Essex County, Massachusetts - Biographical sketches (4 of 8 so headed), 1888 (part 2 of 2)

A warm friend, a kind neighbor, a genial and pleasant companion ; his charity to the unfortunate was only fully known to the many recipients of his benevolence. He died December 21, 1879.

Essex County has given birth to but few more remarkable men than General Grenville M. Dodge, now, and for many years, resident at Council Bluffs, Iowa. Perhaps no one of her sons has wrought a wider, and more varied and important public service than has he. He is not yet an old man, but is still in his prime, and is as active and busy as ever. Yet, as civil engineer, military commander, member of Congress, projector of many of the great railroad enterprises of the West and Southwest for the last thirty years or more, and as president or director of most of the companies established to forward and complete these vast works of internal improvement and national development, he has done quite enough for fame, and quite enough to entitle him to the lasting gratitude and honor of his country. The story of his career, however much it has to do with practical matters, is yet invested with a wonderfully romantic interest, and we are glad to learn that a more extensive biograj^hy of him than we can give here, or than has ever been written of him, is in course of preparation by Mr. N. E. Dawson, of Washington, for a large, voluminous work to be entitled, "Iowa in the War." To Mr. Dawson's kindness we are indebted for some of the advance sheets of his full and excellent sketch, from which we have culled many of the facts of our hero's maturer life.

General Dodge is a native of Danvers, Mass., and was born April 12, 1831, in a farm-house which was situated a short distance south of the Topsfield line, and which was then the home of the family of Elias Putnam, who was himself born there more than forty years before, as stated elsewhere in this volume. Israel Putnam, the father of Elias, having removed his household, about the beginning of the century, several miles down the road, the premises were let to Captain Solomon Dodge, who had lived in Kowley, Mass., and was a descendant of one of the two brothers of the name who early emigrated from England, and settled in Essex County. There came with Solomon a son, Sylvanus, who had been born, November 25, 1800, at the old Rowley home, in what has long been known as the " Old Dodge House." Not long after the family had taken possession of their new quarters, the mother of Sylvanus died, and by and by, it is said, the surviving members returned to the ancestral seat whence they came. The son was married, November

22, 1827, at New Rowley (now Georgetown), by Rev. Dr, Isaac Braman, to Julia T. Phillips, who was born in that town January 23, 1802. The same evening the nuptial pair rode to Danvers, to enter there upon their early wedded life on the farm where the husband had lived as a little child, and in an L which the Putnams, who had themselves long before returned to the place, had attached to the northern side of the house. Their first child was born to them September

23, 1829, but died about two weeks afterward. The second was born April 12, 1831, as we have said, and received the name that had been given to the other, Grenville M. Dodge. He first saw the light in the chamber of the L to which reference has been made, and which, many years later, was detached from the main part of the building and removed to a point about an eighth of a mile further south, on the other side of the road, where it was enlarged, and has since been tenanted by various families. The Dodges remained on the farm about six years, and then went to Rowley, where they lived for a year or two, at the expiration of which time they returned to their Danvers abode, which Mr. Putnam and family had recently left to fix their home two miles below, in the old house now occupied by Augustus Fowler. While Sylvanus Dodge and his family came back to live again in one part of the farm-house, there came from Wenham, Benjamin Dodge and his family to dwell in the other. Sylvanus was then a butcher, and many of the present inhabitants of the town will recall his regular visits at their doors, as, arrayed in his clean white frock, he rode about in his well-covered and amply-supplied wagon and ingratiated himself into the favor of his patrons by his genial spirit and honest dealing. The slaughter-house was a barn which stood at the foot of the hill, a little distance north of the house, where there is now, if there was not then, a beautiful grove. Long afterward it was moved to the plains, and then again outside of the village, where it was finally burnt.

The second sojourn of Mr. Sylvanus Dodge and his family upon the farm continued for only about one year. Thence they proceeded to Salem, where also they -spent a couple of years, and next went to Lynn, where they remained one year, living during the twelve-month in three different houses. In April, 1837, they found a home in South Danvers, now Peabody, where, August 20, of the same year, was born a third child, Nathan P. Dodge. In 1840 they removed to the north part of the old town, and settled for a time in Tapleyville, the native place of their fourth and last child, Julia M. Dodge, now Mrs. J. B. Beard, born January 14, 1843. During their stay at Tapleyville, Mr. Dodge was made postmaster for South Danvers, and accordingly returned thither with his wife and children, and there continued to reside until they all emigrated to the distant West, He held the office to which he was thus appointed for ten years, and through various changes in the national administration, securing the confidence and favor of both political parties and of his fellow-citizens generally. In politics he was a Democrat, and was an active and earnest friend of such men as Robert Rantoul, Jr., N. P. Banks and George S. Boutwell. In due time he came to be much interested in the organization of the Republican party, and was henceforth to the end of his life its sincere and efficient sujjporter.

Grenville, the eldest of the three living children, sought his fortunes in the West as early as 1851. Between the ages of ten and sixteen he had worked at gardening, had been employed as a clerk in a store, had attended the common schools, and had also improved his leisure hours in fitting himself for college. He entered the Military University at Norwich, Vt., in 1847, and there completed his course of education just before he set out to seek his fortunes in a more distant part of the country. He first settled in Peru, Illinois, as a civil engineer. He participated in the construction of the Chicago and Rock Island, and Peoria and Bureau Valley Railroads; and in 1853 he was appointed assistant engineer of the Mississippi and Missouri Railroad of Iowa, now the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Line. In the ^ame year.

having removed to Iowa City, he explored and examined the country west of the Missouri, and became convinced that the great Pacific Railway would have its starting point where it now is, at Council Bluffs, or Omaha, on the Missouri river. At Council Bluffs, therefore, he decided to fix his permanent residence. He had married Miss Annie Brown, of Peru, 111., at Salem, Mass., May 29, 1854, and in the following November he left Iowa City, where his brother Nathan from the East had already joined him, for his future home, accompanied by his wife. During the same month he made a claim, and opened a farm in the Territory of Nebraska, on the Elkhorn river, occupying it in February, 1855, but staying there only six months, the Indians driving him away, and obliging him to return with his family to Council Bluffs.

Early in 1855 his father, Sylvanus Dodge, went on from South Danvers, followed in the autumn by the mother. They lived, in the winter of 1855-56, at Omaha, which the reader will remember is on the western bank of the Missouri, directly opposite Council Bluffs on the eastern ; and in May, 1856, they, too, sought a home on the Elkhorn, but at the expiration of eighteen months they returned to be with Grenville, and Council Bluffs has been the home of the family from then until now. The father had taken an active part in settling the territory and organizing the government of Nebraska, and was subsequently made the Register of the United States Land Office for the district where he had lived. He died about sixteen years ago, surrounded by his wife, children and grandchildren, and greatly respected and beloved by all who knew him, while his last days were made happy with the thought that, after all the toils and struggles, changes and pilgrimages of seventy years, his household was finally established in a secure home, and had risen to prominence and prosperity.

