The history of Rowley, anciently including Bradford, Boxford, and Georgetown, from the year 1639 to the present time

Front matter

Gc

974.402

R79g

Preface

The early history of every town furnishes many incidents worth preserving. Some of them may be uninteresting to strangers ; but to native inhabitants, descendants of the Pilgrim Fathers, they all have an interest. To preserve such facts and incidents as are supposed to be more particularly interesting to the descendants of the first settlers of the ancient town of Rowley, is the object of the following pages.

The 5th day of September, 1839, having been set apart, in pursuance of a vote of the town, for the purpose of celebrating the second centennial anniversary of its settlement, such material facts were collected, as were judged proper to be incorporated into addresses to be delivered on the occasion. The address, by the Rev. Mr. Bradford, (which makes a part of this volume,) and another by Thomas E. Payson, Esquire, were delivered, the latter of which related to the civil history of the town, which it was very desirable to have printed, and a request was accordingly iv PREFACE.

made for this purpose, with which Mr. Payson did not think best to comply.*

There having been much information collected at that time, and since, relating to the early history of the place, it was the wish of the inhabitants of the town that something, in addition to the Address of Mr. Bradford, might be published; and they having, by vote, granted to the Compiler of the ensuing sheets the exclusive right of publishing this work, he, with diffidence in his ability for undertaking it, consented to comply with their desires.

It may, perhaps, be proper to add, that, in its compilation, the records and files of ancient papers, of the Colonial, Provincial, and State Governments of Massachusetts, of the County Courts, registry of deeds and of probate, records of the towns, parishes, churches, and societies of ancient Rowley, have all been examined with as much care and attention as time would permit ; as also the works of various ancient historians, as Winthrop, Johnson, Hubbard, Mather, Lechford, Josselyn, Massachusetts Historical Collections, with other ancient and modern works.

* The following communication is his reply to the request.

" Jlndover, October 1, 1839.

" To Willard Holbrook, Thomas Gage, and Joshua Jewett.

" Gentlemen, — The expression of your thanks for my address on the 5th ultimo, has been received, together with your polite request for a copy for publication. Please accept my thanks for the same ; but I must respectfully decline having the address published.

" Yours, &c. Thomas E. Payson."

PREFACE. V

Having thus done what he could to bring out from the rubbish of years, the .historical mementos of his native place, he now presents the collection of them, with his sincere desire, that it may not be unacceptable to his townsmen and friends, and that it may, in some measure, be, to the present and succeeding generations, as an eminence, from which they may be enabled to look back upon the generations of their ancestors, who have already acted their parts upon life's stage ; — even to that time, when the venerable Rogers and his company of sixty families were engaged in erecting log-houses for their shelter from the storm, in the midst of the then dense forest which covered the ground, wThere the pleasant village of Rowley now stands.

Before we proceed to the work, it is thought best to notice some of the measures adopted by the town, relative to their Centennial Celebration, and also to annex thereto the order of exercises for that celebration.

At a meeting of the inhabitants, held April 2, 1839, it was voted, That they will set apart some day, during the present year, for the purpose of celebrating the second centennial anniversary of the settlement of the town ; and that the Rev. Willard Holbrook, Joshua Jewett, Thomas Gage, Thomas Payson, Amos Saunders, Thornvi PREFACE.

as How, Daniel N. Prime, Edward Smith, Richard Kimball, Benjamin H. Smith, Oliver Blackinton, and Nathaniel Mighill, be a committee, with instructions, to respectfully invite the inhabitants of Georgetown, (who have been of us and with us until lately,) to join with us in the celebration, requesting them to appoint a committee of their own citizens, to join with the committee of this town in making all necessary arrangements for the celebration ; and as the towns of Bradford and Boxford were originally a part of Rowley, to invite the inhabitants of those towns, also, to join in the celebration. The committee wrere further instructed to compile, or cause to be compiled from early history, from the records of the State, county, and town, and from the records of the several ancient churches, once or now belonging to the town of Rowley, and from all other available sources, all such matters and facts, connected with the settlement and history of the town, as they may think proper ; and to procure some suitable person, to select therefrom such material matters and facts as he may deem most interesting and suitable to be incorporated into an address, to be by him delivered on the occasion. The committee were instructed to appoint a day for the celebration, and to make all necessary arrangements for the occasion. They subsequently appointed Thursday,

PREFACE. vii

the 5th day of September for the celebration, and invited the Rev. James Bradford, of Sheffield, and Thomas E. Payson, Esquire, of Andover, to deliver each an address on that day. They accepted the invitation, and performed the duty assigned them.

