Beverly City (part 2 of 2)

Ground was broken for the reservoir on Brimble Hill, the highest elevation in town, in May, 1886, land having been bought here and on the shore of Wenham Lake, where a pumping-station and a cottage for the engineer have since been erected. The sy-tem was completed within the appropriation, and went into full operation on the 1st day of October, 1887, and the town is abundantly supplied with water, both highlands and lowlands, having over fifty miles of pipes extending throughout its length and breadth. Beverly had been served with water from the Salem system of supply, which was established in 1807, its reservoir and pumping-station being within the township limits.

Wenham Lake, from which Beverly and Salem obtain their water supply, is from forty to fifty feet in depth, and is fed by springs beneath the surface. The bottom of the lake is composed of white quartz or sand, and the water, from analysis by our best chemists, has been pronounced remarkably pure. The ice formed here is so clear that it has been used successfully as a lens in igniting powder by the sun's rays.

the local fishing-ground of the Naumkeags, a stream flowing from it being a tributary of the Ipswich River, on the banks of wliich their principal settlement was located.

The first murder committed in colonial times, of we have any record, was near its shore, on the main road from Salem to Ipswich, and the famous Hugh Peters (who was afterwards executed by Archbishop Laud) preached here from the summit of a conical hill (now removed) fi-om the text, "At Enon, near Salim, for there was much water there."

At a town-meeting in 1774 it was voted that if a number of men, not exceeding thirty-five, would purchase a good fire apparatus and engine, and contract ro improve the same for extinguishing fires, they should be exempt from serving in any town office, or as jurymen. This vote was carried into- effect, a company formed and engine purchased. The company, in 1795, gave up their apparatus to the town, and in 1805 it was voted to raise $1,000 and purchase a new fire-engine, and in 1828 another.

The fire apparatus, in 1843, consisted of three engines, with hose, buckets, axes, etc., one company in the North Parish and two in the centre of the town.

Fire hooks-and-ladders were placed convenient for use. In addition to these, the Union Fire Society, formed in 1804, had ladders, fire-hooks, sails and axes, each member being provided with two leather buckets, a two-bushel bag, a bed-key and a screw-driver. For furnishing a supply of water for fires, four cisterns had been built. The Union Fire Society had a fund of $4,000, which was divided among its members when they disbanded, their services becoming of less importance as public facilities increased.

The first steam fire-engine was purchased by the town in 1866, and on the introduction of Wenham water int') the town, hydrants were established extensively, hose-houses were built and efficiently equipped, and the most approved system of apparatus purchased. In all six hose-houses were erected, so that every section, no matter how remote from the town-centre, was thoroughly protected. In addition to these was the steam fire-engine at the central station ; and in November, 1885, the building known as the Central Fire Station was dedicated, which cost nearly $20,000, and is provided with a tower, with perfect apparatus, two engines, trained horses and efficient engineers.

At the Farms, in addition to the hose-house, is a new building containing a fine steamer and appointments equally good with those in the central district.

1886. - An electric fire-alarm was established in February, beginning in the manufacturing district, and extending thence into the outlying sections of the town. It started with ten boxes, two in the manufacturing centre, two on Cabot Street, and one each in the South, Washington, Cove, Montserrat, North Beverly and Farms Districts.

An indicator and a two-circuit repeater was put into the Central Station, a striker attached to the First Baptist bell, and a whistle-blower on one of the factories.

In July, 1886, electric lights were introduced into the town, under the management of the parties controlling the gas company, superseding gas for street lights in the most densely-populated parts.

Temperance and other Societies. - We may say of Beverly to-day, as was said of her by the historian of forty years ago, that, " on the subject of temperance she has kept in the van of enlightened public sentiment."

The customs of early times prescril)ed "drinks" upon nearly all public occasions, but this town was one of the first to abolish that custom. By a vote of March 9th, 1807, the selectmen were requested " not to approbate or recommend for the renewal of their license any person, in the future, as an innholder, who was not provided with accommodations for entertaining travelers."

Such popular educators as Rev. Joseph Emerson and Dr. Abiel Abbott used their influence in promoting the cause of temperance ; but the first temperance society was not formed until about 1830, up to which time nearly every grocer in town was licensed to sell intoxicating liquors.