Grenville, after his return from the Elkhorn to Council Bluffs, in 1855, busied himself for several years in civil engineering, banking, real estate and mercantile business. He was active and influential in advancing the interests of the rising town, and organized for it a military company, known as " The Council Bluffs Guards." He was chosen its captain, and at the breaking out of the war he tendered the services of this company to the Governor of the State, as the nucleus of the First Iowa Infantry. The Governor deemed it best that this organization should remain where it was, in order to protect the exposed western frontier border ; but accepted the individual services of Captain Dodge himself, and sent him to Washington to arrange for the arming and equipping of the Iowa troops. The result was that Captain Dodge, gaining the confidence and favor of Mr. Cameron, Secretary of War, was remarkably successful in his mission, and at once returned to rai?e the Fourth Iowa Infantry Regiment, of which he was duly commissioned as the colonel, and also the Second Iowa

Battery, which took his own name. With this command he marched, in July, 1861, to Northwestern Missouri, and drove out thence a considerable force of insurgents, who were under the lead of Poindexter. During the next month he reported with his regiment and battery to General Fremont at St. Louis, and, in October, was ordered by him to the frontier ])0st at Rolla, Mo., where he was placed in command. At the head of the Fourth Brigade of the Army of the Southwest, he advanced upon Springfield, in the same State, and captured it. Pursuing the enemy southward, he led the advance, was in the engagements at Cane and Sugar Creeks, in February, 1862, and on the 27th of the same month, defeated Gates at Blackburn's Mills, Ark. He bore a very prominent part, and stubbornly met the very brunt of war, in the famous battle of Pea Ridge, where the rebel power was broken in Missouri and North Arkansas. Here he had three horses shot under him, and was severely wounded ; and for his gallantry in this fight he was made brigadier-general, at the request of Major-General Halleck, who had succeeded Fremont in charge of the Western Department. After recovering from his wounds he reported by telegraph to the War Department, and was assigned to the command of the District of Columbus, Ky. Soon after receiving this appointment, he accomplished with great vigor and success the rebuilding of the Mobile and Ohio Railroad, which had been wholly destroyed by the rebels, and then, in June, he had a sharj) skirmish with a body of the enemy, handling his forces with such skill and effect as to call forth the hearty commendation of both Halleck and Quimby. In further recognition of these services, he was honored with the command of the Central Division of the Mississippi, with headquarters at Trenton, Tenn. While here his troops captured various towns, and defeated Villipigne on the Hatchee river, after which his command was enlarged, and his headquarters were again established at Columbus. He signalized his return to this post by another signal victory, capturing General Faulkner and his forces near island No. 10, and taking many prisoners.

In the autumn of 1862, immediately after the battle of Corinth, he was charged with the Second Division of the Army of the Tennessee, in the district organized and commanded by General Grant. Perhaps it was here that began the strong friendship which, for so many years, has subsisted between our hero and the great chieftain. General Dodge was soon assigned to the command of the District of Corinth. In the spring of 1863 he defeated the Confederate forces under Forrest and other consijicuous rebel officers. He raised and equipped large numbers of colored troops. His education and experience as a civil engineer proved of invaluable service to him and the cause in rebuilding the railroads destroyed by the enemy. But he knew how to smash things as well as to repair them, as when he shortly conducted the im- portant campaign up the Tennessee Valley to the neighborhood of Decatur, in the rear of Bragg's army, breaking up its connections and cutting off and wasting its supplies, and aiding in the rout and destruction of that general's forces. The Confederate government estimated the stores and property of various kinds which he thus destroyed at many millions of dollars. On July 5, 1863, he was appointed to command the left wing of the Sixteenth Army Corps, with headquarters at Corinth, Miss. In connection with a movement from Vicksburg, he made a raid on Grenada, of that State, which drove the enemy south of the place, and resulted in the capture of an immense number of cars and locomotives. While at the head of the Sixteenth Army Corps he joined General Sherman in his march to Chattanooga, and wintered with his men on the line of the Nashville and Decatur Railroad. "He is an able otficer," wrote Grant to Sherman, "one whom you can rely upon in an emergency." And the reliance was to be on his skill and energy as an engineer, as well as on his sagacity and prowess as a warrior. Grant could not subsi^^t his forces at Chattanooga except as the Nashville and Decatur Railroad should be rebuilt ; and this herculean task was fulfilled by General Dodge with amazing despatch and efficiency. Within about forty days he reconstructed and completed the whole line, including one hundred and eighty-three bridges, trestles and other structures, while in the same period he captured Decatur, Ala., with all its garrison, in a well-planned night attack. In the spring of 1864 he was entrusted with the advance of the Army of the Tennessee, one of the three armies consolidated for the Atlanta campaign. As the mighty host moved forward, Dodge drove back the enemy on their railway at Resaca, and participated in the battle at that place a few days later. He repulsed a dangerous night attack of the foe at Nickajack Creek, Dallas, and it was his men who reached nearest the rebel lines on the crest of Kenesaw Mountain. At Ruff's Mills he defeated a strong force from General Hood's Corps, and shortly afterward constructed, with his usual lightning sjaeed and wonderful skill, a substantial double-track bridge across the Chattahoochee, seventeen' hundred feet long and twelve feet high, over which the entire Army of the Tenne.^see, with all its trains and artillery, marched with safety. For his brave and faithful and effective services in this campaign he was made major-general by the government at Washington. When the Confederates under General Hood made the fierce attack under which McPherson fell mortally wounded. Dodge's corps bore the brunt of the encounter, and through his skill and intrepidity, rescued the Army of the Tennessee and turned the tide of battle, capturing eight flags and a very large number of prisoners. Says a competent authority : " It was one of the fiercest-fought contests of the whole war. It is not too much to say that here, as at Pea Ridge, General Dodge saved the Union army from terrible disaster. Riding rapidly up and down his lines, he encouraged his men to hold their ground or die in the attempt. This corps was in all the battles in the march to Atlanta, and no one, in proportion to its size, in the whole consolidated army, lost so many killed and wounded."

During the siege of Atlanta General Dodge was himself again wounded, receiving a gun-shot in the forehead while he was standing in the rifle-pit on the skirmish line, superintending an advance. This was on the 19th of August, 1864. The writer of this sketch contributed some account of the hero and this peril to his life, together with a narrative of occurrences that took place immediately afterward, to the Da?ivers Mirror, in 1877 ; and the following extract from his communication may not be amiss here:

" The papers, I remember, reported him killed, and some of them gave obituary notices of him, which the general must have read some time afterward w-ith a lively interest. Our sorrow was, however, soon turned to joy, for it was soon announced that he was not dead, but was still liviug and would doubtless recover. In his weakened condition he was granted a furlough, and took the opportunity to visit his friends at the East and there recruit his strength. I met him on his way to Boston, on board one of the Sound steamers. It had been many years since I had seen him, but I readily recognized him among the passengers who swarmed the deck, and we had a long chat about the recent occurrences, and the great events of the war, and about old personal friends and associations. I told him that Edward Everett was to speak on the afternoon of the next day at Faneuil Hall, in advocacy of the re-election of Abraham Lincoln, and that he ought certainly to be present. He said he had never heard Mr. Everett, and expressed a desire and purpose to be there. On our arrival at the Parker House early the next morning, I looked into the firstissued papers and ascertained who were the committee of arrangements for the meeting. The notices made mention of various distinguished men who were expected to grace the occasion, but the name of General Dodge was not in the list, for none knew of his coming. I immediately despatched a messenger to one of the committee, and informed him that General Dodge had just arrived in town. The general was speedily waited upon and invited to a place on the platform, with other eminent men, at the approaching meeting. The hour of assembling came at length, and I was with the crowd on the floor. By and by the long line of State and city officials, and of the gifted sons of Massachusetts who usually surrounded the matchless orator whenever he spoke in public there in Boston, began to file up from below and to appear upon the stage, where they seated themselves as best they could. The general was there, occupying a place at the left of the speaker and near the front of the platform, and arrayed, like certain other army officers who were with him, in his military costume.

