Mill Brook on the river side. But the new system
did not satisfy them, and in 1746 the town voted to
sell the almshouse and go back to the old plan.
The line between Haverhill and Methuen was not
finally settled till 1738, when it was run by the select-
men of the two towns.
About this time a new ferry was established about
a mile and a half below the Chain Ferry, but it was
soon after removed a mile up the river. November
6, 1738, James McHard petitioned the proprietors for
leave to build a still-house on "a small vacancy of
land betwixt the parsonage land and Merrimack
River by Mr. Pecker's." They gave him permission,
provided he built within three years. It stood on
Mill Brook. This was a rum distillery, and the first
one in town.
In the summer of 1740 there fell a vast amount of
HISTORY OF ESSEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS
rain. The succeeding winter is thought to have been
the most severe known since the settlement of the
country. There were twenty-seven snow-storms. In
November and early in December there were great
and continuous rains, producing a freshet, which,
according to the journalist Plant, "was not known
by no man for seventy years." In this town the
water rose fifteen feet, and floated off many houses.
December 12th the river was closed with ice, and before
January 1st loaded teams, even with eight oxen,
passed from Haverhill to the long wharf at Newbury-
port.
A church was formed in that part of Haverhill now
Salem, N. H., in 1740, of which Rev. Abner Bailey
was the first minister. He died in 1798.
When the northerly part of the town was erected
into a separate precinct in 1728 the town ceased to be
the parish. All that remained after the North Parish
was set off was known as the "South" or "Old
Parish," still later .is the " First Parish." Parochial
business was no longer transacted in town, but in
parish meetings, the first of which was held November
24, 1729, by virtue of a warrant from Richard Salton-
stall, justice. John Eaton was chosen clerk. From
that time on the organization was regularly kept up.
In March, 1730, the parish voted to "give to ye
Revd. Mr. Brown ye timber of the forte yt is abouthis
house, to despouse of it as he pleaseth." The fear of
Indian enemies had passed away at last.
In that year the petitions of the East and the West
that money might be " raised by ye parish yt they
might hire a minister to preach to ym in ye winter
season, on bad traviling," were refu.sed. 1732 the
parish enlarged the burying-place by purchasing
half an acre of land adjoining it.
In December, 1733, the parish voted to hire another
minister, " to assist Mr. Brown lor three months this
winter." His health had long been failing, and the
care of such an enormous parish would require a man
of herculean strength. But ihe East and West had
evidently improved the opportunity to press their re-
spective claims. At the first meeting about an assist-
ant there was " considerable discourse " and " some
hard words," but no vote ; while at the next meeting
the vote was passed to hire an assistant, and then
votes 10 procure and pay ministers for both the East
and West sections the winter following. There had
been a compromise.
The following February, propositions were made
in i)arish meeting to erect two new parishes and build
two new meeting-houses — one near the house of
Nathaniel Merrill, Jr., and the other near that of
Richard Hazzen. It was also-proposed to set ofi" to
Amesbury West Parish those living near Amesbury
line, and to the North Parish those who could most
conveniently worship there. All these propositions
were rejected. Four weeks later a vote was passed
to set otr those living east of a line from Elisha Davis'
to the " pond bridge," and so on by the brook to the
North Parish line, into a new parish. Twenty-two
persons living within the bounds of this new parish,
as proposed, dissented from the vote; and, as we have
already seen, their opposition prevailed at that time
with the General Court, and the East Parish was not
set up till some years after. Then there was "great
Debat" and ".some hard words" again, but finally a
committee was chosen to set off a parish " at the west
end 01 the old or South Parish." The General Court
erected this parish at once, but its bounds were mat-
ter of dispute for several years.
As early as 1 720, Pastor Brown had been for several
months unable to preach, the town providing a sub-
stitute. From 1733 to 1742, being in a " weak state of
health," the parish provided for his pulpit supply for
weeks and sometimes for months at a time. At last
consumption claimed its long-besieged prey, and the
good man died December 2, 1742. The parish, with
fine liberality, voted to raise one hundred pounds, old
tenor, to defray the expenses of his funeral, which
was to be delivered to " Madam Brown, to be used at
her discretion."
