USA > New Hampshire > Rockingham County > Rye > History of the town of Rye, New Hampshire, from its discovery and settlement to December 31, 1903 > Part 5
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47
RYE BOUNDARIES.
parent town; and it was not until 1791, when the province of New Hampshire had ceased to exist and the independent state of New Hampshire had taken its place, that the final transfer of Newcastle lands and taxpayers to Rye was made. In that year the following petition was presented to the state legislature.
Petition Sundry Inhabts to be annexed to Rye
To the Honble Senate and the Honb'e House of Representatives for the State of New Hampshire, Convened at Concord The Petition of Sundry Inhabitants and Land holders of the Town of New Castle in said state, Humbly Sheweth that your Petitioners by reason of their Local Scituation have Long Labored under great inconveniences in said town by being detached from the stated place of Public Town Meetings and schools by a river running between them and the Compact part of the town-which is many times Impassable by reason of Tempestous Weather Ice &c-that our Annual town Meeting is by law on the first Tuesday of March at which season of the Year the River is often Obstructed with Ice or wind as to render it impossible for us to attend, in Consequence of which we are pre- vented from Voting on any Public business thereby Losing our small Influ -. ence in Town Affairs, And when we can attend our Numbers are so few that we stand no chance with the other part of the Town whereby we are forced to pay for what they Please to Vote. School Masters in Particular without having any benefit of them-Some of us Living Upwards of a Mile from the River which if passable we have another mile to walk to the School, which we conceive to be a great Hardship as we are obliged some of us to put our Children to schools in other towns-thereby paying Double taxes for them which is a great Hardship to such of us in Particular who have tennants on our Land it being a great Discouragement to a tennant Living in such a Town We would also beg leave to Suggest that in the Year 1703, the Governor And Council Passed an order Releasing the then Ferry- man from his Taxes Yearly in Consideration of his Ferrying over the Inhab- itants Living on the Main on Public days Gratis, which custom was Con- stantly Complyed with till Very Lately when the Selectmen to add another Grievance to Us have Compelled the Present Occupant of the Ferry to Pay his tax who now refuses to Let us pass the River without pay, for these and many other Reasons Your Petitioners most humbly Pray Your Honors that we may be Disannexed with our Estates from the Town of New Castle and Annexed to the Town of Rye which is more convenient to us for Meetings & Schools-And your Petitioners as in Duty Bound will ever Pray
Jnº Blunt Jacob Sheafe Junr
Samuel Rand Jonathan Warner
Benjamin Odiorn George Frost
48
IHISTORY OF RYE.
The foregoing petition was granted Dec. 22, 1791, and the last of Newcastle's holdings southerly of the Little Harbor branch became a part of Rye.
On the 17th of December, 1792. in order to settle a boun- dary line dispute between Rye and North Hampton, the legis- lature appointed James Hill of Newmarket, Jeremiah Batch- elder of Kensington, and Joshua Weeks of Greenland a committee " to establish and fix the line between said Parish
1
SPRAY ROCK, RYE BEACH.
of North Hampton and the Parish of Rye," the report of said committee (which is recorded in Charter Records, Vol. 4, p. 257) to be conclusive. At that time, as already shown, Rye was a town, and so was North Hampton.
As early as 1719 certain residents of the North Hill section (or North Division) of Hampton petitioned the general assembly to be set off as a parish. This was two years before the Sandy Beach people made their first attempt to get set off from Newcastle, and the prayer of the petition was not granted.
49
RYE BOUNDARIES.
In 1734 a considerable portion of the North Hill district hav- ing in the meantime been annexed to the then new Parish of Rye, the people of the remaining portion again petitioned to be made a parish, and urged as a reason why their prayer should be granted that since the petition of 1719 was sub- mitted they had built a church; but again failure resulted. In 1738 a third attempt to be set off as a parish was made, and on November 7th of that year the Parish of North Hill was established by act of the general assembly, to be independent of Hampton in regard to ministerial and school taxes, but not in other matters. Four years later, Nov. 30, 1742, the North Hill Parish of Hampton was by act of the general assembly made the town of North Hampton. This did not disturb the boundary line of Rye, the act creating North Hill Parish a town, specifying and fixing only the boundary between the new town and Hampton. The other boundaries, viz., those between the former North Hill Parish of Hampton and Strat- ham, Greenland, and Rye, remained undisturbed by the erec- tion of the parish into a town.