Charles G. Loring presided, and in his opening and well-prepared address, referred to some of the renowned heroes of the war and friends of the country. I doubt whether he knew that General Dodge was close at hand. Certainly the thousands before him did not. But Mr. Everett did, and I shall never forget the thrilling effect which his words and action produced, when, on being presented to the vast multitude, he came forward in his most spirited, yet ever graceful manner, and said, with eloquent voice, that the chairman had given us the names of not a few who had deserved well of the nation, and whom they all delighted to honor, but he had forgotten to mention one who was present with them, who was fresh from the battle-fields, and who could tell us that all was well at the seat of war - Major- General Dodge, of the Army of the West. The enthusiasm was very great, and cries immediately came from all parts of the hall - "Dodge!" "Dodge!" "Dodge!" until the modest soldier was obliged to rise and allow himself to be seen of the assembled thousands. The applause that greeted him was simply tremendous, and the scene which was there witnessed, as the Western warrior with his ghastly wound, and the polished and silvertongued orator of the East, stood side by side before the excited multitude, only lacked one thing to make it beggar all description. A master of the art like Mr. Everett could not fail at such a moment. " Yes! fellow-citizens," he exclaimed, with deepening emotion and ringing tones, as he pointed his quivering finger at the brow of the hero - " Yes, fellow-citizens, and wearing upon his forehead honorable scars, which he gained while imperiling his life in the defence of the Union !" This was the needed climax, and it was perfect. I think I do not say too much when I add that what I have here described was the most interesting and inspiring incident of the occasion, and I felt quite satisfied with the success of my little plan, and the reception which was extended to the Danvers soldier boy. The honors which were showered upon him a few days later, in his native town and its vicinity, your readers all remember."

Concerning the terrible wound which the general had received, a writer said : " The ball struck the forehead at the upper edge over the left eye, tore oflf a portion of the scalp, and then, passing backwards, tore a gutter two or three inches in length through the scalp. The skull is not fractured, though it received a severe stroke. He was immediately conveyed to his quarters, where he now lies. He will be sent North as soon as practicable."

As soon as he was again fit for duty, General Dodge once more reported to General Sherman, who thought he was still too weak to continue the great march to the sea, and President Lincoln, at the instance of General Grant, assigned him to the Department of the Missouri, where he relieved General Rosecranz. The national troops in Missouri had become quite demoralized, and the State was run over by guerillas and marauders. General Dodge brought order out of anarchy, notwithstanding he had been called upon to send th« great body of his organized troops to General Thomas at Nashville, who, by this timely aid, was all the more enabled to win the glorious victory he gained immediately afterwards. At the same time, Kansas and Utah were merged into his command, adding greatly to his cares and responsibilties. Winter had come, and the States and Territories which were entrusted to him were vast in extent ; yet he set in motion the fresh forces he had raised from the loyal men in each county, broke up the bands of guerillas and marauders, and compelled the Indians, who were warring on the settlements from the Red River of the North to the Red River of Texas, to sue for peace. He received the surrender of four thousand of Kirby Smith's army in Missouri and of the Confederate General Jefferson Thompson, with eight thousand officers and men in Arkansas. His experience and observations in these parts of the country led him to advocate the handing over of the Indian tribes to the War Department, to be treated as wards of the nation and as no longer independent and treaty-making powers.

Of the military merit and the patriotic services of this gallant and battle-scarred soldier of the Union, it is meet that we should here let those testify who have been most competent to judge and from whose words there is no appeal. Among them are the greatest of the generals and not a few of the war Governors and other illustrious leaders of the nation's cause, to say nothing of the concurrent and unanimous voice of subordinate officers and privates in the armies which he commanded. He continuously and abundantly shared the trust and admiration of General Grant, through whose influence or direct appointments he was repeatedly promoted to higher positions and honors, as has already been sufficiently indicated. Their strong friendship for each other remained unbroken, and is a matter of history. Ex-Governor Noyes, of Ohio, himself a maimed and noble veteran of the war, says : " We all regarded General Dodge as one of the best officers of the army, - a man of great practical, common sense, of distinguished gallantry, of a patriotic spirit and of military genius." General Sherman writes : " General Dodge is one of the generals who actually fought throughout the Civil War with great honor and great skill, commanding a regiment, brigade, division, and finally a corps d'armee, the highest rank command to which any officer can attain." General Sheridan acknowledges the timely and effective aid he received from him while he himself was chief quartermaster and chief commissary, and says that he " did splendidly" at Pea Ridge, and was "spoken of by officers and men of the array in the very highest terms." Governor Kirk wood, of Iowa, whites : "General Dodge is one of the very best military men from this State. He is emphatically a fighting man. There is not a more gallant soldier in the army, nor one more worthy or capable." Said the excellent Senator Grimes : " There are very few officers the eq'ual, and none the superior, of General G. M. Dodge, of this State, now and for a long time in command at Corinth, Miss. He has always been selected for the most resiDonsible jiosts, and has always filled the highest expectations formed of him." Judge Dillon, the eminent jurist, testifies: "No officer in the service from Iowa has acquired more just and deserved distinction ; no one has been more faithful, and I may and should add, more useful and efficient ;" and in the same connection he speaks of " his great experience, his sleepless vigilance, his unconquerable energy, and, above all, his solid judgment and great practical talents." Major General Oglesby, anxious to serve the country's best interests, urged on President Lincoln his nomination as major general, saying : " I know of no officer at this time more deserving, nor of any who seeks the honor less. I am willing to be held reponsible for his official acts." But it is not necessary to proceed further with such tributes, which might easily be multiplied to whatever extent.

Another momentous service was entered upon by General Dodge after the war was ended. Soon after he first went to the West, and while yet a youth, he wrote to his father a prophetic letter, which was published in the local paper in his native town, and in which he indicated a plan or route for a transcontinental railway. It was a cherished dream which one day he was to see realized, and that, too, very largely through his own instrumentality. To this end, extensive surveys and reconnoissances were made by him as early as between the years 1853 and 1858. The Union Pacific Railroad was chartered by the United States Government, July 1, 1862, and the next year the first regular organization was effected, General John A. Dix being elected President. Other surveyors were in the field, and the work was in process of construction during the war. When the bloody conflict was well over, General Dodge was unanimously chosen by the directory as the chief engineer of the line. This was on the 1st of May, 186G. The service was most congenial to him, and he readily accepted it, General Sherman, who was in command of the vast department beyond the Mississippi, yielding his consent as General Dodge resigned for the purpose his commission in the army. The latter entered upon his new undertaking with all his accustomed courage and zeal, and " organized a systematic exploration of the country from the Arkansas River on the South to the Sweet Water on the North, and developed the country with preliminary lines from the mouth of the Lodge Pole through to the California State line." His judgment, long years before, as to the best practicable route for the road, was confirmed by these fresh and extensive surveys, and the Union Pacific of to-day follows very nearly the line which he himself was the first to mark out.

