"The History of Lynn including Nahant"
by Alonzo Lewis, - The Lynn Bard

Transcribed and submitted
by Shaun Cook

To help transcribe or submit information, pleasee-mail Shaun Cook.

Chapter III

Settlement of Lynn - Early Inhabitants - Thomas Dexter buys Nahant for a suit of clothes - Occupation of the People - Descriptive Ballad - Town Incorporated - Trouble about wolves - Quarrel between Dexter and Endecott - Montowampate goes to England - Wenuchus, his Queen, taken prisoner by the Tartines - 1629 to 1631.

     LYNN is one of the earliest towns planted in Massachusetts. Its settlement was begun in 1629. Among the authorities for assigning the settlement to this year, is the Rev. Samuel Danforth 's almanac for the year 1647.  He gives a list of the first towns settled in this state, to which he prefixes these words: 'The time when these townes following began- Lynn, 1629.' By several ancient manuscripts, it appears that the settlement must have commenced as early as the first of June.

     1629. The first white men known to have been inhabitants of Lynn, were Edmund Ingalls and his brother Francis Ingalls.  A record preserved in the family of the former says, 'Mr. Edmund Ingalls came from Lincolnshire, in England, to Lynn, in 1629.' He was a farmer, and settled in the eastern part of the town, near a small pond in Fayette street. The place where his house stood is still pointed out by his descendants. He had a malt house near the margin of the pond.  When the lands were divided, in 1638, there were apportioned 'to Edmund and Francis Ingalls, upland and meadow, 120 acres.' He was accidentally drowned, in March, 1648, by falling with his horse through the old Saugus river bridge, on Boston street; for which the General Court paid one hundred pounds ($444) to his children. His estate was valued at L135 8s. 10d., including house and lands, L50." The name of his wife was Ann, and he had nine children, six of whom were born in England. 1. Robert, who inherited his father's 'house and houselot.' 2. Elizabeth. 3. Faith, who married Andrew Allen. 4. John, to whom his father gave 'the house and ground that was Jeremy ffits, (Fitch,) lying by the meeting-house, and that three acres land he hath in England.' 5. Sarah, who married William Bitner. 6. Henry, who was born in 1627, and removed to Andover, where he died in 1719, aged 92 years. A descendant of his, Captain Henry Ingalls, died in 1803, aged 84 years. About a year before his death he added the following note to the family genealogy: 'Mr. Henry Ingals, from whom all these spring, was born in the year 1627, and he died in the year 1719, who lived ninety-two years, and two months after his death, I Henry Ingals was Born, who have lived eighty-three years, So that we two Henry Ingals hath Lived on this Earth one hundred and seventy-five years.' 7. Samuel. 8. Mary. 9. Joseph. The descendants of Mr. Edmund Ingalls , in this and other towns, are numerous and respectable, and several of them eminent in the learned professions.
     Francis Ingalls, brother of Edmund was born in England in 1601. He was a tanner, and lived at Swampscot. He built a tannery on Humfrey's brook, where it is crossed by a stone bridge in Burrill street. I saw the vats before they were taken up in 1825. This was the first tannery in New England.
     William Dixey - was born in England in 1607, and came over a servant with Mr. Isaac Johnson. On his arrival at Salem, he says that application was made for him and others, 'for a place to set down in; upon which Mr. Endecott did give me and the rest leave to go where we would; upon which we went to Saugus, now Linne, and there wee met with Sagamore James and som other Indians, who did give me and the rest leaue to dwell there or thereabouts; whereupon I and the rest of my master's company did cutt grass for our cattell, and kept them upon Nahant for som space of time; for the Indian James Sagamore and the rest did give me and the rest in behalf of my master Johnson, what land we would; whereupon wee sett down in Saugust, and had quiet possession of it by the abovesaid Indians, and kept our cattell in Nahant the sumer following.' (Deposition in Essex Court Archives, July 1, 1657.)  Mr. Dixey was.admitted a freeman at the first General Court, in 1634. He removed to Salem, s and kept a ferry-boat across the North River. (Felt 's Annals of Salem)
     William Wood came to Lynn in 1629, and was admitted a freeman May 18, 1631. He resided here, according to his own account, about 'four years', and during that time he wrote an interesting work, entitled 'Nevv England's Prospect,' containing a very favorable account of the early settlements. On the fifteenth of August, 1633, he sailed with Captain Thomas Graves, for London, where, in 1634, he printed his book, in one hundred pages. In 1635, he published a map of New England, engraved on wood. He returned to Lynn the same year. He embarked on the eleventh of September, in the Hopewell, of London, being then 27 years of age; bringing with him his wife, Elizabeth , aged 24 years (Records in Westminster Hall, London.) In 1636, he was chosen representative. In 1637, he went with a company of about fifty men, and commenced a settlement at Sandwich. He was chosen town clerk there, and was a very active, intelligent, and talented man. His book is one of the most interesting and valuable which was written at that early period, and several extracts from it will be found in these pages.
     John Wood was a farmer, and lived on the corner of Essex and Chesnut streets, the same place now owned by Nathaniel Lewis. When the lands were divided, in 1638, one hundred acres were allotted to him. I think that William Wood, the writer, was his son, and William Wood of Salem, his brother.
     Such was the little band who commenced the first settlement in the wilderness of Lynn. Five men, with their families, probably comprising about twenty persons. They did not settle at Sagamore Hill, because the Indians were there; nor on the Common, because that was a forest; but coming from Salem, they selected a 'faire playne,' somewhat less than half a mile in extent, where they built their rude cottages, 'and had peaceable possession.' John Wood appears to have been the principal person, and from him the vicinity has ever since been called 'Woodend.' There the soil of Lynn was first stirred by the white men - there, surrounded by Indians, they laid the foundation of a town.