In 1744, two years after North Hampton had been made a town, Jonathan Palmer and Daniel Fogg petitioned the general assembly as follows :
The petition of us His Majesty's Subjects Inhabitants of the North Parish in Hampton within said Province Humbly Shueath
That we Labure under Grate Difelicti our houses Standing just upon the line & our Land being Devided Ye one part in Rye & the other in the North Parish in hampton there being no way nearer than about four Miles to Get to the Meeting house in Ye North Parish & Living within about two Miles of Rye Meeting House the place where we Generly Go to Devine Worship & Most Convenient for sending our children to Scol-May it please Your Excl and the Honorable Council & House of Representatives-Your Peti- tioners Humbly Pray that we and our Estates where we live may be set of to Rye and Your Petitioners shall ever Pray &c
The petitioners, it may be observed, speak of themselves as "inhabitants of the North Parish in Hampton," and do not men- tion the town of North Hampton at all. If this was intentional, the motive is obscure. Their petition was disposed of by the house of representatives on Aug. 23, 1744, voting "That the 5
50
HISTORY OF RYE.
Petition be Dismist so long as the opposers to the Petition shall keep an open and passable way to North Hill Meeting House"-the legislative record, like the petition, failing to mention North Hampton. In 1748 "ye Petition of Ab™ Libby Thos Marden & others of North Hampton representing yt they labours under very great Difficulties with respect to their atten- dance upon ye Publick Worship of God &c, Praying yt they may be polled off to ye Parish of Rye," was also denied by the general assembly, and this apparently ended attempts in that direction. Nor do we find any further record of boundary tinkering until 1793, when the following return was made to the legislature, and settled the boundary between North Hamp- ton and Rye on the lines now existing :
State of New Hampshire Rockingham ss.
Pursuant to an act of the General Court of this state appointing us a Com- mittee to run the lines between the Townships of North Hampton and Rye. we have perambulated said line, and have ascertained the Courses and dis- tances in manner following :
Beginning at the North Corner of North Hampton, Greenland and Rye, then running South sixty-nine degrees East two hundred and fifty-six rods to David Smith's Corner, thence South forty-seven degrees West, three hundred and eighty-two rods to the eastward of Lieut. Simon Ward's orchard, thence South Seventy-seven degrees East 86 rods, to a birch stump, thence South sixty-three degrees, East three hundred and sixty-eight rods, thence due North ten rods and a half to the Northeast Corner of Simon Lamprey's House, thence South forty-one degrees east, one hundred and seventy rods to John Jenness Jr., Corner, so called, thence South fifty-four degrees west thirty-one and one half rods, thence South forty-four degrees east two hundred and eleven rods to the sea.
The land of Nehemiah Moulton's home place is to pay in all taxes to North Hampton that he now possesses. He lying upon the line between said towns.
Also Simon Lamprey's home place is to pay in all taxes to the town of Rye and the Selectmen of said towns, are to take notice and govern them- selves accordingly, And all polled lands between the towns of Rye and North Hampton is considered to pay all taxes to the towns on each side of said line where they lye, excepting Nehemiah Moulton's and Simon Lamprey's, as before mentioned.
James Hill Jeremiah Batchelder Committee.
Joshua Weeks
51
RYE BOUNDARIES.
Rye church.
WE. Come
A SmeThe
· Apor TRE LAS
Corner Greendão Rye and, Parishes.