Scarcely had he begun thus to superintend this colossal enterprise, when his grateful and admiring fellow-citizens in Iowa, while he was absent from home, nominated him, in July, 1866, as representative to Congress. Although he had been and still was an ardent Republican, and had been a warm friend and supporter of President Lincoln and other great men of the party, it would have been strange if his name should have failed to win the sympathy and favor of men of other political associations. Consenting to be a candidate, he was triumphantly elected by about five thousand majority over a very popular competitor; but after serving for a single term at Washington, he declined to allow his name to be used again in this connection, choosing rather to return to a more uninterrupted, personal supervision of his responsible and gigantic interests and cares in the West. As a member of the National House of Representatives, he served on the Committee on Military Affairs, secured the reimbursement of Iowa for her expenses during the war, gave special attention to the re-organization of the army and to the defence of the border against the Indians, and advocated the claims of the Union Pacific Road upon the country's favor and support. He was not a frequent speaker on the floor; but whenever he felt called upon to address the house, his words were pertinent and weighty, and were listened to with marked attention. Yet his influence was more particularly exercised in a practical direction, and his exceptionally large and intimate acquaintance with military matters and with the immense Territories of the West, with all their native tribes and boundless resources and capabilities, enabled him to be a most valuable counsellor and helper in many important questions of legislative or governmental action.

From May, 1866, until May, 1869, the corps of engineers under the direction of General Dodge had run not less than fifteen thousand miles of instrumental lines and made as many as twenty-five thousand miles of reconnoissances, so as thoroughly to develop the country and determine the location of the road. Impressive or astonishing as may seem the bare statement, it yet fails to give any adequate idea of the toil and the hardships that were endured, and the difficulties and perils that were overcome, in this three years' service. The engineers were frequently exposed, not only to severe inclemencies of the weather and to much scarcity of food and water, but also and especially to the hostility of the Indians, whose roving bands or more formidable organized forces beset them and threatened them from beginning to end. Nothing could be done without the protection of troops; but even with this safeguard, members of the corps were often killed, and their parties dispersed. Again and again General Dodge and his men were obliged to give battle to these wily and savage foes, and rout them, and pursue them to a distance, so that the work could go on. It was not alone that his explorers and surveyors had to fifld their hazardous way across streams, and through forests, and along deep valleys, and over high mountains, and amidst heavy falls of rain or snow ; but at every point the location of the line had to be determined, with the utmost scientific skill, with reference to the extraordinary natural features of the territory, its climatic iniiuences and the grade and protection necessary to guard the road against the effects of storms and floods. Not only was the general the chief engineer of the road, but he was also the agent and trustee of the company, to secure its right of way, to receive and dispose of the lands granted to it by the United States government and to lay out and locate the towns and town sites along the route. If he was brave to fight and strong to scatter the Indian bands that molested him, he knew well how to treat with them, dealing with them equitably and never betraying their confidence. So far as his engineering achievement was concerned, the chief difficulty was to be met in carrying the road over the Rocky Mountain range. But this Titanic work was accomplished at length. The tracks of the Central Pacific and the Union Pacific finally met on Promontory, and as the lightning flashed the intelligence to the nations, "swiftly the telegrams of congratulation began to pour in upon the then most conspicuous engineer in the world." General Sherman sent word to him : ''All honor to you, to Durant, to Jack and Dan Casement, to Eeed and the thousands of brave fellows who have wrought out this glorious problem spite of changes, storms, and even the doubts of the incredulous, and all the obstacles you have now happily surmounted." General Dodge was immediately charged with the delicate task of adjusting the relations between the two roads, and this, too, after much negotiation, was successfully done. And so another great victory was won in the brilliant and eventful career of this gifted and enterprising son of old Essex. In the prosecution of the undertaking, other difficulties than those which have been particularly referred to had to be met. There were unfriendly criticisms, and unfounded accusations, and nameless hindrances on the part of politicians and newspapers. But the general knew what he was about. The government saw, as well as himself, the unspeakable importance of this transcontinental railway to the nation then and in all the future. While he was in Congress and while he was out of it, he commanded the entire confidence of Lincoln and Johnson, Grant and Sherman, and all the leading men at Washington, as well as the officers of the company whose salaried servant or agent he was. Such was his influence with them that, in connection with others whose names will ever be honorably associated with the work, he was instrumental in securing the constantly favorable action of Congress, and so making sure the end in view. More and more, as the years go on, the vastness and beneficence of this service will be apparent, and the approving words of the several successive committees appointed by Congress to examine, investigute and report in relation to it will find a still ampler justification.

While General Dodge still held the position as chief engineer, the famous Chinese embassy, with Anson Burlingame at its head, visited America, passed over the Union Pacific Road, and made known their desire to secure the services of some one who should take charge of like public works in their own vast empire. President Grant at once recommended to them General Dodge, who signified his readiness to accept the position, willing to serve for a limited time and desiring to see the country; but Burlingame died shortly after, and the plan was abandoned.

In 1868 General Dodge was elected a director of the Union Pacific Railroad Company, and has since remained in that relationship. The same year he was delegate-at-large from Iowa, and the chairman of the Iowa delegation to the National Republican Convention at Chicago, and was very influential in determining the results of the proceedings of that occasion. When, in 1870, the Iowa Legislature passed a law for the erection of a new State-house, he was made a member of the Board of Capitol Commissioners, and was charged with the duty of supervising the work. It was in 1870, also, that he tendered his resignation as the chief engineer of the Union Pacific, and received the " very hearty thanks " of the company for his "eminent services," Oakes Ames, the president, writing to him a letter in which he said, " When we consider the great difficulties and dangers that beset you on all sides while locating the road through an uninhabited country, and the rapidity with which the work was accomplished, we are gratified and surprised that you should have finished this work in so perfect and acceptable a manner." Early in April, 1872, he became the chief engineer of the company which had contracted to build the Texas and Pacific Railway, and has continued for ten years to develop the wild regions, and bring to light the hidden resources of the territory south of the Red River, as before he had rendered a like, yet larger, service north of it. A portion of the latter line was built by the Pacific Railway Improvement Company, a corporation which he organized, and of which he became the president. Of other such companies he has also been president : the American Railway Improvement Company, the International Railway Improvement Company, the Texas and Colorado Railway Improvement Company and the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railway Company, and he is, at present, the president of the Pan Handle Construction Company and the Colorado and Texas Railway Construction Company. These lines have been projected with the view of connecting together the most important and widely-separated points in the West and Southwest, and of opening the vast interiors to the tide of immigration and travel, and to the commerce of river, gulf and ocean. One has but to study a little the advancing railway system that is spreading over all those immense tracts of territory, to see what an inestimable service General Dodge is still rendering to his country and to the future.