     1630.  Early in the spring, eleven vessels, having on board about seventeen hundred persons, left the harbor of Southampton, and sailed for New England. In the number of the passengers were Mr. John Winthrop, the first governor of Massachusetts, with many other persons of dignity, wealth, and reputation. As Mr. Humfrey, who had been chosen deputy governor, was not ready to remove, Mr. Thomas Dudley was chosen in his stead. In the month of June, the ships arrived at Salem, and the passengers began to make settlements in the pathless woods. Mr. Dudley says that some of them settled 'upon the river of Saugus.' Others went to Charlestown and Boston; and the rest began new settlements at Roxbury, Dorchester, Watertown, and Medford. The Council had agreed that each person who advanced fifty pounds, should have 200 acres; and that each one who came over on his own expense, should have 50 acres. The following persons appear to have arrived at Lynn, this year.
     Joseph Armitage lived on the Common, opposite the Academy, and his land extending to Strawberry brook. He was a tailor, and was admitted a freeman in 1637. Some years after, he became the proprietor of a corn and slitting mill on Saugus river. (Essex Reg. Deeds.) He opened the first tavern in the town, called the Anchor. (Mass. archives.) It stood on the Boston road, a little west of the river. For one hundred and seventy years, this was the most celebrated tavern in Essex county, being half way from Salem to Boston. He died June 27, 1680, aged eighty years. His wife, Jane, died March 3, 1675. His children were John, and Rebecca, who married Samuel Tarbox , in 1665.
     Godfrey Armitage was a farmer, and was admitted a freeman in 1638.
     James Axey was a farmer, a representative in 1654, and died in 1669. His wife, Frances , died the same year.
     Allen Breed was a farmer, and lived in the western part of Summer street. In 1638 he had two hundred acres allotted to him. He was born in 1601. The name of his wife was Elizabeth, and his children were Allen, Timothy, Joseph, and John . His descendants are numerous, and from the village in which he resided was called Breed's End.
     William Ballard was a farmer, and was admitted a freeman in 1638. In the same year he was a member of the Essex Court. His children were John, Nathaniel, and Elizabeth .
     George Burrill lived on the western side of Willis's Hill. He was a farmer, and had 200 acres of land.  He had three sons: George; Francis, born 1626, died November 10, 1704; and John, born 1631, died April 24, 1703.
     Edward Baker was a farmer, and lived on the south side of Baker's Hill, in Saugus. He was admitted a freeman in 1638; and was buried March 16, 1687. His wife, Joan, died April 9, 1693. His sons were Edward, who married Mary Marshall, April 7, 1675; and Thomas, who married Mary Lewis , July 10, 1689.
     Samuel Bennet was a carpenter, and a member of the Ancient Artillery Company, in 1639. A pine forest in the northern part of Lynn still retains the name of Bennet's Swamp. He resided in the western part of Saugus, and when the towns were divided, the line passed through his land, eastward of his house, so that afterward he was called an inhabitant of Boston.
     Nicholas Brown was a farmer, and lived in Walnut street, in Saugus. He removed to Reading, in 1644. He had a son, Thomas , who continued in Lynn, and died, 28 Aug. 1693. His descendants remain.
     Boniface Burton was a farmer, and was admitted a freeman, May 6, 1635. He was the oldest man who ever lived at Lynn. He died, June 13, 1669, aged 113 years. (Sewall)
     Thomas Coldman was admitted a freeman in 1634. He kept Mr. Humfrey's windmill, on Sagamore Hill, and died April 8, 1675, aged 74 years.
     Clement Coldman was a miller, and a member of the Ancient Artillery Company, in 1645. He had a son Clement , born in 1622, who removed to Gloucester, and died in 1703.
     Thomas Chadwell was a farmer, and lived in Summer street. He died in February, 1683. His sons were Thomas, Moses, and Benjamin . His descendants remain
      William Cowdry , born in 1602, was a farmer. He removed to Reading in 1640; where he was Clerk of the Writs, Town Clerk, Selectman and Representative.
      Thomas Dexter was a farmer, and lived on the west of Saugus river, near the Iron Works. He was admitted a freeman, May 18, 1631. He owned eight hundred acres of land, and was called, by way of excellence, 'Farmer Dexter.' He was a very active and enterprising man, and built a mill and a wear across Saugus river. Among his speculations, he purchased Nahant of the Indian chief, Poquanum, called 'Black Will,' for a suit of clothes; which occasioned the town an expensive lawsuit in 1657, another in 1678, and a third in 1695. He became one of the first proprietors of the town of Sandwich in 1637, and promoted its settlement, but did not remove at that time. He had a son Thomas, a grandson Richard, and a great-grandson William ; but none of his descendants remain at Lynn.
     Robert Driver was a farmer, and lived in Shepard street, on the south of which a creek still bears his name. He was made a freeman in 1635, and died April 3, 1680, aged 88 years. His wife, Phebe, died in February, 1683. He had a son, Robert , who was a soldier in the Indian War of 1675.
     William Edmunds was admitted a freeman in 1635, and died August 4, 1693. His children were John; and Samuel, who married Elizabeth Bridges , January 27, 1685.
     George Farr was a farmer in the eastern part of Essex street. He was admitted a freeman in 1635, and died in 1661. His wife Elizabeth was buried March 11, 1687. His children were, John, Lazarus, Benjamin, Joseph, Mary, Martha, Elizabeth, and Sarah .