577E8brood 563 368 roda
21hody
"orchard +
Buch
S . Wards
n.t. church
Plan of the Hamptons + Thya live established by order of Court by a Committee Jan 17, 1793,
The following is the official report of the perambulation of the bounds between Rye and North Hampton, Oct. 25, 1892 :
Beginning at the Corner bounds between the towns of Rye and North Hampton on the Greenland line at a rock in the Wall at the South-Westerly Corner of the pasture owned by Flora B. Dow, marked R. N. H. G .. and running South 69 deg. East 256 rods to a stone post on the east side of the highway, near the house of the late Oliver Garland, marked R. N. H., thence South 47 degrees West 382 rods to a stone post in the pasture of the heirs of John Pickering to the eastward of Lieut. Simon Ward's orchard
north Hauptout
Simon Saudrey House
J Jeny, Como $41. 170 nods 354 3 / cody 544
Sia.
52
HISTORY OF RYE.
(so called) marked R. N. H. B., thence South 77 degrees east 86 rods to a birch tree standing in the Wall Marked R. N. H. B., thence South 63 deg. east 368 rods to a stone post in the field of Joseph G. Jenness marked R. N. H. B., thence due North, 10 } rods to a stone buried in the field of Alfred G. Jenness Marked B., thence South 41 degrees east 170 rods to a rock in the Wall at the South Corner of the field belonging to the heirs of Richard Jenness, marked R. N. H. B., thence South 54 degrees West 31 } rods, to a stone Post in E. B. Philbrick's pasture marked R. N. H., thence south 47 degrees East 211 rods to the sea, a stone in the wall on the west side of the highway marked R. N. H.
IV. Population.
From the constables' rates of the town of Newcastle, made in December, 1688, it appears probable that at that time there were not more than fifteen or twenty voters in the Sandy Beach section of the town-the part that later was set off to the Parish of Rye-nearly all of these being named Berry, Foss, Marden, Odiorne, Brackett, Seavey, or Wallis. This would indicate a total population of from 100 to 120. In 1721, when the first petition for the erection of Sandy Beach into a parish was presented to the general assembly, it was stated that " above two hundred and forty souls" would be benefited by the granting of the petition; but this included not only the population of Sandy Beach but a considerable number of the residents of Portsmouth, and a still larger number of residents of Hampton.
The first census of Rye of which there is any record was made in 1773, the result being tabulated as follows :
Unmarried men from 16 to 60 years of age
69
Married men from 16 to 60
113
Boys 16 years old and under .
190
Men 60 years old and upwards
24
Females unmarried
259
Females married .
132
Widows .
36
Twelve male slaves and 7 female slaves
19
Total
842
This report, which was signed by Samuel Wallis and Joseph Jenness, selectmen, shows that the population was very evenly divided between the sexes, the females numbering 391 and the
54
HISTORY OF RYE.
males 396, omitting the slaves of both sexes. Two years later, in 1775, another census was taken and a slight increase in population was shown, the return made being :
Males under 16 years of age . 206
Males from 16 years of age to 50, not in the army 146
All males above 50 years of age
47
Persons gone in the army
I 5
All females . ·
442
Negroes and Sleaves for life
14
Total
870
The same year an inventory of the quantity of powder and the number of guns in the town was made, as appears from the following :
Powder 161 lbs Publick Stock None, Guns 170.
Province of New Hampshire Rye Aug 31, 1775.
Rockingham ss
Then Decen Francis Jenness and Lt. Nathan Gorss appeared and made oath to the above Inventory-Before me Sam1 Jenness Justis Peace
N. B. 21 of the above men are not abel to Bare Arms By Reson of old age Being Crpled.
In 1786 another census was taken by the selectmen, and the following was their report :
Rye the 2ª of June 1786-Agreeable to the within resolve the following is a Return of the Inhabitants of the Parish of Rye-number of white and other free Citizens &c 653-other persons not Comprehended in this other description-2.
