Essex County, Massachusetts - Chapter 25: Town of Bradford, 1922

The East Parish of Bradford was incorporated as a town, named Groveland, March 8, 1850. A portion of Boxford, including over threefourths of Johnson's Pond, was annexed to Groveland, March 21, 1856. Bradford is one of the most northern towns in Essex county. Originally the Indians held this territory, and the name of the particular tribe was the Pawtucket. It is supposed that about 1638 Masconomet, the chief, was fully satisfied with the disposition made of his lands to the white settlers, but in the early years of the eighteenth century, Samuel English and Joseph English, his grandchildren, and John Umpee, his nephew, claiming to be his heirs, made a new demand, and an elaborate deed was executed by them in 1701 to John Tenney, Phillip Atwood and John Bointon, for themselves and other freeholders and proprietors of Bradford. The consideration was 16 pounds and 12 shillings. The deed was attested by Nathaniel Saltonstall and Dudley Bradstreet, magistrates of Haverhill and Andover, respectively. This deed was at once recorded.

Bradford was well protected from invasions by the Indians by Haverhill on the north and by the river. Still, there was ever alann and anxiety among the settlers, and Bradford soldiers had to march elsewhere. Sentinels were stationed and they patroled constantly during the Indian scare-days. Three garrison houses were constructed, one of brick at the west end of the town ; one where the parsonage later stood ; and the third was where Widow Rebecca Foster's house stood in 1820. This was palisaded, when grave danger was felt. There was also

One of the original settlers, Thomas Kimball, was killed by the Indians in King Philip's War, the Indians being the notorious Praying Indians, Symon, Andrew and Peter. Kimball resided on the road from what is now South Groveland to Boxford, The story runs that the Indians were on their way to kill somebody at Rowley, who they imagined had injured them; but finding it was too late in the night, they turned in and made another deadly sacrifice instead. Kimball's wife and five children were carried away captive by Symon and his band, but later were set at liberty, it was thought through the influence of a friendly chief, Wannalancet.

The Bradford lands originally laid out to the Haseltines and Wilde include the west half of the village. Their meadow land is known even today as the Haseltine Meadow. In 1658 Joseph Jewett had laid out to him the whole of Bradford Neck. In 1671, the following lot owners appear of record "below the Glover Farm:" Joseph Chaplin, 35 acres; John Simmonds, 42 acres; Abraham Foster, 37 acres; John Simmonds, 36 acres; John Simmonds, 66 acres; Hugh Smith, 38 acres; Jonathan Hopkinson, 32 acres; Samuel Boswell, 53 acres; James Dickinson, 57 acres ; Deacon Jewett, 95 acres ; Mrs. Kimball, Boston, 102 acres ; James Barker, 111 acres; John Boynton, 93 acres.

Bradford was known originally as Rowley Village. That part now called Bradford was at first "the Merrimac Lands." Sometimes it was styled Rowley Village-by-the-Merrimac. Georgetown used to be called New Rowley. Probably there is not another American village so little changed with the passing centuries as that of Rowley. There one finds the two or three main streets upon which the exiles settled themselves - Wethersfield, in memory of the pastor's birthplace, and Bradford, to preserve the name of the substantial town in Yorkshire, England, from which others had emigrated to our shores. This band was made up of industrious weavers, farmers and smiths, who soon introduced their own special trades and callings here. They had a great storehouse for hemp and flax, built their fulling-mill and made serviceable clothes.

Rowley was incorporated September 4, 1639, when it was ordered by the General Court that "Mr. Ezekiel Rogers' plantation be called Rowley." May, 1640, it was declared by the same court "that Rowley bounds is to be eight miles from their meeting-house in a straight line (westerly) ; then a cross line diameter from Ipswich Ryver to Merrimack Ryver when it doth not prejudice any former grant." October of the same year, "the neck of land on Merrimack, near Corchitawick, is ordered added to Rowley."

The first meeting-house in Bradford was built in 1670, probably a rough log building, although it must have been quite high, for it is seen by record that in 1690 a gallery was constructed. John Haseltine gave the meeting--house lot and churchyard, which was the old burying place on the road to present Groveland, The meeting-house stood in the west comer of the lot and the departed dead were laid to rest in the rear. The first house erected in the town was not far from the last named spot. The first schoolhouse was built on about the same site, the same being eighteen by twenty-two feet, with seven-foot posts.

Prior to the Revolutionary War there had not been much trading in the town of Bradford. Possibly a store or two near each church was to be seen and patronized for the necessities of the household. Moses Parker opened the first store of much note, and that was located in East Parish. Upper Parish (Bradford) usually traded at Haverhill. Shipbuilding was carried on to some extent in 1720, but has long since been a lost art, so to speak.

The water power furnished by Johnson's creek has always been of untold value to this part of Essex county. The noted Dr. Perry once said: "Indeed, it would be easy to show how enterprising individuals might gain wealth, and the community better served, by enlisting in their service the force of this water, which God, in his goodness, causes to flow down this stream for the use of men." This was said long years before the great factories had been built and the busy hum of machinery had been heard for the first time up and down this wonderful valley.