     Henry Feake was admitted a freeman, May 14, 1632, and removed to Sandwich in 1637.
     Jeremiah Fitch was a farmer, and lived in Shepard street. He removed to Reading in 1644.
     Samuel Graves was a farmer, and lived on the Turnpike, west of the Floating Bridge, and from him that village has ever since been called Graves End. I n 1635, he gave nearly L300 to the colony. He had a son Samuel , and his descendants remain.
     Adam Hawkes was a farmer, and settled on the Hawkes Farms, in Saugus. He owned the land where the iron ore was found, and filled up one of the mines, on the supposition that it contained silver. Soon after his settlement, his house was burned. The only persons in it at the time, were a servant girl and two twin infants, who escaped. He died in 1671. His sons were, Adam, John, Moses, Benjamin, and Thomas . His descendants remain.
     John Hawkes was admitted a freeman in 1634, and died August 5, 1694.
     John Hall was admitted a freeman in 1634. Edward Hall, son of John, was a farmer, and died in 1669. His children were Joseph, Ephraim, Elizabeth, Rebecca, and Martha . His descendants remain.
    Thomas Hubbard was admitted a freeman in 1634, and removed to Billerica.
     Edward Holyoke was a farmer, and had five hundred acres of land. He was a member of the Essex Court, and was many times chosen representative. In 1656 he owned the western side of Sagamore Hill. He died May 4, 1660. His estate was valued at L681. His farm in Lynn, L400; his farm at Beaver Dam, in Reading, L150; three acres of land on Nahant, L6; two oxen, L12; four cows, L16; and his books, L20; among which were some valuable manuscripts. In his will he beseeches God to impress his children with the importance of private prayer and public worship, and bequeaths each of them a lock of his hair. His children were, Elizur, who removed to Springfield, and married Mary Pynchon; and Elizabeth, who married George Keyser. An excellent spring, in the western part of the town, surrounded by five willows, is well known by the name of Holyoke spring. A descendant of his, Edward Augustus Holyoke , an eminent physician, died at Salem, March 31, 1829, aged one hundred years and seven months.
     Edward Howe was a farmer, and was admitted a freeman in 1636. He was several times chosen representative, and was a member of the Essex Court in 1637. In April, 1639, after the Court was ended in Boston, having dined in his usual health, he went to the river side, to pass over to Charlestown, and while waiting for the ferry boat, fell dead on the shore. Governor Winthrop says he was 'a Godly man.' He had a son Edward .
     Lieutenant Daniel Howe, brother of Edward, was admitted a freeman in 1634. He was a representative in five courts, and a member of the Ancient Artillery Company in 1638. He removed to New Haven. His son Ephraim was master of a vessel which sailed from Boston. In September, 1676, his vessel, in which were two of his sons and three other persons, was disabled by a storm, off Cape Cod, and driven to sea for several weeks, until his two sons, lashed to the deck by ropes, perished with wet and cold. The vessel was then cast on a desolate island, where the three other persons died. Mr. Howe was thus left alone, and found means to subsist for nine months, lodging and praying in a cave, till he was taken off by a vessel, in June.
     William Hathorne was born in England, in 1607, was admitted a freeman in 1634, and removed to Salem.
     Thomas Hudson was a farmer, and lived on the western side of Saugus river. He owned the lands where the Iron Works were situated, part of which he sold for that purpose. He had a son Jonathan , whose descendants remain.
     Christopher Hussey was born in Darking, in Surrey, England, in 1598. He went to Holland, where he became enamored of Theodate, daughter of Rev. Stephen Bachiler, who had resided there several years, but her father would not consent to their union, unless Mr. Hussey would remove to New England, whither he was preparing to go. Mr. Hussey came to Lynn with his mother, widow Mary Hussey, and his wife, in 1630, and here, the same year, his son Stephen was born, who was the second white child born in Lynn. He removed to Newbury, in 1636, and was chosen representative in 1637. In 1638, he became one of the first settlers of Hampton, and was chosen a counsellor. In 1685, he was cast away and lost on the coast of Florida, being 87 years of' age. His children were Stephen, John, Joseph, Huldah, Theodate and Mary.
     George Keyser, born in 1616, was a tanner, at Swampscot, and was admitted a freeman in 1638. He married Elizabeth Holyoke, and had a son Elizur , who removed to Salem.
     Christopher Lindsey lived as a servant with Thomas Dexter, and kept his cattle at Nahant. A hill on the notheastern part of Nahant is still called Lindsey's hill. He died in 1668. He had two sons, John and Eleazer , and his descendants remain.
     Thomas Newhall was a farmer, and owned all the lands on the eastern side of Federal street. His house stood in the same place with that of Mr. Amos Rhodes. He had two sons. 1. John, born in England. 2. Thomas, born in 1630, who was the first white child born in Lynn. He married Elizabeth Potter, December 29, 1652, and was buried April 1, 1687, aged 57 years. His wife was buried February 22, 1687. His children wer Thomas, John, Joseph, Nathaniel, Elisha, Elizabeth, Mary, Samuel, and Rebecca . His descendants are more numerous than those of any other name at Lynn, and there are many in the adjacent town.
     Jonathan Negus was born in 1601, and admitted a freeman in 1634.
