man of large prop- erty.
The name of Kimball has always been a promi- nent one in the history of Wenham. Richard Kimball, the first of the name, settled in the west part of the town, probably upon the place now oc-
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cupied by Mr. Joseph Day. He appears to have been the largest tax-payer among the early settlers, and his descendants have generally been in easy circumstances. Five of the name have filled the office of deacon in the Congregational Church, and others have had their full share of municipal duties and responsibilities. Lieut. Edmund Kimball led a body of his neighbors and townsmen in the brilliant expedition against Louisburgh in 1745, and upon the death of his captain, succeeded to the command of his company in the siege of that fortress. His promising career was terminated at the early age of twenty-eight.
Capt. Edmund Kimball, a nephew of the pre- ceding, was for many years a distinguished and successful merchant in Newburyport. While yet a youth, he was drafted and served in the army of the Revolution. For some years he was the com- mander of a vessel, but at an early age left the seas, though he was afterwards the owner of several vessels. His later years were spent in retirement in his native town, for which he had always cherished a feeling of strong attachment. He gave, in 1827, $500 to the Congregational Church in Wenham, for the support of the gospel, and also the communion service of silver, which is still in use. His character combined in a remarkable degree, the energy and enterprise of the successful man of business with uncommon gentleness and simplicity in private life. He died
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December, 1847, at the advanced age of eighty- five.
The first representative chosen by Wenham to the General Court was Joseph Batchelder, elected in 1644. His descendants have remained in Wen- ham until the present time. Mark Batchelder, pro- bably a son of the preceding, was killed in the assault upon the fort at the Narragansetts in 1675. Various farms have at different times been occupied by the members of this family. Their oldest seat is supposed to be on the farm now occupied by Mr. Israel Batchelder.
The name of Dodge has always been numerous in Wenham and the adjoining towns. It is said that three brothers originally emigrated to America, one of whom settled on Long Island, one in Salem, and one in Wenham, and from these brothers all of this name in the country are supposed to be descended. Richard, who settled in this town, appears to have left a numerous posterity. For more than a century there have been more voters of this name than of any other in the place. Their principal residence appears to have always been at and about the Neck. They have generally been respectable and influential citizens. Five of the name have served as Deacons of the Congre- gational Church, and two have been deacons of the Baptist Church. Three have represented the town in the legislature, and others have borne their share of municipal honors and labors. Many of
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this name have emigrated from Wenham to the adjoining towns, and their descendants are now to be found in almost every part of the country.
The place now belonging to Mr. George Dodge was occupied during the early part of this century by Samuel Blanchard, Esq., a gentleman of high respectability and intelligence, and who, for several years, represented the town in the Legislature. His son, Francis Blanchard, Esq., was an eminent lawyer in Boston, but died at an early age. A daughter of the latter became the wife of Hon. Robert C. Winthrop, who thus came in possession of the estate which, for some years, he occupied as a summer residence. Connected with Mr. Blanchard was the Gardner family, who resided near the spot now occupied by the cottage of Gen. Andrews. Mrs. Gardner was a sister of Col. Pickering. They subsequently removed to Bos- ton, where their descendants became wealthy merchants and ship-owners. None of either of these families now remain in Wenham.
The name of Porter has been one of the most conspicuous in the history of Wenham. John Porter removed to Wenham from Danvers, about the year 1680. He was one of the two sons of John Porter, who emigrated from England to this country, and bought, in 1643, a large tract of land near Danvers Plains, hence often called Porter's Plains. Tradition says that he lived upon land now belonging to Mr. William Porter, near the outlet
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of Wenham Lake, and which is still marked by a stump of an ancient apple-tree. He purchased a large tract of land extending from the Lake to Pleasant Pond, a portion of which has been in possession of the family without alienation for nearly two hundred years, and is now owned and occupied by Dr. John Porter, one of his lineal descendants. In 1712 and 1726, he was chosen to represent the town in the Provincial Legislature, and at different times held various posts of trust and responsibility in the town. He died, accord- ing to his tomb stone, which is still standing, in 1753, aged 95 years. He had a son, Jonathan Porter, who like his father, was a citizen of more than ordinary distinction. In 1745-'46 and '47, he served as representative in the General Court.