Of Mr. Brown his successor wrote: "Mr. Brown,
my immediate predecessor, whose praise was in the
churches while he abode in the flesh, and whose mem-
ory is still precious with the serious and judicious for
his talents, goodness and assiduous labours, early ap-
peared old by reason of a thin and slender constitu-
tion, and, emaciated with cares and pains, seemed
burthened with life before the time." Mr. Brown was
forty -six years old. His epitaph declares that "as
he was greatly esteemed in his life for his learning,
piety and prudence, his removal is very justly la-
mented as a loss to his family, church and country.
He was an Israelite indeed, in whom there was no
guile "
After the death of Mr. Brown the church and peo-
ple were happily united in the Rev. Edward Barnard,
who was ordained April 27, 1743. He belonged to
one of the great ministerial families of New England.
His father and grandfather were ministers of the First
Church in Andover in succession. His brother, Rev.
Thomas Barnard, of Newbury and Salem, was con-
sidered one of the most profound, liberal and excel-
lent of the ministers. They all graduated at Harvard.
Thomas Barnard preached the ordination sermon for
his brother Edward. His topic was, "Tyranny and
Slavery in matters of religion cautioned against ; and
true humility recommended to ministers and people."
It is a sermon of great ability, clearness and liberality.
It was printed in Boston for Samuel Eliot, of Haver-
hill. Dr. Bayley wrote in his journal: "April 16,
1743 (O. S.). Great snow-storm — eleven inches on a
level. Rev. Barnard ordained."
Mr. Barnard's salary was fixed at one hundred
ounces of silver, or its equivalent, annually, together
with the use of all the parsonage land and buildings,
except one lot near the river (where Merrimac Street
now is), and also "a reasonable support and main-
HAVEEHILL.
1981
tenance when by ye providence of God he shall be
disabled from ye work of ye ministry, so long as he
remains our minister." This was an excellent pro-
vision, for the times.
The next great agitation in the parish was about
the first bell, imported exprei^sly from London in
1748. The parish voted £65 U. Gd., old tenor, to
procure it. After much discussion, it was finally
" voted to Hang the Bell on the top of the meeting-
house, and build a proper place for that purpose,"
and " to raise one hundred pounds, old tenor, towards
defraying the charges of building the Steeple and
Hanging the Bell." The belfry was built on the top
of the meeting-house, and the bell-rope descended to
the broad aisle. It was voted " to ring the bell at
one of the clock every day, and at nine every night,
and on Sabbaths and Lectures." The first bellman
was Samuel Knowlton. March 26, 1753, the parish
voted that Benjamin Harrod should take down and
dispose of the old bell, and provide a "new one of
about 500 lbs." In time the old meeting-house be-
came so much decayed that the bell could not be
rung with safety, and it was therefore taken down
and hung on two pieces of timber placed crosswise
at the top, upon the hill, near the parsonage house
(corner of Main and Summer Streets). Mirick says
it was first hung in that fashion. John Whiting
succeeded Samuel Knowlton as bellman, and to him
succeeded his widow, Judith Whiting, who had
charge of bell and meeting-house many years, dying
in 1795, not quite a hundred years old, after crossing
the Great Bridge and telling her budget of Indian
stories.
In 1734 the inhabitants of the easterly part had
failed to be set off into a separate parish because of
the opposition of some of their own number. In
1743 the attempt was renewed in a petition to the
General Court of Nathaniel Peaslee (who had headed
the petition nine years before) and fifty-four others,
who recite the incorporation of Methuen in 1725, of
the North Parish in 1728, and the West Parish in
1734. " And now may it please your Excy. &
Hours., the meeting-house now in the old parish
stands but a mile at furthest off the West Parish
Line, & the said meeting House stands near six
miles from the East End of said Parish, & we have
petitioned to the said Parish for some ease in this
matter, & no help cau be obtained," . . . signing them-
selves, " Your poor distressed Petrs."
June 1, 1743, the petitioners were ordered to serve
the First Parish with a copy of the petition, " that
they may show cause (if any they have) why the
prayer thereof should not be granted." June 9th,
Joshua Bayley and Captain James Pearson were
cho-sen to make answer in behalf of the first or " Old-
est Parish." They^set forth in their answer what
was formerly done and failed to be done, on account
of the opposition of "many of the inhabitants on
the easterly side of that line;" that "in the month
of May last there was a vote passed to divide ye
Parish, and a line was fixt which we hoped might
make a peace in the Parish (tho at the same time we
are humbly of the opinion that the whole Parish will
make but two verry lean Parishes when divided). . . .
