Lynn in the Revolution
Chapter I.
Early Families And Early Wars

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Transcribed by Shaun Cook
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WHEN the first settlers came from Salem and decided to "set down" in "Saugust now Linne," a much larger territory was included in the early town than now belongs to our modern city. Reading, Lynnfield, Saugus, Swampscott, and Nahant, together with what is now Lynn, made up the "Saugust" of the early settlers, Reading only being set off as a separate town before the Revolutionary War. Nor did the first comers find themselves in undisputed possession of this large territory, for there can be no doubt that the Indians were numerous through all the region, many evidences still remaining of their presence here, while tradition and history have preserved their memory through nearly three hundred years. One of their encampments was on land west of Walnut Street and directly beside what is now called Birch Brook. Here, surrounded by hill and valley, on land fertile and productive, by clear springs of water which have remained to this day, they built their wigwams. Mr. Lewis, in his History of Lynn, notices also those in the neighborhood of Sagamore Hill and High Rock and at Swampscott and Nahant. These were all a part of the powerful Pawtucket tribe, of which Nanapashemet, who sometimes lived in Lynn, was chief. The Indian name of Saugus was retained by the settlers for eight years until the General Court at Boston, in 1637, changed the name to Lynn in honor of Lynn Regis, or King's Lynn, in old England. That part which the Indians called "Swamp-
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scott" still bears its ancient name, while Nahant and Saugus and many of the chieftains' names preserve for us the pleasant sounds of the Indian language. As years went by, other names were applied to different localities within the borders of Lynn, and from those names we are able to trace the homes of a few of the early families, although at this late day it would be a difficult matter to locate them all. Such names, however, as Breed's End, Mansfield's End, Gravesend, and Woodend indicate clearly enough the part of the town in which some of them lived, while out of the network of streets which cross and recross our city to-day we are able to trace, from the few ancient and weather-beaten houses which remain, the long roads which in time connected our forefathers with their neighboring towns and with one another. From such ancient landmarks it would seem that the Boston Street of to-day, the old County Road of the fathers, was among the earliest to be laid out. This was the only avenue from Boston to Salem, Newburyport, and Portsmouth. Over it came the rumbling stage-coach, and to and fro went the commerce of the colony. Entering Lynn from Rumney Marsh, or Chelsea, it ran along under the hills of Saugus, crossed the river by the ford and later by the bridge at the mill, ascended over Willis's Hill, now Tower Hill, continued on up the course of Strawberry Brook to Flax Pond, then turned sharply to the left by the base of Mansfield's Hill, and went on to Salem by way of the present Peabody. Along this road were the homes of many of the first families.
A road connecting Lynn with Marblehead ran from what is now Ocean Street along King's Beach, and so on
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to the ancient seaport. Later a new road was laid out to connect with the same point, now known as Essex Street.
For the interesting story of the development of the little town up to the time of the Revolution, we have but to look in the annals of Lynn as gathered by her loyal sons, Alonzo Lewis and Judge James R. Newhall. Interesting though it would be to review again the principal points in her early history, it seems scarcely necessary to more than touch upon them in a work designed to tell another tale.
We note, in passing, the establishment of laws for the social well-being of the community, for its protection, and for the advancement of its people. We are curiously interested in the peculiar customs and quaint manners which prevailed. We smile at some of the odd characters who played their part on that early stage, and note the large place which the church and school held in the affections of the inhabitants. We find that there were some lapses in morals and violations of the law, which met with quick rebuke and sure punishment. Yet, with it all, the steady inarch was onward. Hardships there were in a land all new, - hardships which developed all the courage of the founders of Lynn, and made of their sons good soldiers. Troubles with the Indians very soon made it necessary to establish some sort of military rule, and a company was organized in 1630, the officers being appointed by the governor. From this time the town steadily maintained its militia. In the first war with the Pequots, in 1636, Lynn supplied one company, under command of Captain Nathaniel Turner, which did active duty. Upon the breaking out of hostilities in the
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year following, 175 men were raised for a second expedition against the Pequots, of whom Lynn furnished twenty-one. In 1638 the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company was formed, Daniel Howe, of Lynn being chosen first lieutenant, and Edward Tomlins and Nathaniel Turner members. In 1642, during the excitement prevailing at the announcement of an outbreak among the Indians, a blockhouse was built, to the west of Birch Brook, the cellar of which may still be located. In 1644 the General Court made provision for the two great guns in town, of which Captain Bridges had the care. In 1645 the General Court ordered that youth, from ten to sixteen years of age, should be exercised on training days in the use of small guns, half pikes, bows and arrows. That military service was compulsory in the early days is shown by the complaint to the Court of Daniel King, in 1637, that his goods had been taken to the amount of fifty shillings by "the captain of ye trayned band of Lynn, for supposed neglect of trayning, he being lame, and willing to find a sufficient man." The Court ordered him to pay fifty shillings for the past and ten shillings annually for the future. In 1658 Lynn, Reading, and Chelsea were authorized to raise a troop of horse and choose their own officers, "provided they be not ferry free, nor have five shillings yearly allowed them from the country, as other troopers have." This was the famous "Three County Troop," so called from the fact that the membership was from towns in Suffolk, Middlesex, and Essex Counties.
In 1675 occurred the famous King Philip's War. The military company in Lynn was commanded by Captain Thomas Marshall, Lieutenant Oliver Purchis, and Ensign
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John Fuller. Fifteen men were impressed from Lynn by order of the General Court, in addition to those who had been previously detached. Their names were Thomas Baker, Robert Driver, Job Farrington, Samuel Graves, Isaac Hart, Nicholas Hitchins, Daniel Hitchins, John Lindsey, Jonathan Locke, Charles Phillips, Samuel Rhodes, Henry Stacy, Samuel Tarbox, Andrew Tarbox, and Isaac Wellman. This company was in the expedition against the Narragansetts and probably in the great Swamp Fight at South Kingston, R.I., Ephraim Newhall being killed there and Andrew Townsend wounded.
Lynn was represented in Queen Anne's War by a considerable number of men. During the French and Indian War she sent a large number to fight for the king. They were in nearly every engagement in the contest, served at Crown Point, at Ticonderoga, were on the Plains of Abraham and on the frontiers. Many of them died, several attained to military rank.
We thus briefly note conditions in the town up to the close of the French and Indian War. The results of that war could scarcely have been of greater importance, and they were felt in the little world around Massachusetts Bay no less than in that larger world outside where the leading nations of Europe were affected by the hardwon victory to the English arms. To quote a recent authority, "The Seven Years' War furnished the opportunity and prepared the way for the American Revolution." The colonies no longer feared their old enemy, the French, on their northern border, and consequently felt less dependent upon the mother country in case of need; their martial training had helped to foster a spirit
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of independence; they felt themselves Englishmen, able now, in peace or war, to take care of themselves.
There have been various opinions in regard to the place where American Independence began, and John Adams is credited with saying that it was in silently listening to the tavern talks among the farmers that he first came to realize that American Independence was inevitable and close at hand. In the traditions of the town meetings of Lynn, in the anecdotes handed down from old stage-coach days, in the numberless writings of old-time inhabitants whose recollections of the little shoemakers' shops have been preserved for us, we have found again and again the breathings of independence. It is these whisperings of independence which it will be our interest to follow until they are lost in the mighty voice gathered from all the colonies; and we shall trace, in so far as may be, the fortunes of the men of Lynn who were led by that voice through the long struggle for liberty.
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