ORDER OF EXERCISES.

1. VOLUNTARY.

By the Band.

3. ANTHEM.

" Praise the Lord." — Comer.

3. READING OF THE SCRIPTURE.

BY REV. ISAAC BRAMAN.

[From a Bible printed in 1611.]

4. SINGING.

BY THE CHOIK.

[A portion of the 107th Psalm, as turned into metre, and set to a tune in a singing-book printed in 1604. To be read, line by line, as by Deacons in days of yore. The reading by Deacon Joshua Jevvett.]

1 Give thanks unto the Lord our God,

for gracious is hee : And that his mercie hath no ende, all mortall men may see.

2 Such as the Lord redeemed hath,

with thanks should praise his name ; and show how they fro- foes were freed, and how he wrought the same.

viii PREFACE.

3 Hee gathered them foorth of the lands, that lay so far about : From East to West, fro- North to South, His hand did find them out.

7 And by that way that was most right, Hee led them like a guide : That they might to a citie goe, and there also abide.

37 That they may sow their pleasant land,

and vineyards also plant: To yeeld them fruit of such encrease, as none may seem to want.

38 They multiply exceedingly,

the Lord doth bless them so ; Who doth also their brute beasts make, by numbers great to grow.

5. PRAYER.

BY REV. WILLARD HOLBROOK.

6. ORIGINAL ODE.

BY DANIEL N. PRIME, OF ROWLEY.

Supreme, eternal God, Who sits enthroned above, By whose Almighty power, The wheels of nature move ; Oh ! wilt Thou deign this day to hear, Our grateful song and humble prayer.

When in the days of old,

The fathers of our race

From persecution fled,

To seek a resting place ; Where they in peace might worship Thee, From cruel priests and tyrants free.

PREFACE. ix

Then Thy protecting hand

Did guide them safely o'er,

Whilst they the ocean crossed,

To this then desert shore ; And Rogers, with his little band, Safely arrived on freedom's land.

Two hundred times our earth

Has run its annual round,

Since on this pleasant plain,

A safe retreat they found ; And on this spot a church did raise, And dedicate it to Thy praise.

And ever since that hour,

Here have Thy temples stood,

Here have our fathers met,

To praise the living God !

Whose boundless power and matchless grace, Created and sustains our race.

And now may we their sons,

While in thy courts this day,

With grateful hearts adore,

With contrite spirits pray ; That He who was our fathers' friend, Their children here would still defend.

Through future ages may

Our sons and daughters join,

With cheerful heart and voice,

In worship so divine; Here Lord remain and bless our race, Through every age till time shall cease.

7. ECCLESIASTICAL ADDRESS.

BY REV. JAMES BRADFORD, OF SHEFFIELD.

PREFACE.

8. ANTHEM.

" Glory be to God on High." — Mozart.

9. CIVIL ADDRESS.

BY THOMAS E. PAYSON, ESQ. OF ANDOVER.

10. ORIGINAL ODE.

BY HON. GEORGE LUNT, OF NEWBURYPORT.

Come, pour to lofty numbers,

Your voices in the strain, Let every heart that slumbers,

Awake to joy again.

The golden dawn returning,

Shall bid our bosoms glow, For that in heaven burning,

Two hundred years ago.

That day whose wondrous story,

Our fathers oft have told ; That day whose deepening glory

Let age on age unfold, — When hoary sire and childhood,

And youths in virgin glow, Stood underneath the wild wood,

Two hundred years ago.

The frowning forest o'er them, —

The savage foe around, — And all the hope before them

Within their strong hearts bound, Yet pilgrims, worn and weary,

They hailed with grateful glow A desert home so dreary,

Two hundred years ago.

When danger's need was sorest, They called on Him to save,

PREFACE. xi

By whom they broke the forest,

And bade the harvests wave ; Across the wintry ocean,

Or 'mid the fiercer foe, He calmed each wild commotion

Two hundred years ago.

Their graves are all around us,

In venerable age ; Their pleasant homes surround us,

A goodly heritage ; — Yet warmer let each bosom

11. PRAYER.

BY REV. BENJAMIN GRAFTON.

12. CLOSING ANTHEM.

" Hallelujah to the Father." — Beethoven.

ORDER OF PROCESSION, &c.

The following is the order in which the procession formed upon the common, at eleven o'clock, A. M., and thence proceeded to the Congregational Meeting-house, under escort of a volunteer company of young men belonging to the town, commanded by Capt. Nathaniel Perley. Music by Salem Brass Band.

