Essex County, Massachusetts - Chapter 21: Town of West Newbury, 1922

As the very earliest history of the territory embraced within the Town of West Newbury has already been treated in chapters on the other towns of which this sub-division of Essex county was originally a part, it will not be taken up in this connection further than is necessary to show the causes which led to the separation from other towns. Generally speaking, this article will treat only of the histoiy of the town since the date of its incorporation in February, 1819, one hundred and two years ago. It may be well to suggest to the reader of this volume that perhaps a clearer understanding of the subject may be had by reading the chapters on "Newbury" and "Newburyport," in connection with this chapter, the three sections of Essex county being so closely connected, one with the other.

The many hillsides and beautiful valleys found in this part of the county attracted the pioneer. The landscape must have been one of great charm to the first settlers, and now after the flight of nearly three centuries, with the numerous changes and improvements added by the hand of man, it is almost a wonderland of beauty to the resident as well as to the passer-by. Pipe-Stave, Archelus, Long, Crane-Neck, Meeting-House and Indian hills are among the interesting places within the town.

As early as 1685 these remote inhabitants of the town of Newbury began to feel inconveniences, and hence we find they sought to be set off from the territory of the original town of Newbury. A petition dated March 10, 1685, to the authorities of Newbury read as follows:

The humble request of some of the inhabitants of this town desire and entreat you would be pleased to grant us your consent, approbation and assistance in getting some help in the ministry amongst us, by reason that we doe live soe remote from the means, great part of us, that we cannot worship God; neither can our families, with any comfort or convenience; neither can our families be brought up under the means of grace, as Christians ought to bee, and which is absolutely necessary unto salvation; therefore, we will humbly crave your loving compliance with us in this, our request.

This was the first move toward a new parish in Newbury, but the records are as silent as the tomb concerning any action taken in the matter. The next date this subject is referred to in the church or town records was when the meeting-house seems to have been built in 1688 at the Plains by the people of the West district, regardless of the wishes of the old parish of Newbury. This building was thirty feet square and was built by sixteen persons. Some have claimed that the date of the erection of this church was 1686, but a clause in the will of Joseph Morfng, dated November 5, 1688, shows conclusively that at that date the house had not been erected : "I give to the new town in Newbury twenty pounds to help build a meeting-house, if they do build one; and if they do not build one, then I give twenty pounds towards building or repairing the meeting-house now standing in Newbury." Again, in 1690, the people of the district asked the town to make some provisions for a minister among them. The committee to whom this was presented replied that "considering the times as troublesome and the town being so much behind with Mr. Richardson's salary, the farmers and neck men being under great disadvantages upon many accounts, do desire and expect, if such a thing be granted, that they should have the same privilege to provide for themselves, which we think cannot conduce to peace, therefore desire the new towne to rest satisfied for the present."

This did not suit the petitioners, and they went ahead making plans to build and to support a minister in some way themselves. When this became known to the town authorities, it was brought up at a meeting, held July 14, 1691, and voted "that understanding that several (fifteen) of the inhabitants of the new towne are about calling Mr. Edward Thompson to be their minister, the towne do manifest their dislike against it, or against any other minister whom they should call, until ye town and church are agreed upon it, looking upon such a thing to be an intrusion upon ye church and towne."

In October the same year a petition was presented to the General Court by the west-end people "to establish a people by themselves for the maintenance of the ministry among them," and in December the town voted against the grant of the petition, and chose a committee to oppose it before the General Court. Great excitement followed between those who should have been more like the Master in their relations with each other. One of the "west-enders," as then called, was indicted for calling the committee appointed to consider their petition, "devils incarnate." Many such sessions ensued and were unrelenting and severe.

Matters drifted along until May, 1693, when the town voted "that Mr. John Clarke be called to assist Mr. Richardson (the Newbury minister) in the work of the ministry at the west end of the towne, to preach to them one year in order to farther settlement and also to keep a grammar school." But matters were still troublesome until finally, December 31, 1694, a concession was made by the town, and a committee of five drew up articles and proposed to set apart the west end of the town as a separate parish. In December, 1695, five acres of land on the east side of Artichoke river and one acre of land near the west meetinghouse were granted to the west inhabitants when they saw cause to move the meeting-house to the place specified by the town. Until 1824, this parish was called the Second Parish of Newbury, but after that date, by order of the General Court, it was changed to the "First Parish of West Newbury," as that town had in the meantime been incorporated an independent town of Essex county.