Of all his pioneer life, and his explorations into every part of this mighty domain ; his personal ventures, perils and escapes; his extensive banking and stock operations and connections; his active participation in political conventions and campaigns, and in reunions of military organizations; his repeated visits abroad and tours in other lands ; his business interests at Council Bluffs and vicinity, and his domestic relations, there is not space here for us to write as we gladly would. In character he is modest, earnest, faithful and true. He is quiet, but forcible in conversation, using no superfluous words, but expressing his thought in language that is simple and direct. Possessed of a friendly spirit toward all, and most affectionate in his relations to family and kindred, he is an object of great regard and pride at home, and amongst all who know him. In person he is of medium height, of spare build and agile frame, with strongly marked features, indicative, in every line, of the patience and perseverance, the intelligence, courage and energy, that have crowned his career with such success.

The general's family consists of his wife and three children. Again and again, when he was sick or wounded during the war, Mrs. Dodge travelled great distances to be at his side, and to tenderly and faithfully nurse him into health and strength once more for his country's service. The children, who have received their education abroad as well as at home, are Lettie, Ella and Annie. The first is the wife of Mr. R. E. Montgomery, a lawyer of Fort Worth, Texas ; the second married Mr. Frank Pusey, son of ex-Congressman Pusey, of Council Bluffs; the third lives with her parents, and " has displayed considerable literary talent, being an occasional contributor to some of the magazines." The family mansion is one of the finest and most attractive in the city, elegant in its appointments and beautiful for its situation. Nathan P. Dodge, the brother of the general, is a banker, and a prominent and very highly esteemed citizen of Council Bluffs. Julia, sister of the two brothers, married, as previously stated, Mr. J. B. Beard, and they also reside in the same place with their two sons. Living amongst this circle of her children and descendants of two or three generations is the venerable mother, Mrs. Sylvanus Dodge herself, now in her eighty-sixth year and much burdened with the infirmities of old age. From this remarkable woman the renowned engineer and soldier inherited no small share of his fortitude, energy and determination. In all her changeful and checkered life, and amidst all its manifold struggles and solicitations, her devotion to her family, and her faith in their brighter future, have never flagged or wavered. For many years she has seen her hopes for their prosperity and usefulness pass into fulfillment, and she still survives to receive the grateful care and undying affection of the objects of her maternal love and service.

Philip H. Wentwoeth

Philip Henry Wentworth, though not a native of Danvers, was a valued citizen of the town during many of the last years of his useful life, and there ended his days. He was born in Boston, July 6, 1818, and was the son of Philip Wentworth, who was born in the same city, in 1787. His mother's name, previous to her marriage, was Eliza Orrok. While yet very young he was sent to a boardingschool in Dorchester, kept by a Mr. Vose, and afterward to school at South Hadley. Subsequently, he attended the English High School in Boston. At the age of sixteen he entered the dry -goods commission house ofSayles & Hitchcock, better known in later yeara under the name of Sayles, Merriam & Co. Of this firm he became a partner when but twenty-one. In 1841 he married Mary M. Loing, of Newburyport, but formerly from the State of Maine. A twelvemonth or more afterward he went to New York and accejjted a partnership with Mr. C. Laugley, in that city ; but in 1848 returned to Boston, and thenceforth was prominently known as of the house of Stanfield & Wentworth, or, still later, Stanfield, Wentworth & Co. He had been for some years a resident of Roxbury, when, his wife having died, he was again married, June 4, 1856, to Miss Harriet Lucetta Daniell, daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. J. N. Daniell, also of Roxbury, and both of blessed memory. Mr. Daniell will be remembered as having long been at the head of a large dry-goods establishment in Summer Street, Boston, and all who ever dealt with him or knew him, gratefully call to mind the purity, rectitude and loveliness of his character. Mrs. Daniell was a worthy helpmeet of such a man ; possessing a singularly sweet and beautiful spirit, and richly adorned with the virtues and graces of Christian womanhood. The influence of such a parentage found a new sphere for its exercise as the new bride entered the home of the husband and his four motherless children. Early in 1865, he removed, with his family, to Danvers, and established himself on a large and valuable estate which, with its elegant mansion and charming grounds, continued to be the place of his residence to the end of his life. It was after foui other children had been born to him under his second marriage and while yet he was pursuing still his successful business in Boston that the great fire which devastated so extensive a portion of that city and swept away in an hour the fortunes of so many of its merchants visited, with the rest, the house of Stanfield, Wentworth & Co., with its destructive fury. Like so many others, Mr. Wentworth never quite re- covered from the terrible effects of the calamity. Says an obituary notice of him, which appeared in the Commercial Bulletin, shortly after his death, - "He met with heavy reverses at the time of the great fire ; but, having the undiminished confidence of his business connections soon reinstated himself, and was for several years in active business in the firm of Wentworth & Case. Of late, he had withdrawn to a large extent from active business, spending much of his time at his home in Danvers, retaining, however, an ofl5ce in Boston, where he was to be seen during business hours."

Among the most marked features of Mr. Wentworth's character were his indomitable courage, energy and perseverance. Not even the appalling disaster that had befallen him, and that has just been referred to, had any effect to frighten or paralyze him. It only nerved him to more heroic exertions, and it was quite touching to see with what manly patience and determination he bravely strove, through successive years and against fearful odds, to retrieve his shattered fortunes. Thoroughly honest and just, he could not bear to owe a debt which he could not pay, and if ever one purposed and labored that none should be losers by any mishap or calamity of his own, it was he. It was quite wonderful what victory he wrung from the jaws of such defeat. His losses were great, but his gains were greater.

Whatever his discouragements, his cheerfulness never forsook him. His fine face was always lighted with its glow of good feeling and of the ioy that was within and that was too deep to be much disturbed by change of outward circumstances. He was habitually hearty and cordial. His welcomes were warm and free, and his hospitality was genuine and bountiful. He was one of the most generous of men and was one of the truest of friends. He scorned things that were false or base, and impressed all who knew him or had to do with him with a sense of the nobleness of his nature. Nothing was more characteristic of him than his straightforwardness and transparency of mind and conduct. It was an element that revealed itself in every word, look and deed. He was just what he seemed, and no one could for a moment mistake his thought or motive, or misinterpret his action or life.

Full often the child is the father to the man, and a pretty story is told of Mr. Wentworth as a lad, that goes to show how the truthfulness and frankness that marked him in all his mature years, was with him even at the very first. It seems to us as good as the story of young George Washington and his hatchet, and we venture to say it is much more authentic. The boys of the neighborhood where " Phil," or " Harry," as he was also called, lived, were once on a time at their winter play on the Common in the vicinity of Tremont Street. There was then no fence, as now, between the mall and the thoroughfare, and where to-day extends along the eastern side a row of shops and stores, there was a continuous line of handsome residences of princely merchants, " Harry " threw a snow-ball that went directly through a window of one of these fine mansions. The little urchins all knew very well that the proprietor was a hot-tempered and violent man, and at once cried out, "Run, Harry, run !" And run he did ; not away, as doubtless many a boy would have done, but straight up the steps to tell the family within just what he had done. Before he had a chance to ring the bell, the old gentleman of the house appeared at the door in a furious state of mind, but at once grew calm and gentle as the little fellow openly acknowledged himself to be the ofiender and oftered a manly apology. The affair was instantly treated as of no consequence, and "Phil's" companions were quite amazed at the friendly consideration which was accorded to him.