Nathan Goss Nehr Moulton Selectmen John Webster
From this it appears that there was a decrease in the popu- lation of the town between the time the last previous census was taken, in 1775, and the taking of this one, of 215, very nearly twenty-five per cent. This notable falling off was in part due to losses during the war, but in much greater measure to the removal of a large number of families back into the
55
POPULATION.
country, where lands were much cheaper and more easily ob- tained than in the earlier settled towns near the seashore. The " other persons not comprehended " in the " number of white persons and other free citizens " must have been slaves, and as there were but two of these it is apparent that there had been a great decrease in the amount of slave property held in the town, the number of slaves returned by the census takers of 1773 having been nineteen; and in 1775, of " negroes and slaves for life " (implying that some of the negroes were not slaves), fourteen. When the next census was taken, in 1790, the returns showed that the population had increased again almost to the figures of 1775, the tabulation being as follows :
Number of males above 16 years
226
Males under 16 years
1 89
Females
439
Other free Persons
S
Slaves .
3
Total
865
The "other free persons" mentioned, and who were not listed as being either males or females, presumably were free negroes, former slaves who had been released from bondage. They probably counted for very little-certainly for nothing at all so far as having a voice in the management of parish and town affairs was concerned. Their only use, in the census, was to swell the number of the population.
In the year 1800 the census returns gave the town a popu- lation of 1,000. In 1835 an estimate of the number of inhabi- tants was made, 1,200 being the number named. Since that time the number of residents has not varied greatly ; by the census of 1890 it was 978, and by the census of 1900 it was 1,142.
In 1853 there were 50 widows in the town.
In 1886, in a resident population of about 1,000 inhabitants there were 54 widows whose united ages were about 3,700 years, two being over 90 years of age, ten between So and 90, twenty between 70 and 80, ten between 60 and 70, four
56
HISTORY OF RYE.
between 50 and 60, six between 40 and 50, and two between 30 and 40. In the same year there were only 29 widowers in town, four of whom were eighty years old or more, six be- tween 70 and 80, nine between 60 and 70, six between 50 and 60, three between 40 and 50, and one less than 40.
1: IL F ..
CUNNER ROCK, RYE BEACH.
V.
Some old Residents and where They Lived.
Richard Goss was probably one of the first settlers at the center of the town, as twenty acres of common land were laid out to him at or near "Breakback hill" by the road between Sandy Beach and Greenland in the year 1701. It was owned afterward by his son Thomas and his daughter Elizabeth and her son Michael D. Goss and the latter's son James Madison Goss and his heirs. Thomas J. Parsons bought the farm and at present it is owned by Daniel J. Parsons.
The one-story house, which stood where Andrew G. Locke erected his new dwelling house, was formerly occupied by Reuel Garland, Oliver Jenness, Albert M. Walker and others, who worked at their trade in the blacksmith shop near by. It was moved there from near where Elvin Locke built his- house. It was built by Merrifield Berry for his son Ebenezer, who married Polly, daughter of Colonel Benjamin Garland. She, being a very proud and high-spirited woman, refused to live in such a small house and returned home. She was an invalid for more than forty years and was known as "Aunt Polly." Her son, Thomas Garland Berry, a merchant in Ports- mouth, subsequently came into possession of Colonel Benjamin Garland's farm.
Noah Dow, in 1760, lived above Andrew Locke's on the opposite side of the highway on the quarter acre lot adjoining the road and now owned by Daniel J. Parsons. The old well is still to be seen under the hill. Dow was a very " little man" and had a son Nathan who removed into the country.
Christopher Amazeen of Newcastle conveyed to Jonathan Locke of Portsmouth a tract of land in Newcastle (Rye) "313
58
HISTORY OF RYE.
acres laid out to me March 26, 1722, by the Committee for dividing the Common lands of New Castle." This property has been retained in the Locke family up to the present time and is now owned by Deacon Jonathan Locke, who is living (1903) at the age of ninety years.
Old Doctor Mac, so called, and Samuel Wallis lived opposite Joseph Locke's house, which is now owned by Freeman J. Locke. Samuel, the father of Samuel and Ebenezer Wallis, fell from a load of hay in front of Freeman Locke's and broke his neck. He made a will after the accident giving all his property to Samuel. He owned part of the Locke farm up to the Berry land in front of A. H. Drake's. Before the road was straightened there was quite a sharp corner in front of Freeman Locke's house and it was known for many years as the Wallis' Corner.