On February 18, 1819, the General Court passed an act by whicJi the ancient town of Newbury was divided, the western part to be known as the town of Parsons. This name did not suit many, and June, 1820, it was legally changed to West Newbury. The first selectmen were Daniel Emery, Joseph Stanwood and Thomas Case. The local management of public affairs in this town has been fully up to the standard of other towns within Essex county.

The officers of the town in 1920 were the following: Moderator, Parker H. Nason; Town Clerk, Elwood N. Chase; Selectmen, Robert S. Brown, Parker H. Nason, George C. Howard ; Superintendent of Schools, Heraian N. Knox; Treasurer and Tax Collector, Charles F. Brown; Auditor, Francis W. Noyes; Constables, Charles T. Mosley, Carroll C. Ordway, Willie E. Hudson; Tree Warden and Moth Superintendent, Frank D. Bailey ; Forest Fire Warden, Edward Johnston ; Chief of Police, Charles T. Mosley ; Lumber Surveyors, William J. Dunn, George Milnes, Sherbum T. Davis.

Assessed Valuations - Number of polls assessed, 411; dwelHngs assessed, 425 ; horses assessed, 213 ; cows assessed, 574 ; neat cattle other than cows, 230; sheep assessed, 21; swine assessed, 71; fowl assessed, 3,141; residents assessed on property, 436; non-residents assessed on property, 97; assessed on poll tax only, 188; acres of land assessed, 8,- 160; taxes for State, county and town, $27,152.

Liabilities - Notes due National Banks, anticipation of revenue loan, $7,500.00; notes due State Treasurer, school-house loan, $11,000.00; bills unpaid estimated, $2,250.00 ; total - $20,750.00 ; excess of liabilities over assets, $7,389.80.

At the time West Newbury was incorporated its business interests in way of sundry though unimportant industries did not aggregate more than forty thousand dollars a year, but before the eighties the volume of business had greatly increased, and shoes and hair combs were being manufactured quite extensively. The comb business was established as early as 1770, at first conducted by Enoch Noyes, a farmer, who made hora buttons. He worked in his kitchen during the winter months, having as his only tools a hatchet, a saw, a bit of glass and a woolen polishing- rag. After the battle of Bennington, he engaged a Hessian comb-maker, who had deserted from Burgoyne's army, who soon taught him the art of comb-making. The business was founded by Mr. Noyes and continued by his son, grandsons, and great-grandsons. Interviews with men who were youthful in the forties inform us that there were not less than twenty-five separate shops turning out buttons and combs in West Newbury in 1830. They took their products to Boston, sold them to dealers, and brought back their one-horse rig full of horns with which to make more combs, etc. In 1887 the number of factories had decreased to only two, but through the use of steam and machinery, these two turned out as great an output as did all the others under the early-day methods. The two who were pioneers and who had remained in trade until the entire business was abandoned in the town, were S. C. Noyes & Co., and G. O. and T. M. Chase. The largest of these two firms was that of S. C. Noyes & Co., in which were some machines invented by Hayden Brown, by y/hich horn combs were made equal to ivory in beauty of finish. About twenty-five years ago these industries all ceased to operate.

Carriage making was also carried on in the town at one time quite extensively, but later these factories were removed to Amesbury, on the opposite side of the river, and there helped swell the number of carriage factories to above thirty operated at one time. The manufacture of shoes was carried on in West Newbury on a moderate scale. In the eighties, such a factory was still operated by James Durgin & Son.

Today there is no manufacturing in the town. The one long, wellkept highway, v/ith street cars nmnin.rc nn its side, passes through the town, which has numerous old, but well preserved residences; farm houses, where still hangs the "Old Oaken Bucket", with thrifty orchards and smooth pastures greeting the eye on every hand. There are a few smiall shops or stores along this street, including Bailey's store and postoflfice, kept by Mrs, Smith; Hiram R. Poore, Daniel Cooney, Charles Brown, C. E. Rowell, C. B. Morse, Mrs. Flora E. Clark, and the "Emergency Cupboard."

The town has a Central School, a High School and smaller school. At present the churches of the town are the Episcopal, Roman Catholic, and two of the Congregational denomination. Three of these churches have regular pastors, while the Second Congregational Church is supplied from Newburyport.