     Robert Potter was a farmer, and lived in Boston street. He was admitted a freeman in 1634. He had a daughter Elizabeth .
     John Ramsdell was a farmer, and died October 27, 1688, aged 86 years. His wife, Priscilla, died January 23, 1675. His sons were John and Aquila , and his descendants remain.
     Edward Richards, born 1616 was a 'joiner,' and was admitted a freeman in 1641. He lived in the eastern part of Essex street. On the third of April, 1646, he sold to Daniel King , 'one parcel of land, called Windmill Hill,' being the eastern mound of Sagamore Hill. He died January 26, 1690, aged 74 years. His descendants remain.
     Joseph Rednap was a wine cooper, from London, and was admitted a freeman in 1634. Judge Sewall , in his Diary, says he died on Friday, January 23, 1686, aged 110 years.
     Daniel Salmon, born in 1610 was a soldier in the Pequod war, in 1636. He had a son Daniel , born May 2, 1665.
     Samuel Smith was a farmer, and lived at Swampscot. His descendants remain.
     John Smith was a farmer, and was admitted a freeman in 1633. He removed to Reading.
     John Taylor came from Haverhill, in England. His wife and children died on the passage. He was admitted a freeman, October 19, 1630, and lived on the western side of Saugus river.
     Captain Edward Tomlins was a carpenter, and was admitted a freeman in 1631. He was six times chosen representative. In 1633, he built the first mill in Lynn, at the mouth of Strawberry Brook, which flows from the Flax Pond, where Chase's mill now stands.  At one of the courts he agreed to repair Mistick bridge for L22. In 1638 he was a member of the Ancient Artillery Company. In 1640, he went to Long Island, but returned to Lynn, and was appointed Clerk of the Writs in 1643. His son Edward came over in 1635, at the age of 30; but returned to London in 1644, and in 1679 was at Dublin.
     Timothy Tomlins, brother of Edward , was a farmer, and was admitted a freeman, 1633. He was representative in thirteen sessions of the General Court. In 1640, he went with those who began a settlement at Southampton, on Long Island, but returned. A pine forest in the northern part of Lynn is well known by the name of Tomlin's Swamp. He was one of the first proprietors of Cambridge, but did not reside there.
     Captain Nathaniel Turner lived in Nahant street, and owned the whole of Sagamore Hill. He applied to be admitted a freeman October 19, 1630, but did not take the oath until July 3, 1632. He was representative in the first seven sessions of the General Court, and a member of the first County Court at Salem, in 1636. In 1633, he was appointed Captain of the Militia, and in 1636 and 1637 had a command in several expeditions against the Pequod Indians. In 1637 his house was burnt. In 1638, he became a member of the Ancient Artillery Company; and the same year sold his land on Sagamore Hill to Mr. Edward Holyoke, and removed, with others, to Quilipeake, where a new settlement was begun, and called New Haven. His name is preserved in Turner's Falls. In 1639 he was one of the seven members of the first church at New Haven. In 1640, he purchased for the town, of Ponus, the Indian Sagamore, the tract of land which is now the town of Stamford, for which he paid in 'coats, shoes, hatchets, &c.' His active and useful life was soon after terminated in a melancholy manner. In January, 1646, he sailed for England, with Captain Lamberton, in a vessel which was never heard of more. Governor Winthrop informs us that in June, 1648, the apparition of a ship was seen, under full sail, moving up the harbor of New Haven, a little before sunset, in a pleasant afternoon, and that as it approached the shore, it slowly vanished. This was thought to have a reference to the fate of Captain Lamberton's ship. The following epitaph was written to the memory of Captain Turner :
          Deep in Atlantic cave his body sleeps,
          While the dark sea its ceaseless motion keeps,
          While phantom ships are wrecked along the shore,
          To warn his friends that he will come no more
          I But He who governs all with impulse free,.
          Can bring from Bashan and the deepest sea,
          And when He calls our Turner must return,
          Though now his ashes fill no sacred urn.
     Thomas Talmadge was a farmer, and was admitted a freeman in 1634. He had a son Thomas .
     Captain Richard Walker was a farmer, and resided on the west of Saugus river. He was born in 1593; and was admitted a freeman in 1634. He was buried May 16, 1687, aged 95 years. He had two sons; Richard, born 1611, who came over in 1635, removed to Reading, and was several times chosen representative; and Samuel, who removed to Reading. He also had two daughters; Tabitha, who married Daniel King, March 11, 1662; and Elizabeth, who married Ralph King , March 2, 1663.
     Thomas Willis was a farmer, and the first resident on Willis's Hill, on which the poor-house is situated. The land on the south was called Willis's Neck, and that on the north, Willis's Meadow. He was a representative in the first General Court in 1634, and a member of the Essex Court, in 1639. He became one of the first proprietors of Sandwich, in 1637, but did not remove at that time.
     Bray Wilkins was a farmer, and lived on the western side of the Flax Pond. He was admitted a freeman in 1634, and removed to Danvers.
     John White was a farmer, and was admitted a freeman in 1633.