The Beverly Baptist Temperance Society was organized in 1832, as also was a similar association at the Farms. A Temperance Association was formed in the Second Parish in 1833, the Union Temperance Society in 1835, and a Total Abstinence Society in 1838. In 1840 the Washingtonian movement swept over the land, the beneficial influence of which Beverly experienced.

In 1844 the Sons of Temperance, Franklin Division, organized and contained a large and influential membership, which, after many years of valued service, finally disbanded ; the new division of the same name in 1882.

The Young Men's Catholic Temperance Society was organized in 1872, the Woman's Christian Total Abstinence Union organized in 1875, and the Woman's Christian Temperance Union, at the Farms, in 1885.

The Female Charitable Society was incorporated 1836; Beverly Fuel Society, already mentioned ; Seaman's Widows' and Orphans' Friend Society, organized 1833 ; Fisher Charitable, organized 1810 ; Old

Ladies' Home Society, organized 1886 ; New England Industrial School for Deaf Mutes (on a farm of fifty-six acres, at Eyal Side), organized 1876; Woman's Relief Corps, John H. Chipman, Jr., No. 30, organized 1883 ; Knights of Honor, organized 1877; American Legion of Honor, Reuben Kenuison C ouncil, organized 1881 ; Beverly Gas-Light Company, capital stock, $40,000, par value $100 ; Light Infantry Company, organized 1814 ; Beverly Co-operative Association, organized 1879 ; Grand Army Post, organized 1869 ; Shoe Manufacturers' Association, organized 1865; Lasters' Protective Union, organized 1882; United Order American Mechanics, organized 1883 ; Independent Order of Red Men, Chicataubut Tribe, organized 1886; Royal Arcanum, Roger Conant Council, organized 1879 ; Sons of Veterans, Camp John Low, organized 1882 ; Thorndike Bicycle Club, organized 1881 ; Daughters of Liberty, Mayflower Council, organized 1885; Golden Rule Alliance, organized, 1885 ; Beverly Fireman's Relief Association has a fund of $4,500.

The Post-Office. - Owing to its contiguity to Salem, Beverly did not possess distinct postal facilities so early as some other towns in the county. The first postmaster was Asa Leech, before the building of Essex bridge, who also had charge of the ferry and kept a public-house at the corner of Cabot and Davis Streets. He was postmaster for many years. Previous to the establishment of the oflSce here our citizens, as well as those of some other towns, obtained their mail from the Salem office.

Dr. Josiah Batchelder succeeded Mr. Leech, at his death, and kept the ofiice in a house on the corner of Davis and Front Streets. On his removal to Maine, John Burley was appointed, who resigned, and was succeeded by John Lemon, he by Farnham Plummer, who removed the office to a building next to the Thorndike mansion, now the town-hall. Jonathan Smith was the next postmaster, who held the office nine years, until Stephens Baker was appointed, in 1833. Mr. Baker held office sixteen years, at first in his store, where the Hinkley Block now stands, and during his last ten years in the building he erected on the corner of Cabot and Milton Streets. Joseph D. Tuck, who succeeded him, kept the office in the same place, until another change of administration gave it in charge of Gilbert T. Hawes, who established it at the corner of Cabot Street and Railroad Avenue. Thomas A. Morgan succeeded him, under whom the office was opened in the Masonic Block, where his successor, Thomas D. Davis, continued it. Mr. Davis was a soldier of the late war, whose health was seriously shattered by barbarous treatment in the prisons of Richmond and Andersonville. His successor was another veteran of the war. Colonel Francis E. Porter. Under him and his predecessor the office had been brought into a high state of efficiency ; but the accession to power of a Democratic ad ministration caused the removal of Colonel Porter, and the appoint- 47^