Very soon after their removal from Roxbury to Danvers, Mr. and Mrs. Wentworth were foremost in starting a new Unitarian Church in their adopted town. The history of this enterprise is related elsewhere in these pages, yet the briefest sketch of Mr. Wentworth's life would be defective, indeed, without a conspicuous reference to his agency and activity in this work and to all which such a beneficent service implies. It is no disparagement to the efforts and zeal of otliers who were associated with them to say that he and his wife were exceptionally prominent in the movement, watching and guiding faithfully the fortunes of the young society, and giving to it their time, means, energy and constant sympathy and presence for more than twenty years, and until their common devotion to it was broken by death. It was at their beautiful home that Rev. L. J. Livermore, who was so long the pastor of the church, and the many others who from time to time supplied its desk, were most heartily welcomed as guests and there found strength and encouragement in the work of the ministry. Both and all had the satisfaction of seeing that their unselfish labors and care were not in vain. A tasteful and convenient house of worship was ere long built and paid for, and it stands as no unfit monument of the earnest and unfailing fidelity of those who ensured its erection, but especially of him who was the one main reliance in " the day of small things," as also afterward in seasons of greater prosperity. In such relations or interests Mr. Wentworth was ever ready and prompt to discharge any task or duty which seemed to be required of him, or in which he might be useful to the cause. Nothing here appeared to be menial or trivial. No matter what theservice, itwas tohim important, and he was glad to do it, as unto the Lord. He made small pretensions or professions, but he was a man of deeds, and his whole soul was in what he wrought.

He died in the fulness of his manhood, April 10, 1886. His funeral obsequies took place on the 14th, at the church he had done so much to erect and in which he had so often worshipped. The services, consisting of the reading of the Scriptures, by Rev. Mr. Hudson, of Peabody ; prayer by Rev. Mr. Israel, of Sal§ui, and an address by Rev. S. J. Barrows, editor of the Christian Register, were very appropriate and impressive, and a memorial pamphlet has since been published, giving just and eloquent tributes, from Mr. Barrows and others to the noble qualities of the dejiarted. One who knew him perfectly has written of him, - "His spiritual and religious life grew and deepened to the end. He so loved to think and talk of the future life that, when the summons came, he was only happy in the thought of exchanging his faith in the unseen to the light of the glorious reality. It was such an accustomed thought that the change, though it came so suddenly, did not disturb his peace more than a summons to take a day's journey would have done."

Mr. Livermore, his beloved pastor, survived him just seven weeks. In death, as in life, they were not divided. Their friendship for each other was peculiarly strong and affectionate, and the trust and admiration which the minister is well known to have cherished towards his parishioner could not have been warmer or profounder than the same sentiments entertained toward him by the writer of this sketch, who knew him even longer, had sustained like relations with him, had seen him much in the church, in the home and in society, and can only think of him as one who was, indeed, a man, in the true sense of the word.

Alfred Trask

Alfred Trask was born in Newport, N. H., December 7, 1811, his father, John Trask,^ having moved from Beverly, Mass., the previous year. He was the youngest of nine children, five sisters and three brothers. Mrs. Benjamin Woodbury, Mrs. John Moulton and Mrs. Andrew Boker resided in North Beverly; Mrs. Timothy Endicott, Mrs. Nathaniel Bachelder and a brother, John Trask, residents of Newport and Sunapee, N. H. Another brother, Israel Trask, settled in Gloucester, Mass.

From boyhood blest with perfect health and great energy, he early displayed good judgment and executive ability, developing in manhood sagacity in business affairs. He was repeatedly urged to accept positions of honor and trust, thereby proving the confidence and esteem reposed in him by his fellow-men, but preferred, with his retiring disposition, to see others enjoy the honor, and rely on his helping hand to sustain them in keeping it. With equal generosity is he ever interested in matters pertaining to the i^ublic welfare of the town.

ijohn Trask was a major and fought at Buukor Ilill, also used his own oxen, horses and teams to throw up the earth works at the building of the entrenchments.

without a larthing. His mother gave him the making of a freedom suit, the cloth being afterwards paid for from his own earnings. For two summers he hired out for ten dollars a month, and the rest of the season logging and wood chopping engaged his attention. His twenty-third year, in company with others, he worked a farm on shares, clearing one hundred dollars profit. At twenty-four, tired of farming he left Newport and came to what was then called Danvers Plains, resolved to try his hand in business as drover. With the small amount of money saved he made short trips into the country, buying pigs and cattle, selling and trading them on his way home, where he arrived after two weeks' absence, usually with a jjrofit that was an incentive to continue in this line of business, the same in which his father before him had engaged.

His indomitable will and self-reliance gained for him the encouragement he craved from business men who recognized his ability, and an offer of money to execute his plans was kindly tendered from an old resident of his boyhood home. The indebtedness of one hundred dollars was promptly paid and a continuance of the favor politely declined, but, with ah energy redoubled and a renewed will to do and dare, he pluckily kejJt on. At twenty-eight years of age, on the 5th of March, 1839, he married Mary J. Blackey, of Sandwich, N. H. Of this union nine children were born.

Realizing how much he lacked from his own limited amount of schooling, it was his greatest desire that his children should enjoy the advantages of a liberal education, and to further the project no expense was spared. After completing their education, with rare forethought and generosity, he established each in a good business and also purchased homes for those who were married.

The eldest, Alfred M. Trask, attended school at New London Academy, N. H., and afterwards was started in the stock business in Canada, and some years later settled in Brocton, where a house was presented to him.

Charles Wesley Trask, after graduating at the Danvers High School, also attended school in Tilton, and for a business was started in a fine market in Waltham, but for several years has been living on an extensive farm given by his father in Sandwich, N. H.

George Edward Trask was graduated from Danvers High School and afterwards attended a Commercial College in Boston. A house was given him in Western, and he started in the slaughtering business.

Sarah B. Trask attended school at the Female Academy in Ipswich, Mass., and on her marriage with Roswald D. Bates, was. presented with a house on Conant Street, Danvers.

Nancy Ellen Trask was a graduate from the High School in Danvers and later from the Abbot Academy in Andover, and on her marriage Avith Henry W. Swett, was given a house in Haverhill, Mass.

Henry W. Trask also graduated at the Danvers High School and then attended the school of Technology in Worcester, Mass. At present he is unmarried and living in the State of Colorado.

The youngest son, Frank B. Trask, is the only member of the family residing in the old home. He learned the upholstery trade, and has recently opened an extensive furniture establishment on Maple Street, Dan Vers.

Aside from the benefits conferred on his own family, to numerous others has his helping hand been extended. By some the confidence has been abused, while others have profited by the aid rendered, to the mutual pleasure of all concerned. It is well to note the prominent characteristics that mark Alfred Trask one of the most successful self-made men of Essex County.