     William Witter was a farmer and resided at Swampscot. He lived on the spot where Joseph Blaney's house now stands. He says, 'Blacke will, or duke william, so called, came to my house, (which was two or three miles from Nahant,) when Thomas Dexter had bought Nahant for a suit of clothes; the said Black will Asked me what I would give him for the Land my house stood vppon, it being his land, and his ffather's wigwam stood their abouts, James Sagomore and John, and the Sagomore of Agawame, and diuers more, And George Sagomore, being a youth was present, all of them acknowlidginge Black will to be the Right owner of the Land my house stood on, and Sagomore Hill and Nahant was all his;' and adds 'that he bought Nahant and Sagomer Hill and Swamscoate of Black William for two pestle stones.' (Deposition in Salem Court files, 15th and 27th April, 1657) He died in 1659, aged 75 years. The name of his wife was Annis, and his children were Josiah, and Hannah, who married Robert Burdin. By his will, August 6, 1657, he gives his wife Annis half his estate, and Josiah the other half; and says, 'Hannah shall have a yew and lamb this time twelf mounth.'
     Captain Richard Wright , was selected in 1632, to confer with the Governor about raising a public fund. He was admitted a freeman in 1634. He removed to Boston, where, in 1636, he contributed 6s. 8d. 'towards the maintenance of a free school-master.' (Boston Records.)
     The great body of fifty persons, with their families, who came to Lynn this year, settled in all parts of the town, selecting the most eligible portions, and each occupying from ten to two hundred acres, and some more. They were principally farmers, and possessed a large stock of horned cattle, sheep and goats. For several years, before the land was divided, and the fields fenced, the cattle were fed in one drove, and guarded by a man, who, from his employment, was called a hayward. The sheep, goats, and swine were kept on Nahant, where they were tended by a shepherd. Nahant seems to have been sold several times, to different individuals, by 'Black William,' who also gave it to the plantation for a sheep pasture. A fence of rails, put near together, was made across the beach near Nahant, to keep out the wolves, as those animals do not climb. When the people were about building this fence, Captain Turner said, 'Let us make haste, lest the country should take it from us.' (Deposition in Salem Court Records, April 22, 1657.) The people of Lynn, for many years, appear to have lived in the most perfect democracy. They had town meetings every three months, for the regulation of their public affairs. They cut their wood in common, and drew lots for the grass in the meadows and marshes. These proved very serviceable to the farmers, by furnishing them with sustenance for their cattle; which was probably the reason why there were more farmers at Lynn, than in any other of the early settlements. Mr. Johnson says, 'The chiefest corn they planted, before they had plowes, was Indian grain - and let no man make a jest of Pumpkins, for with this food the Lord was pleased to feed his people to their good content, till Corne and Cattell were increased.' Their corn at the first, was pounded, after the manner of the Indians, with a pestle of wood or stone, in a mortar made either of stone, or a log hollowed out at one end. They also cultivated large fields of barley and wheat. Much of the former was made into malt for beer. They raised considerable quantities of flax, which was rotted in one of the ponds, thence called the Flax Pond. Their first houses were rude structures, covered with thatch, or small bundles of sedge or straw, laid one over another. A common form of the early cottages, was eighteen feet square, and seven feet post, with the roof steep enough to form a sleeping chamber. The better houses were built with two stories in front, and sloped down to one in the rear; the upper story projecting about a foot, with very sharp gables. The frames were of heavy oak timber, showing the beams inside. Burnt clam shells were used for lime, and the walls were whitewashed. The fire-places were made of rough stones, and the chimneys of boards, or short sticks, crossing each other, and plastered inside with clay. The windows were small, opening outward on hinges. They consisted of very small diamond panes, set in sashes of lead. The fire-places were large enough to admit a four-foot log, and the children might sit in the corners and look up at the stars. People commonly burned about twenty cords of wood in a year, and the ministers were allowed thirty cords. On whichever side of the road the houses were placed, they uniformly faced the south, that the sun at noon might 'shine square.' Thus each house formed a domestic sun-dial, by which the good matron, in the absence of the clock, could tell, in fair weather, when to call her husband and sons from the field; for the industrious people of Lynn, then as well as now, always dined exactly at twelve. It was the custom of the first settlers to wear long beards, and Governor Winthrop says, 'Some had their overgrown beards so frozen together, that they could not get their strong water bottells to their mouths.' In very hot weather, says Wood 'servants were priviledged to rest from their labors, from ten of the clocke till two.' The common address of men and women was Goodman and Goodwife; none but those who sustained some office of dignity, or were descended from some respectable family, were complimented with the title of Master. In writing they seldom used a capital F; and thus in the early records we find two small ones used instead; and one m, with a dash over it, stood for two. The following ballad, written about this time, exhibits some of the peculiar customs and modes of thinking among the early settlers.