With the advent of a special cook, or a man drafted from the crew for that purpose, the "grub" was improved a little, the staple articles of diet being beef, salt pork, beans twice a week, potatoes, bacon, fish, " duff," doughnuts and Duff and doughnuts were great luxuries, however, and " duff day " was always looked forward to with pleasurable anticipations Although the distance traversed by the fishing schooners was not vast, yet the length of the voyage made it wearisome, especially as land was I'arely sighted after Cape Ann had been left astern until it hove in sight again four months later; on the return the government gave a bounty of four dollars per ton for each voyage of four months and over, and even if a full fare was secured in half that time, the requisite numbers of days must be passed at sea before port could be entered. The great event of the voyage was " washing out day," when the fish had been landed and the crew were given a royal dinner. As winter came on, the vessels were hauled up at the wharves and the crews dispersed to seek employment at shoe-making, or to spend their hard-earned money in completing their education. Many a boy, taken from home at an early age, returned to the vilhige school on successive winters, to acquire what learning he could in the time at his command. It was a wholesome discipline they got at sea, and a school in which were reared many who afterwards served faithfully their country when volunteers were needed for the navy.

At the present day our fisheries are of little importance. The great fleet of schooners has disappeared, and scai'cely half a dozen vessels sail from our port for the Banks each season ; and these are manned by strangers. How far the policy of the National Government has contributed to this result is one of the debated questions.

Between the years 1828-40 there were two fullrigged ships, the ''Shamrock" and "Malabar," and nine brigs, making a total of eleven "square-riggers," owned in Beverly, besides one hundred and twenty schooners. In 1859 the schooner " Dove " was sold to Eastern parties. This vessel was built in 1817, and was the last of her class, of half-deck vessels, in Beverly.

In 186U, just prior to the Civil War, fifty-four vessels from Bev.rly were engaged in the fisheries, with 4072 tonnage, a valuation of $166,800, carrying 457 men, and using 5366 bushels of salt and 1172 bushels of bait. In 1861 the amount of fish bounty paid was $15,000. In 1863, when the greatest number of our fishermen were away, serving in the navy, but thirty-seven vessels were engaged. The value offish and oil obtained that year was about $200,000. The "catch" was large, but fishermen were scarce. In 1875 some twenty-four vessels were fitted out here; in 1877 twenty-two, besides smaller craft, carrying about 300 men.

But even this small number has been reduced in the past ten years, so that the present year finds but four fishing-vessels employed at the Banks, and one of those is supposed to have been lost, with all on board. A hundred years ago, in 1786, Beverly owned sixty vessels, manned by 492 men ; nineteen of these were in the West Indian trade. In 1788 thirty-two vessels, with 271 men.

Shoes and ShoemaJcing. - For nearly two centuries the industries of Beverly were essentially agricultural and maritime ; farming, fishing, coastwise and foreign commerce engaged the attention of its inhabitants, with an occasional digression to repel the Indians or beat off foreign invaders. It has been already shown that the town took active part in every affair of national importance from the Pequod War in 1637 to the Rebellion of 1861. The growth of the town was slow, and resulted more from the natural increase of its native population than from alien accessions. The early industries were few in number, and newer forms of occupation were adopted cautiously. Unlike Lynn, which seems to have been predestined to traffic in leather from earliest times, Beverly did not choose deliberately that which has now become its chiefest industry. Resident shoemakers were scarce within its borders before the close of the seventeenth century. One of the first recorded cordwainers is Andrew Elliot, who M'as also our first town clerk, who lived in that part of the town known as the "Haymarket" or "City," where also resided another shoemaker - John Smith, son of James, born in 1662. He probably worked upon the low bench, having the "kit" - knives, hammer, la^^- stone, awls, etc. - on one end and the seat at the other, and with the shoe held by a strap over the knee.

Of those who first carried on shoemaking as a business, Joseph Foster, who removed hither from Ipswich just before the Revolution, is most conspicuous. He supplied shoes to the Continental army and to the various grocery-stores of this town and others, and later shipped shoes to the Southern States and the West Indies. Descendants of shoemaker Foster are still engaged in the business here, in which they were prominent for nearly a century. Others who learned their trade of Joseph Foster's son, Daniel, may be remembered by our citizens as Captain Daniel Cross, Olphert Tuttle and Osman Gage.