Tyler Porter, a son of Jonathan, was educated as a physician, but from some reason never practiced his profession. He was a man of strong mental powers and much energy of character, was a civil magistrate, and for many years was elected to all the civil stations in the gift of his fellow citizens. No man acted a more conspicuous part in the revolutionary history of the town. He died June, 1811, aged 75 ycars. Billy Porter, a brother of the preceding, was also a man of much energy and force of character. He served in the army during the entire period of the Revolutionary War, and rose to the rank of Major in the continental troops. He was the first representative chosen by
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the town after the Revolution, and was re-elected in 1793. Soon after this, he removed to Upper Beverly, where he died in 1797.
Jonathan Porter was the only son of Tyler Porter who settled in Wenham. He was an extensive farmer, and in the latter part of his life engaged also in commerce, having built a brig and a schooner, which last was named Wenham, in compliment to his native town.
The late Henry Porter was a son of Jonathan Porter. He was the inventor of Porter's Burning Fluid, for which he obtained a patent in 1835, with the exclusive privilege of manufacturing and selling the same within the United States for four- teen years. It was first introduced into New York city and some of the Western States, and subse- quently into Boston. Since then it has been steadily coming into general use, and gaining popular favor. It is estimated that more of this fluid is now sold in Boston than of any and every kind of oil. Mr. Porter was possessed of an active and inquisitive mind, as well as of considera- ble ingenuity. He also invented a lamp for the use of his fluid, and the nurse lamp now so general in sickness. For several of his last years, his mind was shattered by its own excessive activity, and he finally died at the early age of forty-two.
The name of Austin Kilham occurs among the earliest settlers of Wenham. He is supposed to have come from the West Riding of Yorkshire, where
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the parish of Kilham still exists, situated near Beverly, the principal market town in that part of England. From this Austin Kilham, all who bear the name of Kilham, which has now become con- siderably diffused in our country, are supposed to be descended. The family have, at different periods, taken an active and prominent part in the affairs of the town.
The name of Daniel Kilham, Jr., is quite con- spicuous in the revolutionary history of the place. He was an active member of the Com- mittee of Correspondence, and of the various Com- mittees of Safety, to whom the affairs of the town were entrusted before the re-organization of the State Government.
His son, the Hon. Daniel Kilham, born January, 15, 1751, was, for many years, an active politician and a prominent citizen of Essex County. He early showed a taste and aptitude for study, which induced his father to give him what was rare in those days - an opportunity to acquire a liberal education. After finishing his preparatory studies at Dummer Academy, he was admitted to Harvard College in 1773, from which he received, in 1777, the degree of A. B., and in 1785, that of A. M. After graduating at Cambridge, he studied medicine with Dr. Holyoke, of Salem, but finding the pro- fession not agreeable to his tastes, he soon removed to Newburyport, and engaged in the business of an Apothecary. Here he resided fifteen years,
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during which he was repeatedly chosen a member of the Massachusetts Legislature, and took an active and prominent part in the discussion of the questions, which then excited public attention. While in Newburyport, he formed an intimate acquaintance and friendship with Hon. Rufus King, afterwards Minister to England, and United States Senator from New York; and many letters from Mr. King are still in the possession of Dr. Kilham's relatives.
In 1804, Dr. Kilham was compelled by ill health to relinquish his business, and he then returned to the old homestead, as he expressed it, to die. His health, though it continued feeble for several years, at length revived, and he lived to extreme old age. The near prospect of death did not pre- vent his commencing many improvements upon his estate, of which he scarcely hoped to receive any benefit. He planted trees for others, but happily for his friends he lived many years to enjoy them. He took much interest in the cultivation of fruit trees, at a time when little attention was paid to the subject, and for many years his apples, pears, and plums were highly prized in Beverly and Salem.
In politics he was a Democrat of the Jefferson School, and was repeatedly nominated for election to Congress, but the party to which he belonged being in a minority in his district, he never attain- ed those honors which his talents and attainments
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well deserved. In 1802, he was appointed General Commissioner of Bankruptcy for Massachusetts, by President Jefferson. He was also a member of Gov. Gerry's Council in 1811, and the same year was appointed Justice of the Court of Common Pleas for Essex County. From 1808 to 1835, he held the commission of Justice of the Peace and of the Quorum. He was also one of the founders of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, in whose proceedings he took much interest.
Dr. Kilham was a man of extensive and varied reading, of retentive memory, and so thoroughly posted in political history as to make him an able debater and a formidable antagonist. Party spirit at this period run very high, and political subjects were discussed with great warmth and animosity. Frequent debates arose between him and Hon. Timothy Pickering, and other leaders of the Federalists, in which both parties exerted their best powers, and so nearly matched were the opponents that the partisans of each usually claim- ed the victory for their champion.
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