John Locke formerly occupied the next house, then his son, Captain Samuel J. Locke, and the latter's son-in-law, Nathaniel Marden, and his sons, Irving and Samuel A.
In 1723-'24, Sampson Sheafe, Jr., of Newcastle conveyed land to William Locke, carpenter, of Hampton and Ebenezer Berry of Rye. On November 28, 1748, Thomas Goss gave a bond to build a house for Ebenezer Berry. The old Berry house was taken down and the present one erected by Joseph William Garland. Ebenezer Berry was succeeded by his son Merrifield, then General Ira Brown, Reuel Garland, and his son, Joseph William, and at present the farm is owned and occupied by Albert H. Drake.
Charles Green built the house now occupied by his son, Oren S. Green. Jonathan and son Joseph Goss, prior to 1800, lived in from the road, then Samuel P. Garland and at present Clarence Goss. Samuel Wells resided near George Lang's house. Ozem Dowrst lived where the walnut tree grows in the pasture of Charles D. Garland. The cellar is still to be seen beyond the residence of Mrs. Albion D. Parsons.
At the foot of the hill on the north side of the highway lived Moses Seavey, Joses Philbrick, Jr., and his son John Philbrick. and at present Walter Peek. Jonathan Dolbeer lived on Phil-
59
SOME OLD RESIDENTS AND WHERE THEY LIVED.
brick's hill in John Garland's pasture. Nicholas Dolbeer resided in the house where Lieut. Simon Brown and his sons, Langdon and John Henry, lived, which is now occupied by the latter's son, Howard Brown.
Abraham Libby resided opposite William J. Rand's, in the field of the late William C. Garland. Bickford and John Lang lived where Dowrst Rand and son William afterward lived, then William J. Rand and his son Joseph William. There was a Joseph Rand, called "burnt ear," who lived near the residence
LOVE LANE, RVE.
of William Cutter Garland and his brother Samuel near Levi Garland's. Tradition says there was a schoolhouse located in the corner of Charles D. Garland's field, near the Shapley field ; if so, it was at a very early date. Probably the first school- house in that part of the town was situated east of Langdon and John H. Brown's.
There was a Hutchings who lived near the location of the present wooden schoolhouse. Stephen Marden resided near the Hutchings on the same side of the way. Ephraim Rand lived beyond Garland's Corner and died in the Revolutionary army.
60
HISTORY OF RYE.
Redmond lived opposite the house erected by Josiah Jen- ness and where Jenness resided previous to his going to the beach. The house is now occupied by Mr. Goodwin. Jona- than Towle lived at the Bunker's and Nathan Towle on the Samuel Jenness farm. It is said William Randall lived on this farm and died or perished on Wibird's hill coming from Ports- mouth. His widow sold out and went up country. Samuel Wallis Jenness was succeeded by his son, Samuel W., and the latter's son-in-law, Charles S. Whidden.
Amos Rand, cordwainer, lived on the corner where William Cutter Garland resided and opposite the store of the latter's son, Charles D. Garland.
It is said that Francis and Ephraim Locke, who were grand- sons of the Locke of Locke's Neck, having sold their farm to the Garland's, moved to Epsom. John Garland resided on the premises for many years. Deacon Reuben Shapley came into possession of the property, and it is still occupied by his son, Reuel.
The Browns lived in the Levi Garland house, now the resi- dence of Samuel Smart. When Garland bought it the Browns kept their pigs in one part and lived in the other part.
The Dows occupied the farm on the opposite side of the highway for many generations.
Richard Jenness, Esq., lived upon his farm at Breakfast hill probably prior to 1750. His dwelling house, long since torn down, stood in the field on the southeast corner of Lafay- ette and Breakfast hill roads, nearly opposite the residence of his grandson, Amos S. Jenness, which is now, 1903, occupied by the latter's son, Joseph G. Jenness. Samuel Seavey lived near here; he was a brother of Joseph at the "four corners."