A leading manufacturer of a later period was Deacon Nehemiah Roundy, whose three sons assisted him, and who supplied shoes to the trade in Boston and shipped to Africa and other countries. Captain Thomas B. Smith in 1829 built a factory in which he manufactured large numbers of heavy boots and shoes. In 1830 Daniel Lefavour began the manufacture of women's shoes at the Cove, in which also his brother John engaged some fifteen years later. The business established by them has since been continued respectively by their sons. Another manufac- turer of that period was Ebenezer Moses, wlio, it is said, first introduced the system of division of labor, and first used tin patterns for the shaping of the soles of shoes. The Herricks and Trasks, fathers and sons, Wm. D. Crossfield, Wm. Larrabee, the Wallises (descended from the firdt deacon) and the Norwoods, are names prominent in the history of shoe manufacture here. One of the last century Wallises was the aged shoemaker Henry Wallis, well remembered by the middle-aged of our community, who worked at his trade for nearly seventy years in the same shop, which was over two hundred years old when it was removed from its location at the corner of Cabot and Bow Streets.

Real Estate and Improvements. - The era of progress may be said to date from the advent of the railroad, and the largest and most important transaction in real estate took place at the time the railroad station was removed from its original site to its present location on Park Street, about 1852. Nearly all the large section between Cabot Street and Bass River, and extending from the Gloucester crossing to the southerly junction of Cabot and Rantoul Streets, was open field, without house or factory. To-day hundreds of dwellings are seen here, and the numerous shoe factories, in which are conducted the leading industry of the town. An impulse was given to business that has been continued to the present day.

Twenty years ago, or in 1868, a section of territory lyingbetweenLovett, Lothrop and Washington Streets which had, for more than a hundred years, lain undeveloped, and used as fish-yards, was purchased by Israel Lefavour, and thrown open for building purposes. Mr. Lefavour, then quite a young man, divided the property into lots, some of which he sold, and upon others erected houses, and to-day it is covered with some of the most attractive residences in town. He also purchased and improved, more recently, the Wilson land and Pickett fish-yards, on Lothrop Street, and has built thereon houses commanding beautiful outlooks over the sea.

In the past twenty years Cabot Street, which was formerly lined mainly with dwellings, has undergone most radical changes, nearly forty stores and places of business having been erected there.

In 1867 the Masonic Association erected the fine three-story brick block at the corner of Washington and Cabot Streets; in 1875 the Odd Fellows built, at the corner of Cabot and Broadway, the finest block in town ; in 1877 Israel Lefavour purchased the Little estate, corner of Cabot and Vestry Streets, and enlarged and altered the house there into a three-story block, with a commodious Opera House more lately added ; in 1883 Rich and Newcomb built a very large and convenient wooden block on the property adjoining and extending to Railroad Avenue, and in 1885 Webber Brothers erected a fine brick building of three stories adjacent to the Masonic structure.

house of the Smith estate, owned by him, on the corner of Cabot and Broadway, into a large block for stores and dwellings, and added much to the beauty of Broadway.

In 1885 the Savings Bank built its beautiful structure at the corner of Cabot and Thorndike ; in 1886 Robert R. Endicott reconstructed and enlarged the buildings corner of Cabot and Washington Streets.

George Butman erected a large building of three stories on Cabot, near Essex Street. A dozen years before, Messrs. Lee and Cressy, George H. Southwick and William W. Hinkley had put up fine business blocks. These facts but indicate a steady and rapid growth in the business of Beverly.

The extension of Central and Abbot Streets, and others, was followed by active building of houses, until nearly all were lined with comfortable and elegant dwellings. The extension of Lothrop Street to Cross Lane, the extension of Ober and Corning Streets, the improving of Common Lane, etc., gave an impetus to building, even in remote places.

In 1874 Andrew K. Ober purchased a portion of the woodland known as Snake Hill, laying out drives and walks, and building there a stone mansion, which improvements were followed by the construction of Lake-shore Avenue, and the elegant station-building at Montserrat. Within ten years past radical changes have been made at Hospital Point, so that this bleak and once desolate promontory is now the abode of some of our wealthiest citizens.