Aid. Chief Marshal (mounted). Aid.

Escort.

Marshal.

President and Vice-Presidents of the Day.

Marshal. Orators and Officiating Clergymen. Marshal.

xii PREFACE.

Town Officers.

Marshal. Invited Guests. Marshal.

Committee of Arrangements.

Clergymen.

Marshal.

National and State Officers.

Marshal. Soldiers of the Revolution (in carriages). Marshal.

Marshal.

Marshal. Strangers and Citizens generally. Marshal.

After the services of the Church, the invited guests and subscribers to the dinner formed a procession under the same escort, and proceeded to a substantial pavilion, erected for the purpose upon the common, where from three hundred and fifty to four hundred gentlemen and ladies partook of a dinner prepared by Edward Smitii and John B. Savory, Esquires. Grace was said at the table by Rev. David T. Kimball, of Ipswich, and thanks returned by Rev. Mr. Dennis, Agent of the American Education Society.

After the cloth was removed, various sentiments were offered, and addresses made, suited to the occasion.

The publisher was called to act as President of the Day, assisted by Brigadier-General Solomon Low, (who also acted as Chief Marshal,) Joshua Jewett, and Thomas Payson, Esquires, as Vice-Presidents.

The pavilion was one hundred and sixty feet long by twenty-five feet in width, which was, under the direction of Horatio G. Somerby of Boston, tastefully decorated with evergreens, pictures, and national banners, blended and woven together by the ladies in an enchanting manner. The church, in which the public exercises of the day were performed, was, by the same gentleman, beautifully ornamented in a style that reflected much credit on his taste and fancy. A broad platform was erected around the house, for the accommodation of such as

PREFACE. Xlii

could not obtain seats within, and the lower windows so disposed of, as to give those without an opportunity of hearing.

Many antique relics were displayed. In the procession was an elderly gentleman, with an old lady of eighty-six, mounted on a pillion, both in full dress of olden time, not omitting the cocked hat and powdered wig ; also, two young ladies, one dressed in a full wedding suit, made and worn on the bridal day of another lady, more than one hundred years before; the other in a full wedding-dress of about seventy years' standing. A man, well acquainted with the manners and customs of the American Indians, in full Indian costume, carrying the pipe and armour of the late Black Hawk, an Indian chief, was in the procession, and excited the curiosity of many. In front of the pulpit, in the meeting-house, was displayed an old weather vane, made of a thin plate of iron, with the figures, 1697, cut through it. This was the date of the second meeting-house built in Rowley, upon the steeple of which, it buffeted many a storm, and sprung to every wind that blew for more than half a century. In the pavilion were displayed various articles wrought by the Indians, some very ancient books brought from England by the first settlers of Rowley. A piece of embroidery of curious workmanship, wrought by Sarah Phillips, (daughter of the Rev. Samuel Phillips, the second minister of Rowley,) more than one hundred and sixty years ago, attracted much attention, and is now owned by Miss Hannah Perley, the said Sarah Phillips being grandmother to the said Hannah's grandfather ; and it is hoped the same will be preserved, and shown at the next centennial celebration in Rowley. A large armed chair, with a set of heavy leather-bottomed chairs, supposed to have been brought from England by the first settlers of the town, was used at the late centennial dinner.

Is it not desirable, that the events of this memorable festival should be collected and preserved, and transmitted to b xiv PREFACE.

our descendants, to those who shall occupy our place when another century shall have passed away 1 Could we have found any written or printed account of the doings of our Fathers; one hundred years ago, at a first Centennial Observance of the settlement of the town, with what pleasure and satisfaction should we have read it, and alluded to it in this celebration. But alas, none is found ; for none exists. We should therefore consider ourselves obliged by duty to see to it, that a third Centennial epoch shall not be without some account of the doings of the second. And may the laudable doings of the town, in getting up and sustaining this celebration, be a precedent for all coming time.

Some of the regular sentiments or toasts above alluded to, given out by Amory Hoi brook as Toast-Master, with a few of the volunteer sentiments, here follow, viz.

1st. The memory of our Fathers, — Next to their holy religion, the richest legacy which they have left us.

2d. The Reverend Ezekid Rogers, — Eminent for piety, for wisdom, and for learning, — one of the earliest benefactors of Harvard College and of the Church ; he was among the brightest glories of New England's first age.