It appears to us that we have been tenderly thought-
ful in what we have done relating to a divisional
line, having set off near one-half of the land & near
sixty families, yea, all that have desired it except
two or three men which, by our own act, may go
with their estates to the new Parish if they please."
. . . They solicit " a tender regard to the old Parish
that was once the Center of a verry large town, is
now become (by the loss of almost all Methuen &
three separate Parishes) to be very small." June
14th, these petitions were read, and a committee was
appointed to visit Haverhill, view the parish, hear
the parties and report. September 9th, the commit-
tee reported in favor of the petitioners, and the par-
ish was set off accordingly.
In November of the same year the first parish
meeting of the East Parish was held " at the house
of Nathaniel Whittier, deceased." A committee was
appointed to select a location for a meeting-house,
who reported at an adjourned meeting a recommen-
dation that it be erected " at the south side of Turkey
Hill, near the south-east end of the hill." The re-
port was accepted, the work was begun, and meetings
were held in the meeting-house by the following
September, though it was not actually finished until a
few years before it was torn down in 1838, nearly a
century after. Alterations and improvements were
made at different times. Until about 1816 the two
sexes sat apart during meeting. The first artificial
heating was in 1829. In 1745 the town granted the
East Parish parsonage land valued at twelve hundred
pounds, old tenor. When the house was ready to be
used, the parish invited the neighboring ministers to
fast and pray with them " for ye divine direction, in
order to give a person a call to settle among them in
the work of the ministry." September 6, 1744, was
the day appointed. After the meeting the ministers
recommended Mr. Benjamin Parker as well qualified.
Accordingly, October 4th, a call was given to Mr.
Parker. The parish voted to give him the use of the
parsonage land ; to build him a parsonage house and
barn ; to pay him one hundred pounds, old tenor, and
seventy pounds provision pay, annually, for the first
three years, and, after that, to increase the provision
pay to one hundred pounds per annum. The call was
accepted, and Mr. Parker was ordained November
28, 1744, at which time the church was gathered, con-
sisting of sixteen male members. Mr. Parker entered
in its records that " the inhabitants of the precinct had
constant j^reaching for some time previously." In
March, 1745, a parish committee requested Mr. Parker
to wait a time for them to build the parsonage house
they had engaged to furnish him with. His answer
was, " no, he would not," and, before the next October,
1982
HISTORY OF ESSEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.
the house was finished. It was nearly opposite the
meeting-house, and was long used for its original pur-
pose. In 1748 the jsaiish built a school-house about
six rods northerly of the lueeting-house, and laid out
two burying-grounds, — the first " between Jonathan
Marsh's barn and Gravel Shoot," the other " in the cor-
ner of Richard Colby's land, nearest country bridge,"
both of which places are still used for the purpose.
After a few years the school money was divided into
two parts, and one school was kept at Gideon George's,
another at Joseph Greele's, till the town was divided
into small districls. Tradition has said that in 1750
there were but four houses at Rocks Village.
In 1743 the proprietors granted Edward Flynt leave
" to finish a vessel lie had put up on the banks of the
river near his house," and also to put up any others
during the proprietors' pleasure.
John Ayer had recently built a tan -house " on land
given to him by the proprietors for that purpose in
the rear of his father's garden," and had also built a
bridge across the stream near it. In consideration
that he would forever keep the bridge in repair, the
proprietors granted him the piece of land west of his
tan-house. This was not far from the west end of
Plug Pond, probably bordering on what is now
Kenoza Avenue.
In 1744 the town voted to divide the parsonage land
into lots. A highway two and a half rods wide was
laid out through the lots " to near the mouth of Little
River and over said river." The expense of the
bridge was to come out of the sale of the lots. This
highway was what is now called Merrimac Street, now
one hundred and forty-four years old. The lots were laid
out on the north side only, and numbered from east to
west, the lot cornering on Merrimac and Main Streets
— long known as " White's Corner " — being " Lot
Number One."