             NEW ENGLAND BALLAD
                                     I.
          The place where we live is a wilderness wood,
          Where grass is much wanting that's fruitful and good;
          Our mountains and hills, and our valleys below,
          Being commonly covered with ice and with snow.
          And when the northwest wind with violence blows,
          Then every man pulls his cap over his nose;
          But if any is hardy, and will it withstand,
          He forfeits a finger, a foot, or a hand.

                                      II.
          And when the spring opens, we then take the hoe,
          And make the ground ready to plant and to sow;
          Our corn being planted, and seed being sown,
          The worms destroy much before it is grown
          And while it is growing, some spoil there is made
          By birds and by squirrels, that pluck up the blade;
          And when it is come to full corn in the ear,
          It is often destroyed by racoon and by deer.

                                       III.
          And now our old garments begin to grow thin,
          And wool is much wanted to card and to spin;
          If we can get a garment to cover without,
          Our other in garments are clout [patch] upon patch.
          Our clothes we brought with us are apt to be torn,
          They need to be clouted soon after they're worn;
          But clouting our garments they hinder us nothing,
          Clouts double are warmer than single whole clothing.

                                        IV.
          If fresh meat be wanting to fill up our dish,
          We have carrots and pumpkins, and turnips and fish;
          And if there's a mind for a delicate dish,
          We haste to the clam banks and take what we wish.
          Stead of pottage and puddings and custards and pies,
          Our turnips and parsnips are common supplies;
          We have pumpkins at morning, and pumpkins at noon,
          If it was not for pumpkins we should be undone.

                                         V.
          [Stead of brandy and whiskey and cider and gin,
          We have liquor which all may partake without sin;
          Our springs of fresh water are excellent cheer,
          And fill up the places of porter and beer.]
          If barley be wanting to make into malt,
          We must then be contented and think it no fault;
          For we can make liquor to sweeten our lips,
          Of pumpkins and parsnips and walnut tree chips.

                                         VI.
         Now while some are going let others be coming,
          For while liquor's boiling it must have a scumming;
          But I will not blame them, for birds of a feather,
          By seeking their fellows, are flocking together.
          Then you whom the Lord intends hither to bring,
          Forsake not the honey for fear of the sting;
          But bring both a quiet and contented mind,
          And all needful blessings you surely shall find.