3d. The Reverend Samuel Phillips. — As founders of our public schools, as patrons of our benevolent and religious institutions, as the brightest examples of private charity and public beneficence, we honor his descendants to this day.

Cth. Rogers, Phillips, and Pat/son, — Choice stones in the temple of righteousness ; future generations shall rise up and call them blessed.

9th. The day toe celebrate, — Sacred to the great and good of other times ; we will tell their wonderful story to our children, that they may transmit it again to theirs.

Volunteer. By the Honorable Caleb Gushing of Nevvburyport. " The foundation stones of New England institutions, — Religion, Liberty, and Virtue. May they be eternal in their influence upon all the sons of the Pilgrims.

PREFACE. xv

By a Lady. " The Mothers, Wives, and Daughters of our Puritan ancestors. — May their, bright examples, in sustaining Religion, Liberty, and Virtue, be eagerly sought after, and carefully followed by their happy descendants."

Interesting speeches were made by the Honorable Caleb Cushing, the Honorable Stephen C. Phillips, of Salem, John P. Hale, Esquire, of Dover, District Attorney of New Hampshire, and by various other persons.

Communications from various invited guests, who could not make it convenient to attend, were read by the Toast Master. Among others, one from his Excellency, Edward Everett, Governor of the Commonwealth, Hon. Josiah Quincy, L. L. D., President of Harvard University, Hon. Daniel A. White, Judge of Probate for Essex County, Hon. Leverett Saltonstall, of Salem, member of Congress, Hon. George Lunt, of Newburyport, and Hon. Gayton P. Osgood, of Andover.

The address by Thomas E. Payson, Esquire, on the civil history of the town, followed that by Mr. Bradford. In the introduction of which, Mr. Payson very correctly observed, that the history of the New England settlements was but a history of the church ; and, of course, his broadest ground had been previously gone over ; but (as was justly remarked at the time by one of his hearers) " he executed his task in excellent style, and wrought up his materials with the hand of a master. Chaste, elegant, and graceful in its composition, the delivery was worthy ot the style and the subject. The oration gave evidence of fine taste, and of talents of no common order. It was matter of regret, that want of time obliged him to omit a part of his address."

The compiler of this work had a great desire, that Mr. Payson's address should make a part thereof, and go down to posterity with it. But Mr. Payson was of opinion, that, what of civil history he had, in detached parcels, incorporated into his address, would not very much abridge the xvi PREFACE.

labor of writing a history of the town, and therefore thought it best to withhold the copy.

On the evening of the day following the celebration, one hundred and sixty young ladies and gentlemen formed a pic-nic party, and partook of a supper in the pavilion, provided by the aforenamed Smith and Savory, after which they proceeded to the completion of what they considered the unfinished business of the celebration.

The invitation to the citizens of Georgetown was accepted by them in town-meeting, April 8, 1839, when they appointed the Rev. Isaac Braman, Solomon Nelson, Amos J. Tenney, George Spofford, Jeremiah Jewett, Ira Stickney, David Mighill, Jeremiah Russell, and Benjamin Winter, a committee, to join with the committee of Rowley in making arrangements for the celebration. A majority of this committee met several times with the committee of Rowley, and very cordially cooperated with them in making their arrangements ; which cooperation they continued till a subsequent meeting of the town of Georgetown was holden, when that town, by vote, declined making an appropriation for defraying any part of the expense of the celebration ; after which the committee of that town thought it proper for them to omit further action on the subject. Upon their withdrawal, the committee of Rowley, by vote, extended an invitation, with a request, to the committee of Georgetown, to continue to act with them as before.

Notwithstanding that town declined making an appropriation in their corporate capacity, yet some of the citizens thereof contributed liberally to the object, and took a lively interest in helping forward the celebration, and aided by their personal services.

The compiler acknowledges himself to have been greatly obliged by various persons in the contribution of matter for this work. To tbe Rev. Joseph B. Felt, of Boston, and David Pulsifer, 3d, Esq., of Salem, special acknowledgments are due.

PREFACE. xv|i

The Secretary of the Commonwealth, the Register of Deeds and of Probate in Essex, the Clerks of the Courts in Suffolk and Essex, the Librarians of various Libraries containing ancient and rare books, have all manifested great politeness in permitting the compiler to have free access to the records and books in their respective care.

" Man, through all ages of revolving time, Unchanging man, in every varying clime, Deems his own land of every land the pride, Beloved by Heaven o'er all the world beside."

Contents

Mr. Bradford's Address,

Page

(Appendix to Address.) Ezekiel Rogers, ....