It is, of course, deeply to be regretted that this high-
way was made so narrow. The town had exhausted
itself upon one great highway in the early day — that
from Sanders' Hill to the Merrimac, above Holt's
Rocks — which was twelve rods wide, and made the
town much trouble. In 1754 it was cut down to four
rods in width, and the land thus thrown out, nineteen
acres and eighty-two rods, was sold to various per-
sons along the line of the road.
In 173.3 the proprietors had given John Gage liberty
to set a blacksmith's shop near the river and Springer's
ship- yard; and now, Edmund Greenleaf obtained
liberty to set up such a shop near Edward Flynt's
ship-yard.
In 1745 the town allowed Thomas Cottle to estab-
lish a ferry near his house, as he represented that the
ferry might be " sarvicable to the town and other
travailers," and proposed to ferry the town's people
one-fourth cheaper than strangers. There were thus
five ferries over the Merrimac between the village and
Holt's Rocks — i.e., Griflin's, on Water Street, near the
foot of Lindell ; Mullikin's, at the chain ferry ;
Pattee's Ferry; Cottle's, at Cottle's Creek, on the
mouth of East Meadow River; Swett's, at Holts
Rocks.
In 1746 the town voted to exempt the First, or "old,"
Parish from paying anything for any other school in
town, provided they would keep a grammar school
constantly in their parish, at,their own expense. The
year before a grammar school had been begun there.
— The tax-collectors were usually the constables. As
we have noted, there was originally but one constable,
who, when chosen, mast either "stand," procure an
acceptable s-ubstitute, pay a penalty of five pounds,
or get excused, which the town was rarely in a mood
to allow. After a while there were two constables,
one for the lands and people east of Little River, the
other for those west. Finally, there was one constable
to a parish. At first the constables were not allowed
any pay ; in 1780 it was voted to allow them a pound-
age of fourpence on twenty shillings collected. Each
parish now collected its own ministerial tax. In the
First Parish the system of collection was frequently
as follows : a contribution was taken up every Sabbath
afternoon at the close of service. In the early days
everybody went up to the deacon's seat, depositing
his oflering, the dignitaries beginning. It is said this
custom went out about 1665. Afterwards the con-
tributions were collected. Every contributor inclosed
his money in a piece of paper, on which he wrote his
name, and the amount contributed, with the object to
which he wanted it devoted. If he wished it appor-
tioned to his tax, it was so credited. When no name
was written on the paper the offering was understood
to be for the minister, and so disposed of. As we
have seen, special contributions were sometimes taken
up for his benefit. There are religious societies to-day
within the limits of the "Ancient Parish," which are
supported entirely upon the principle of voluntary
contribution.
The following is a brief list of persons residing in
this town in 1747, with their occupations. It was
gleaned from petitions and other papers in the State
Archives, and is of some value as showing what trades
were carried on:
'* Jamea Pecker, an a Potecary ; EdmoDd Mors, a shoemaker or cord-
winder; Daoiel Appletou, Joyner; James Parson, Husbandman; John
Byenton, Black Smith ; Grant Webster, Marchant ; Jouatiian Webster,
Hatter; Andrew Fwink, Shipwrite ; Nathaniel Knolton, Tayler ; Mr.
Trask, Brick Layer; Ebenezer Hale, Cordwinder ; William Hancock,
In 1748 occurred one of the overmastering agitations
about town affairs. At the annual meeting, March
1st, Nathaniel Peaselee was declared elected modera-
tor. Samuel White and fifteen others, ineffectually
protesting " that he was not chosen according to law,"
retired, and those who remained elected town oflicers,
and transacted the other business. Henry Springer
and fifty-eight others asked the General Court to in-
vestigate the matter, on the ground that illegal votes
were received and legal rejected. The petitioners
chose John Sanders and Peter Ayer to present their
HAVERHILL.
case. With the petition were sent fourteen depositions
signed by twenty-eight other inhabitants, in support.
Joshua Sawyer and others deposed, September 17th,
that no list was used to show who was entitled to vote
till some time after Peaslee began to act as moderator.
To these petitions the selectmen of 1747 and 1748 and
seventy-two others replied that the petition ''con-
tained false and abusive statements," that many of
the petitioners were new-comers and contentious
people; "that John Sanders was greatly prejudiced
against moderator Peaslee, because the latter had
exposed and prevented the former from obtaining
more money from the Province than belonged to him,
by a false account ; the moderator was duly and
legally chosen, and had the Rev. Mr. Barnard open
the meeting with prayer ; and many of the petitioners
were not qualified to vote, and some were not even
residents of the town.''