His business of drover was carried on for a j^eriod of thirty years, then he changed it to a wholesale butcher for ten yeurs more, when he concluded to retire from active business and attend to private afiairs and the care of his spacious house and grounds, - the realization of his boyhood's hopes, acquired by years of constant toil, bucked by energy and courage, which the rising generation would do well to emulate.

June 8, 1872, he met with a great loss in the death of his wife who, with marked energy and frugality, had ever been a ready helper in amassing a competency for the future.

His second marriage occurred September 1, 1873> to a very estimable woman, Dora T. Webster, of Lawrence, Mass., who has made herself much beloved by all those who enjoy her acquaintance, and for the many Christian acts of unostentatious charity and kindness. To do good for others is the one thought uppermost, having great sympathy for young and old, and their good and welfare. The esteem in which she is held by the little flock of grandchildren must indeed be flattering to her, with her keen appreciation of the beautiful in all things in life.

May the Angel of Peace and Contentment hover for many years over the home of Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Trask, is the heart-felt wish of their numerous friends and acquaintances.

Eben Gardner Berry

For many years no man has been more familiarly associated with Danvers Plains than Eben G. Berry, and no portrait will be more generally recognized, not only by Danvers people, but by many others throughout the county, than that of him which here appears. For a period extending from 1808 the site of the present Hotel Danvers has been sufficiently identified by the name of " Berry's Corner." In the year named Ebenezer Berry, who had come down from Andover, bought out the old tavern and began innkeeping. He married Hitty Preston, a daughter of Captain Levi Preston, of Danvers. The subject of this sketch, the son of these parents, was born February 19, 1809. He was the only son, and about the time of his coming of age he succeeded to his father's business. Since then, for nearly sixty years, both in the old tavern and in the new hotel which he himself built, he has either himself or by lessee entertained such of the public as sought his hospitality.

The hall of the old tavern was the scene of many events of great local historical interest, concerning which Mr. Berry has contributed many reminiscences, which have been incorporated in the sketch of the Plains in previous pages. These reminiscences, very properly a part of his biography, Mr. Berry modestly insists are sufficient to accompany his portrait. He has been twice married - first to Elizabeth J. Abbott of Andover; second to Mrs. Sarah (Nichols) Page, The latter died recently. He has but one surviving child - Mrs. Emily B., wife of Deacon John S. Learoyd. Another daughter was Caroline, wife of the late Captain James A. Johnson, who left two children, now living in Danvers. He has a sister, Mehitable, widow of Henry Sperry, living in close neighborhood to him. A few years ago he built the fine dwelling in which he resides, on Conant Street, next east of the hotel.

Chaptee Xli Pre-Historic

1. Phcenicians and Norwegians. - This territory, once the abode of the red man, and known to him by the name of Agawam, was settled by our ancestors some more than two hundred and fifty years ago. It was, however, known to the white race, no doubt, at a very much earlier period. The learned suspect that the Phoenicians visited our New England shores in ancient times, and tliat Norwegian adventurers sojourned here about nine hundred years ago. Certainly, their annals treat of voyages of adventure and discovery, and it only remains to find the places they describe. Their "viuland," Mr. Fewkes, a summer sojourner with us, and an archaeologist, declares to be located here, citing the ocean beacon, the changed channel, the cellars and foundations of nine houses, and the remains of three wells, which evince a greater antiquity than do any known works of a similar nature of Puritan origin.

2. Ilajjs. - In the eagerness of navigators to find a short northwest route to the East, Canada was well and very accurately mapped, while New England's "cartography," says Kohl, "remained very defective through nearly the whole of the sixteenth century.

3. ChampJain. - In 1604 Champlain, who afterwards attached his name to the beautiful lake at Vermont, explored the coast from the St. Lawrence River to Plymouth Bay, following the sinuosities of the shore. At Saco Bay he observed a marked change in Indian habits, mode of life and language. The tribes at the East were nomadic, living wholly by fishing and the chase. At Saco and at the West they were sedentary, and subsisted mainly on the products of the soil. Around their settlements were fields of Indian corn, gardens of squashes, beans and pumpkins, and a generous patch of tobacco. At the headland we call Cape Ann, the land of Masconnomet, of whom we are soon to speak, the natives were cordial and highly intelligent. Furnished with a crayon, they made an accurate outline of Massachusetts Bay, and indicated their six tribes and chiefs by as many pebbles.

4. Hardie et al. - In 1611 Captain Edward Hardie and Nicholas Hobson were kindly received here. In 1614 the famous adventurer, John Smith, found "a multitude of people." He explored and mapped the territory, naming it Southampton, at the suggestion of Prince Charles, and thus described it, - " Here are many rising hills, and on their tops and descents are many corne fields and delightfull groues. On the east is an isle of two or three leagues in length, the one halfe plaine marish ground, fit for pasture or salt ponds, with many faire high groues of mulberry trees. There are also okes, pines, walnuts and other wood to make this place an excellent habitation." A mere mention of these must suffice ; though they may have left traces of their handiwork, they embalmed no thought or feeling.

1. Territory. - The Atlantic Ocean on the east, Cochichawich (now Andover), on the west, the Merrimack (Sturgeon) River on the north, and theNaumkeag (now North) River, at Salem, on the south, enclosed the beautiful territory of one hundred and eighteen thousand five hundred acres, called Agawam. The name signified " Resort for fish of passage," and was eminently appropriate. AVith the spring came the myriad-swarming alewife and the bone-burdened shad, and river and brook and pond became an Eden of new life. In late summer schools of mackerel darkened the waters of the bay, as they migrated to their southern sequestered home. Here the blue fish sported and the doughty sturgeon pursued his prey.

2. Sagamore. - The name of the Sagamore of this princely domain was Masconnomet, sometimes called Masconnomo, or John, His exact relation to other tribes is unknown. He may have been a sub-tribe of the Massachusetts, or the Aberginians, a great nation, the power of whose sachem is said to have extended from the Charles River to the Merrimac; but he seems to have been under the leadership of the powerful Pennacooks. His subjects are represented as kind-hearted and tractable. Captain Hardie and Nicholas Hobson, exploring the coast in 1611, testified to kinder treatment by these natives than by others.

3. His Conversion. - After Governor Winthrop had arrived in Salem harbor, 1629, Masconnomet and one of his men went on board the Governor's ship, Sunday morning, June 13th, and remained all day. The governor's object in coming to New England was to Christianize the Indians. He so far succeeded here that March 8, 1644, Masconnomet put himself, his subjects, and his possessions under the government protection of the Massachusetts Bay, and agreed to be instructed in the Christian religion. The purpose of this chief and a few of his friends is shown in the following examination :

1. Will you worship the only true God and not blaspheme f Ans. We do desire to reverence the God of the English, and to speak well of him, because we see He doth better to the English than other gods do to others. 2. Will you cease from sweiiring falsely ? Ans. We know not what swearing is. 3. Mill you refrain from working on the Sabbath, especially in Christian tojvns f Ans. It is easy for us - we have little to do any day, and can well rest on that day. 4. Will you honor your parents and all your superiors f Ans. It is our custom to do so. 5. Will you refrain from killing any man without cause and authority f Ans. It is good, and we desire it. 6. Will you put away fornication, adultery, incest, rape, sodomy and beasticdityf Ans. Though some of our people do some of these things, we count them naught, and do not allow them. 7. Will you put away stealing f Ans. We answer this as the sixth question. 8. Will you allow your children to read the word of God, so that they may know him arigid, and worship) him in his own way f Ans. We will allow this as opportunity will permit, and as the English live among us, we desire to do so.