Jonathan Drake lived on the east side of the Lafayette road, then his son, Cotton Ward Drake, and at present his son, Charles A. On the opposite side of the road lived John Drake and his son-in-law, Jacob Marston, and the latter's son, John D. Marston.
From Garland's store to Chesley's four corners lived Stephen Marden. Then in the old Moses Dalton house, which
61
SOME OLD RESIDENTS AND WHERE THEY LIVED.
has been torn down, lived his father, Ben Dalton, Tristam Sleeper, and a Mr. Libby.
David Smith and Ephraim Gould lived near Calvin Gar- land's farm. Further south lived Richard Jenness Sleeper, the farm now being occupied by his son, Martin V. Sleeper.
There was a house located in the lane near the residence of Alfred Seavey. It was occupied by Samuel Knowles, Thomas Sleeper, and Henry Jenness, and then taken down.
Joseph Seavey lived at the four corners where the buildings of the late William S. Garland now stand. John Godfrey married Seavey's daughter, and lived there.
On the north corner William Sleeper kept a tavern for a number of years. His son, Charles B., afterwards lived there, and at present his grandson, Charles E., occupies the old man- sion.
William E. and Simon L. Chesley lived on the west corner and kept store there for a number of years.
Edmund Johnson and the Elkins family lived near the four corners
Robert Moulton lived on Little Boar's Head farm and sold to J. Brown and moved to Gilmanton. His brother lived where Cyrus Jones resides.
Richard Jenness, called " Lawyer Dick," lived on the corner near Charles W. Spears, and owned the land where Albion Philbrick resided. It is said his house was hauled down on the mill road for old Mr. Simon Locke, and is occupied at present by Augustus Caswell.
Thomas Jenness lived where Lieut. James Perkins lived, and exchanged farms with James Perkins of Hampton about 1730.
The first Philbrick who settled within the present limits of Rye sowed a piece of grain in the field now occupied and on which is erected one or more buildings of the Farragut House, and a party came up from Hampton and burned the grain, calling Philbrick a squatter. He was finally allowed to remain. A writ or summons issued 1702, directed to the constable of Hampton to bring the body of Joseph Philbrick of Hampton to the court of sessions to be held in Portsmouth. A present-
SEA ROAD FROM ALLEN'S CORNER, RYEBEACH.
63
SOME OLD RESIDENTS AND WIIERE THEY LIVED.
ment was made by the grand jury against him for having built a house upon the town's land in Hampton near the house of Francis Jenness.
Francis Jennings or Jenness emigrated to this country from England in 1665 and took up his residence at Great Island, now Newcastle, pursuing the avocation of mariner and fisher- man. In 1671 he moved to Rye, then a part of Hampton, and married Hannah Swaine. He established an extensive bakery on his land. The territory which he took up, and most of which was laid out to him by the town of Hampton in 1675, extended in a strip along the sea-coast from Joslyn's Neck or Locke's Neck in a southerly direction for three quarters of a mile, includ- ing good mill privileges. He erected his dwelling house close by this mill stream, some forty rods to the eastward of the pres- ent bridge across it, and on the easterly side of the dwelling house now occupied by one of his descendants, Mr. J. Disco Jenness. Francis also erected a sawmill and a grist-mill and put up buildings for a bakery. The nearness of the latter to the sea was a great convenience in the carrying on of his busi- ness. By means of ketches and small pinnaces, he distributed his bread and sea biscuits all along the coast from Saco to Boston. He is said to have been a very large and strong man. Upon one occasion when he had visited Boston with a cargo of his ship biscuits to sell, he was stopped in the street by a renowned bully from an English man-of-war, lying in the har- bor, and bantered to a fight. Francis in vain sought to pacify the man. Neither argument nor persuasion would avail. At last his patience gave out, and seizing the astonished gladiator by the collar of his jacket he tossed him with ease over the top of a six-foot fence into an adjoining lot, and then resumed his course unruffled and unimpeded.
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