In 1760 Daniel Hardy commenced making shoes here. They were sent to Portsmouth ; many were also sent to the Southern States and as far as the West Indies. At the time of the French Revolution it was said that "the shoe business is one of the most important lines of business in the tov^Ti." Dr. Periy's diary speaks of 1820 industries in this place as follows: "Large quantities of shoes are manufactured here, and sent to the Southern States and West Indies. One hundred and fifty men are constantly employed, besides many who employ the winter in it, who, it is supposed, make fifty thousand pairs of shoes and boots yearly."

In 1792, Samuel Tenney, Uriah Gage, Timothy Phillips, and William Tenney engaged in the manufacture of shoes in Bradford. Their market was Boston, Salem, Newburyport and Portland. At first these goods were carried to market on horseback. Shoes went largely to Salem, and thence on to the West Indies and our Southern States. Between the years 1815 and 1837 the shoe business in Bradford was immense for those days. But as soon as Haverhill obtained its railroad, business men in Bradford commenced to remove their factories to that place, on account of shipping facilities. In the early eighties, it was stated that the following men and firms were then or had been recently engaged in the manufacture of shoes in Bradford : Montgomery, Hoyt, Johnson, Ordway, Webster, Sawyer, Farrar, Kimball, Day, Waldo, Merrill, Ford, Carleton, Durgin, Pearl, Toun and Hopkinson.

of Haverhill, conditions have materially changed. Bradford is now one of the numerous resident districts of the thriving city, while its business enterprises are confined to a few small concerns.

At the annual election in 1896 it was determined to annex Bradford to the city of Haverhill, and this went into effect January 4, 1897. This included all the territory of Bradford village and country districts. So, since the date last named, the history as an incorporated territory of Bradford has been one and the same as Haverhill.

Without going back into the dim and misty past, to speak of census enumerations, it may be stated in this connection that in 1900 the United States census reports gave Bradford (in with Groveland) 2,376; in 1910 it was 2,253 and in 1920 it was placed at 2,650.

The first meeting-house in Bradford was erected in 1670, and twenty years later a gallery was provided, hence it will be seen the building was one of good proportions, othei"wise it would have been too small for such an improvement. The minutes of the church state that January 29, 1671, "at a general town meeting," an agreement was made with Samuel Haseltine "to sweep the meeting-house one whole yeare, and for his pains he should have of every householder and voter one peck of Indian com, which is to be brought to his house." (This shows that money did not go as a medium very much in those early times, but commodities served as "coin of the realm.") The first year. Rev. Symmes, pastor, received forty pounds and the next year fifty pounds sterling as a salary. It was payable in wheat, pork, butter, cheese, malt, Indian meal or rye. It has been questioned by one of a later date than colonial days what the minister could have needed so much malt for? In reply, it should be stated that malt was in every house. Beer was drunk by old and young, and was counted a staple article of diet. Even the Harvard College accounts were partly payable in malt. Butter and cheese being used so much in settlement of accounts leads us to believe that dairying was a very early and profitable branch of farm life here.

The common hour for Sunday forenoon services was from eight to nine o'clock, and members were fined for being tardy. No manuscripts were read by the minister for a sermon, but the good man of God placed his hour-glass before him and when it had emptied itself of its sands, if he proposed to preach longer, he turned the hour-glass over again. The elders gave out the psalms, line by line, to be sung.

One odd feature of the first church organization in Bradford was the fact that no permanent church organization was had from the year 1668 to 1682, notwithstanding Rev. Symmes was minister all those years, and had not yet been ordained. Finally this was brought about, and Rev. Symmes remained pastor until he was so aged that an assistant pastor had to be provided for him. About 1705 Rev. Symmes passed to the other shores, and in a short time was succeeded as pastor by his talented son. Rev. Zachariah Symmes, a graduate of Harvard, and a man about thirty years of age at the time he came to the Bradford church to take his venerable father's place as minister. He died after a checkered ministry, in October, 1725. The next minister was Rev. Joseph Parsons, who with others did not endorse the preaching of Whitefield and opposed his being admitted to the pulpit.

The East Precinct was incoiporated in 1726, and the church organized one years later. Rev. William Balch was the first pastor for the new parish. He was ordained in 1728 and died in 1792, aged eightyeight years. The East Parish built its first meeting-house in 1726 and its second one in 1790. The two parishes were separated after two hundred years of municipal life. Groveland was incorporated March 8, 1850.

The fourth pastor of the First Parish was Rev. Samuel Williams, a graduate of Harvard College, a noted astronomer and mathematical scholar. He was ordained in his twenty-second year, hence was not well liked by the older set of ministers. In 1780 he was dismissed at his own request, to take a chair at Harvard College. His successor was Rev. Jonathan Allen, aged thirty-two years, and also a Harvard graduate. He died in Bradford, in 1827. Following this minister was Rev. Ira Ingraham, who did not long remain pastor on account of his bitter opposition to the stand his church took in not wanting to further the cause of total abstinence. From that day on to 1866, the pastors of this church were, mclusive of these : Revs. Hoadly, ordained 1830, dismissed 1833; M. C. Searle, dismissed 1834; Nathan Munroe, dismissed 1854; James T. McCollom, dismissed 1865 ; John D. Kingsbury, installed 1886. The present church history is wrapped up with that of Haverhill.