4. Friendly Tokens. - The examination was satisfactory; they were " solemnly received," and were then presented to the court. They gave the court twentysix fathoms of wampum, and the court gave to each of them two yards of cloth, a dinner, and at their departure a " cup of sac."

5. Depopulation. - At the date of Champlain's and Hardie and Hobson's visits the tribe seemed numerous and valiant, but the i^estilence that prevailed among the tribes generally, about 1617, reduced their number and greatly enfeebled the strength of this tribe.

of an intention of rising against the English, and were, therefore, deprived of their arms for several months. But generally the English experienced no trouble from the Agawams.

7. Tarratines. - At the north of Agawam lay the imperial realm of the Pennacooks, and next to them, as allies, were the Pawtuckets on the north side of the Merrimack River, and the Penobscotts in the vicinity of the Penobscott, or, as they called it, Pentegoet River. Somewhere in that territory wigwamed the Tarratines, agile, warlike, blood-thirsty and, as some say, cannibal. It is said that Masconnomet had slain some of the tribe, and so had incurred the price of blood, and endangered the safety of the English. Accordingly, July 5, 1631, he was banished from the house of every Englishman for one year, under penalty of ten beaver-skins for every offence. Of the Tarratines the Agawams bad a mortal dread. In 1629, and several times after, they applied to Governor Endicott for aid, and received it. Sagamores James and John, of Saugust and Charlestown, often assisted them. One instance of such alliance was August 8, 1631, when the Tarratines, to the number of a hundred, in three canoes, surprised the Agawams, slew seven men, wounded Sagamores John and James and some others, and took, among other captives, the wife of James, who, however, was returned the following September with a demand of wamjium and ten beaver-skins for her ransom.

8. Indian Arts. - Their arts were simple and their wants were few. Their wild dance and song were the life of the wigwam ; tobacco was their solace ; they delighted in smoking, or " drinking the pipe ; " fishing and hunting were their sustenance, and they exulted in the capture of a salmon, a shad, or a sturgeon, of a fox, a bear, or a deer. In spring their food was largely fish, in summer berries, in autumn harvest products, and in winter clams. They cultivated only the Indian bean and corn, which was always their staple food. Rude granite mortars and pestles served to powder the corn ; their tomahawks were stones about the length of a man's hand, with one end fashioned for a handle and with the other end beveled to an edge. Their arrow-heads were of slate, and a lapidary for their manufacture has been discovered near Prospect Hill. Abundance of clam-shells have been found on high ground, which, doubtless, mark the sites of their wigwams. These implements, even now after the flight of two hundred and fifty years, the plow-share sometimes discovers. Their highest art was expended upon the bow and arrow; their proudest skill was in throwing the tomahawk, shooting the arrow and spearing the fish.

9. Masconnomefs Death. - Masconnomet saw his tribe fade away, as a summer cloud; his rich domain become the abode of the pale-face ; his scepter broken fall from his nerveless grasp. In 1655, 21st February, the selectmen granted him a life-interest in six acres of planting ground. He died 6th March, 1658.

The 18th of the following June, his widow was granted the same ground during her widowhood. Both were buried on Sagamore Hill in Hamilton. With him were interred his gun, his tomahawk and other implements of the chase. The tribe lived in scattered wigwams, much at the town charge, till it was practically extinct, about 1730.

1. Definition. - These were such as obtained tracts or parcels of land, and occupied them as fishing stations or for the purpose of trafiic with the natives. Two parties principally are concerned in this history, John Mason and William Jeffrey.

2. John Mason was a member of the Plymouth Company, whose corporation was incident upon the published maps and description of this section, by Capt. John Smith, about 1615. Sir Ferdinand Gorges was president of the company. They held the land between the Charles and Merrimac Rivers, and had trading posts and fishing stations along the coast as early as 1619. About 1621, Mason obtained from the company the land between the Naumkeag and Merrimac Rivers. Perchance he never occupied the grant, or if he did, he had abandoned it and removed all trace of his occupancy, before the settlement by Winthrop in 1633 ; for to his claim made, in 1680, the settlers replied: "We have subdued the wilderness with great pains and cost; our lands have passed through several hands; we were confirmed in our rights by the law of 1657 for settling inheritances, which was not designed against Robert Mason, of whom and of whose claim we were then wholly ignorant. So we contiiiued till surprised by order of the General Court, according to your letter of September 30th, requiring us to furnish agents and evidences, as to our lands." Thus it was ; Ipswich had been settled ; the lands bought, sold and improved ; houses erected ; and the bustle of business felt for nearly half a century, when suddenly before the king appeared Mason with his claim. He went before the local court for justice. Litigation continued two years and a half At last Mason won his case. "The General Court allow John Wallace and Content Mason, relict of John Tufton Mason, to give deeds as her husband had done. Some paid a quit-rent of two shillings a year for every house built on the land of his grant, which was in their possession." Mason's heirs hoped to establish their inheritance, name it Mariana, and hold it " in fee and common socage." Thus the decision, which was against the settlers, was favorable.

3. William Jeffrey obtained his title to Jeffrey's Neck of the Indians and presumably of Masconnomet. His alleged right to the territory of our Ipswich may have been derived from Mason. He was here very early. Winthrop called him " an old planter." He was probably associated with John Burslin, Edward Hilton and David Thomson, fishmonger of London, in the employ of the Plymouth Company, and belonged to Robert Gorges' party, who settled at Wessagusset, in September, 1623. Mr. Fewkes' old cellars and wells, evincing to him traces of the Norsemen, referred to above, may have been Jeffrey's trading and fishing station; and so to Jeffrey's diminutive cityby-the-sea the Court of Assistants may have referred, when, in 1630, by warrant, they " ordered those planted at Agawam forthwith to come away." However this may be, William Jeffrey, in 1660, to satisfy his claim to Jeffi'ey's Neck within the bounds of Ipswich, is granted five hundred acres of land on the south side " of our patent, to be a final issue of all claims by virtue of any grant heretofore made by any Indians whatsoever."

4. Notice. - Mr. Jeffrey is referred to in one of the company's letters of instruction as " William Jeffries, Gentleman." He was an Episcopalian ; was made freeman May 18, 1637; was one of the proprietors of Weymouth, in 1641-42, where he was commissioned to solemnize marriages. Very early he had property rights at the Isles of Shoal<. He and his business associates, - Hilton, Blackstone, Barslin and Thomson's widow contributed to meet the expense of the expedition, that dislodged that " merry, rollicking, scholar, adventurer and scape-grace, Thomas Morton, Gentleman," from Merry-Mouiit, about 1628. In 1634 Morton called him "My very good gossip." He witnessed the will of William Waltham, of Weymouth, in lGi2; and his daughter Mary was born . there "20 : 1 : " of the same year.