     The General Court, for the first four years, consisted of the Governor, Deputy Governor, twelve Assistants, or magistrates, and all who had obtained the privileges of freemen. Instead, therefore, of sending representatives, the whole number of freemen attended the Court in person. An order was made, that no persons should be admitted to the privileges of 'freemen,' but such as were members of some church, and had certificates from their ministers that their opinions were approved. This policy continued, till it was abrogated by an order from king Charles II., in 1662.
     Lynn was incorporated in 1630, by the admission of its freemen as members of the General Court. There were no acts of incorporation for several of the early towns. Boston, Salem, and Charlestown, were no otherwise incorporated, than by their freemen taking their seats in the General Court. They never paused to inquire if they were incorporated; the very act of their being there was an incorporation. The freemen of Lynn were an important and respectable portion of the General Court, and Lynn was as much incorporated in 1630 as Boston was. The injustice which has been done to Lynn, by placing her incorporation seven years too late, should be corrected.
     The following order was passed by the General Court, for regulating the prices of labor. 'It is ordered, that no master carpenter, mason, joiner, or bricklayer, shall take above 16d. a Day for their work, if they have meate and Drinke; and the second sort not above 12d. a Day, under payne of Xs. both to giver and receiver.' This order probably occasioned some dissatisfaction, as the Court, some months after, determined that wages should be left unlimited, 'as men shall reasonably agree.'
      The Indians, having become acquainted with the use of guns, and having seen their superiority over bows and arrows, would give almost any amount in land, beaver skins, or wampum, for them. This caused an apprehension of danger, and on the twenty-eighth of September the Court ordered, that 'noe person whatsoever shall, either directly or indirectly, imploy or cause to be employed, or to their power permit any Indian, to vse any peece vpon any occasion or pretence whatsoever, under pain of Xs. ffyne for the first offence, and for the 2 offence to be ffyned and imprisoned at the discretion of the Court.'
     A company of militia was organized, of which Richard Wright was captain, Daniel Howe lieutenant, and Richard Walker ensign. The officers were not chosen by the people, but appointed by the Governor. The company possessed two iron cannon, called 'sakers, or great guns.'
     There is a story that two of the early settlers went to Nahant for fowl, and separated. One of them killed a seal on Pond Beach, and leaving him, went after some birds. When he returned, he found a bear feeding on the seal. He fired at him a charge of shot, which caused him to fall, and then beat him with his six foot gun till it broke. The bear then stood up, wounded the man and tore his clothes; but the man, extricating himself, ran into the pond, where he remained until his companion came and relieved him. They then returned to the town and informed the people, who went down in the evening and made a fire on the beach, which they kept burning through the night, to prevent the bear from coming off: In the morning they went to Nahant and killed him.
     Much mischief was occasioned among the cattle, for many years, by the wolves, which, Wood says, used to travel in companies of 'ten or twelve.' On the thirteenth of September, says Winthrop, 'the wolves killed some swine at Saugus.' On the ninth of November, the Court ordered, that if any one killed a wolf, he should have one penny for each cow and horse, and one farthing for each sheep and swine in the plantation. Many pits were dug in the woods to entrap them, and some of them are yet to be seen. It is said that a woman, as she was rambling in the woods for berries, fell into one of these pits, from which she was unable to extricate herself. In the evening, a wolf made her a very unceremonious visit, dropping down at her side, through the bushes with which the pit was covered. Finding himself entrapped, and being as much afraid of the woman as she was of him, he retired to the opposite corner of the pit; and thus they remained through the night, ogling each other with any looks but those of an enamored couple. The next day the friends of the woman arrived at the pit, from which they took her without injury, and prevented any future visit from her rude and unwelcome intruder.