There was another petition, dated March 29, 1748,
signed by twenty -seven " freeholders and inhabitants,"
who say that they were not present at the annual
meeting on account of the great depth of snow, but
had heard of the proceedings, and prayed that the
petition of Sanders and others be not granted.
These petitions were referred to a committee, which
reported " that the town-meeting held on the first day
of March be sett aside and that the selectmen for the
year 1747 grant a new warrant for the choice of all
ordinary town officers that Towns by law are enabled
to choose ; " the meeting to be held some time in April.
The report was accepted.
A town-meeting was accordingly convened April
26th, at which all the officers chosen March 1st were re-
chosen, except Thomas Duston selectman in place of
Moses Clement. " John Pecker and others " dissented,
because this was not done " according to law."
May 25, 1748, Richard Saltonstall and forty-one
others, memorialized the General Court, to the eflfect
that " the affairs of the second meeting were conducted
with more wickedness, partiality and premeditated
corruption than the first ; " that the selectmen
(who were also assessors) had made a "pretended
valuation, by which they disqualified some of the op-
posite party, and admitted others who were clearly
not entitled to vote — all for the purpose of carry-
ing their own points in the choice of officers ; that
the cause of all the uneasiness among the inhabit-
ants, was the belief that the Selectmen, or some of
them, had combined with the Town Treasurer (who
was also Town Clerk) to Imbezell large sums of the
publick money & apply it to their own use." They
therefore prayed for a new meeting, to be presided over
by a disinterested moderator, and that the transactions
of the last meeting be set aside. The General Court
ordered the petitioners to serve the selectmen and
moderator with a copy of their petition, and June 15th,
was assigued to hear the parties. In their answer the
selectmen deny any attempt at partiality, and declare
that the memorial is false and vexatious. But it ap-
pears that June 17, 1748, Nathaniel Sanders and
Joseph Patten for the memorialists and the selectmen
for the respondents, made an agreement for peace on
the following terms : the memorialists to drop their
petition, on condition that a new town-meeting be
held, and that a disinterested committee be chosen to
settle with the town treasurer, on which committee
noselectman or member of a former committee should
be placed. However, the General Court's committee
heard the case in part in June, postponing its consid-
eration further to September, when they made a re-
port, recommending that the proceedings of the
second meeting should be set aside, and declared null
and void, and a new meeting should be called ; and
that as no valuation had been taken the present year,
'â– according to law," the valuation of 1747 should be
taken as the rule for determining the right to vote.
The General Court adopted the report, and appointed
John Choate, E^q., of Ipswich, to act as moderator of
the meeting. Accordingly, a meeting was held No-
vember 22d, when Col. Choate acted as moderator,
and the same persons were for the third time elected
as town oflicers ! And then the war came to an
end. But if our fathers' opinions of each other, as ex-
pressed to the General Court, are to be taken as cor-
rect, their descendants have invented nothing in the
way of bad politics.
Colonel Nathaniel Peaslee, the moderator, grandson
of Joseph the first and son of Joseph the second,
born in 1682, was a merchant and a large landholder.
He was much employed in the town's business, serving
many years as selectman and moderator. He was
representative to the General Court nine years in all,
and longer than any other man in the town's history
save David How.
This year — 1748 — a motion was made to build a
school-house in every parish, but it was negatived.
In 1723 the town had voted to build a number,
but they may not have been built, or all of them.
During the war of 1744-48 Haverhill men were
out. Some were at the taking of Louisburg, but the
muster-rolls of that expedition do not give place of
residence or enlistment of those engaged in it. In
1748 nine Haverhill soldiers were stationed at Scar-
borough, Me., as sentinels.
In 1749 a proposition was made to hold the town-
meetings half the time in the West Parish, and the
other half in the East — but it was voted down. Prob-
ably that arrangement would have inconvenienced
almost everybody.
The summer of this year was made miserable by
intense drought, caterpillars and similar pests, accom-
panied with great heat.
In 1751 it was voted that a grammar school should
be kept in each parish four months in the year. This
was probably a spasmodic effort, occasioned by inti-