     1631. In the early part of this year, provisions were very scarce, and many persons depended for subsistence upon clams, groundnuts, and acorns. Wheat was sold for fourteen shillings, ($3.11) a bushel; and Indian corn, brought from Virginia, for eleven shillings ($2.44). The price of cattle, for several years, continued very high. A good cow was valued at twenty-five pounds, ($111.11,) and a yoke of oxen at forty pounds ($177.77).
     On the third of February, the Court laid a tax of sixty pounds, to make a palisade or defense about Newtown, now Cambridge. The proportion of Saugus and Marble Harbour, or Lynn and Marblehead, was six pounds.
     On the eighteenth of February, a vessel owned by Mr. John Glover, of Dorchester, was wrecked on Nahant rocks; but the crew were all saved.
     The Court, on the first of March, ordered, 'That if any person, within the Lymitts of this Patent, doe trade, trucke, or sell any money, either silver or golde, to any Indian, or any man that knowe of any that shall soe doe, and conceal the same, shall forfeit twenty for one. Further it is ordered, that whatever person hath received an Indian into their ffamilie as a servant, shall discharge themselves of them by the 11th of May next, and that noe person shall hereafter entertain any Indian for a servant without licence from the Court.'
     Wonohaquaham and Montowampate, the sagamores of Winisimet and Lynn, having been defrauded of twenty beaver skins, by a man in England, named Watts, went to Governor Winthrop, on twenty-sixth of March, to solicit his assistance in recovering their value. The Governor entertained them kindly, and gave them a letter of introduction to Emanuel Downing, Esq., an eminent lawyer in London. Tradition says, that Montowampate went to England, where he was treated with much respect as an Indian king; but, disliking the English delicacies, he hastened back to Saugus, to the enjoyment of his clams and succatash.
     At this time, there was no bridge across Saugus river, and people who traveled to Boston were compelled to pass through the woods in the northern part of the town, and ford the stream by the Iron Works, which were near the site of,the present woolen factories, in Saugus Centre. The following extract from a letter written by Mr. John Endicott, of Salem, to Governor Winthrop, on the twelfth of April, illustrates this custom. Mr. Endicott had just been married. He says: 'Right Worshipful, I did hope to have been with you in person at the Court, and to that end I put to sea yesterday, and was driven back again, the wind being stiff against us; and there being no canoe or boat at Saugus, I must have been constrained to go to Mistic, and thence about to Charlestown; which at this time I durst not be so bold, my body being at present in an ill condition to take cold, and therefore I pray you to pardon me.'
     A quarrel had arisen, a short time previous, between Mr. Endicott and Thomas Dexter, in which the Salem magistrate so far forgot his dignity as to strike Mr. Dexter, who complained to the Court at Boston. It was on this occasion that Mr. Endicott wrote the letter from which the preceding extract is made. He thus continues: 'I desired the rather to have been at Court, because I hear I am much complained of by Goodman Dexter for striking him; understanding since it is not lawful for a justice of peace to strike. But if you had seen the manner of his carriage, with such daring of me, with his arms akimbo, it would have provoked a very patient man. He hath given out, if I had a purse he would make me empty it, and if he cannot have justice here, he will do wonders in England; and if he cannot prevail there, he will try it out with me here at blows. If it were lawful for me to try it at blows, and he a fit man for me to deal with, you should not hear me complain.' The jury, to whom the case was referred, gave their verdict for Mr. Dexter, on the third of May, and gave damages ten pounds, ($44.44). Besides the evidence of the blow, Mr. Endicott manifests somewhat of an irascible disposition in his letter; and Mr. Dexter was not a man to stand for nice points of etiquette on occasions of irritability. Some years afterward, having been insulted by Samuel Hutchinson, he met him one day on the road, and jumping from his horse, he bestowed 'about twenty blows on his head and shoulders' to the no small danger and deray of his senses, as well as sensibilities.
     April 12. 'It is ordered that every Captaine shall traine his companie on saterday in every weeke.'
     May 18. 'It is ordered that no person shall kill any wild swine, without a general agreement at some court.'
    July 5. A tax of thirty pounds was laid for the purpose of opening a canal from Charles river to Cambridge. The requisition on Lynn was for one pound.
     Masconomo, the sagamore of Agawam, or Ipswich, having committed some offence against the eastern Indians, the Court, on the fifth of July, passed an order, forbidding him to enter any Englishman's house within one year, under a penalty of ten beaver skins. The Taratines, also, undertook to avenge their own wrong. On the eighth of August, about one hundred of them landed from their canoes, at Ipswich, in the night, and killed seven of Masconomo's men, and wounded several more, some of whom died. They also wounded Wonohaquaham and Montowampate, who were on a visit to that place; and carried away Wenuchus, the wife of Montowampate, a captive. She was detained by them about two months, and was restored on the intercession of Mr. Abraham Shurd of Pemaquid, who traded with the Indians. She returned on the seventeenth of September. For her release, the Taratines demanded a quantity of wampum and beaver skins.
     The people of Lynn were soon after alarmed by a report that the Taratines intended an attack on them, and appointed men each night to keep a watch. Once, about midnight, Ensign Richard Walker, who was on the guard, heard the bushes break near him, and felt an arrow pass through his coat and 'buff waistcoat.' As the night was dark he could see no one, but he discharged his gun, which, being heavily loaded, split in pieces. He then called the guard, and returned to the place, when he had another arrow shot through his clothes. Deeming it imprudent to proceed in the dark against a concealed enemy, he desisted from further search till morning. The people then assembled, and discharged their cannon into the woods; after which, the Indians gave them no further molestation.
     On the twenty-fifth of October, Governor Winthrop, with several of his officers, vivited Lynn on foot, passing through the ford of Saugus river. They spent the night in Lynn, and the next day went to Salem. They returned on the twenty-eighth. In passing through Lynn, Governor Winthrop puts down in his journal, 'A plentiful crop.'
     Thus have we seen the town, which three years before was a wilderness of Indians, now occupied by cottages of white men, living in harmony with the natives; clearing the forest, and cultivating the soil, and by the blessing of Providence, reaping a rich reward for their labors. The Indians had received them with kindness, and given them liberty to settle where they pleased; but some years after, they made an agreement with the natives for the land. The deed has shared the fate of the lost records; but one of the town treasurers told me that he had the deed in his possession about the year 1800, and that the compensation was sixteen pounds ten shillings - about seventy-three dollars. The people of Salem paid twenty pounds for the deed of their town.

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