One of the largest land-owners, whose purchases have been made mainly within a few years past, is Henry W. Peabody, who owns about one hundred and fifty acres, principally near the Montserrat Station, and including such fine property as Hibbert and Laurel Pastures, Turtle and Prospect Hills. At the Farms, after the shore margin had been absorbed, summer residents purchased much of the hill property in the interior, especially wherever commanding views were afforded of the sea. Hence it is that, with Beverly's unrivaled possession of hillside and seaside, it is not necessary that land should be of great fertility to command high prices. In truth, the poorest land as to production is often that which is held the dearest.

What is known as the "shore movement," when the manifold attractions of the Beverly coast drew hither an appreciative population, began nearly fifty years ago.

About this time Beverly began to receive accessions in peojile who came, at first, merely for a summer's stay, but who eventually purchased property here and obtained a foothold as owners of real estate. Attracted by the beauties of the shore, several residents of Salem and Boston sought and obtained board with the farmers of the eastern part of the town, in the section known as Beverly Farms. This region was always a rural one, and thinly populated, though early settled : the Wests, Woodburys, Haskells, Thissells, Obers and Larcoms being among the first; the Woodburys especially numerous, descendants of the original William and Humphrey, who located at Woodburys' Points about 1630. By direct inheritance, by grants and by Intermarriage, they had acquired a great deal of the coast property.

Throughout several generations these farmers and fishermen of Beverly had contentedly tilled the soil and ploughed the sea, leaving their ancestral homes only to participate in the business affairs of the town, or when summoned by the imperative calls of war. By intermarriage, by the ties of constant association, and by family tradition, they were one with the people at the Centre. During the first century of its corporate existence the town relied upon them as upon those who lived in the shadow of the First Parish meeting-house, and they were prominent members of the church itself. The short distance that separated them from the business centre of the town did not prevent a frequent inter.change of visits on Sundays, when all gathered at the Old South, and on training days and town-meetings.

"A town becomes a true home for men through its history, not less than by reason of its physical and social features." Every family native to the Farms had historical traditions in common with every other at the Centre, and thus, though in a measure territorially distinct, the people resident here were individually members of one and the same great family ; their interests and their traditions were identical. But the time had come when a new element was to be introduced, and this was when the first "summer-boarder" appeared, about the year 1840. It does not appear that our ancestors were heedless of the attractions nature had so lavishly spread aiound them; but, in the stress of their life of toil, these may have seemed of secondary importance. At all events, though the superlative beauty of their environment may have as-erted itself, and they may have unconsciously imbibed that love for nature now inherent in their descendants, yet they did not, perhaps, attach the importance to it that should have prevented them from parting with their priceless heritage. The consequent hardships of successive wars, and the perpetual struggle for existence, inevitably the lot of the pioneer, had impressed upon them rather the value of substantial gain, than that of a beautiful landscape. In a word, this " fatal gift of beauty," which was to them a thing imponderable, attracted strang'ers to their birthright, and it passed from their possession.

The first, or one of the first, who took up residence at the Farms ft)r the summer season was John G. King, as early as 1840, who bought, in 1844, the John M. Thissell place at Mingo's Cove. He boarded with Isaac Prince, then occupying the farm now known as the "Paine Place." Early in the eighteenth century, this one hundred-acre farm was inherited by Anna Woodbury, daughter of Benjamin Woodbury, who married Rev. John Barnard, of Marblehead She willed it to the children of her kinswoman, Anna Woodbury, wife of Samuel Swett, who sold it to Josiah Ober, whose heirs sold it to Isaac Prince, and he to Cha-i. C. Paine, whose wife was one of the Swett family above mentioned. Mr. Paine subsequently bought the entire property, paying six thousand dollars for it. From this farm, it is said, have been sold estates to the amount of two hundred thousand dollars, and with a portion of perhaps equal value still remaining.

Nearly cotemporary with Mr. Paine was Charles G. Loring, who bought the farm of Benjamin Smith, and built the first house thereon for summer residence.

Patrick T. Jackson and Franklin Dexter were other early visitors who purchased shore estates about this time, and in 1846 Messrs. Haven, Neal, Cabot and Lee. A little later the Sohiers, Lowells, Pickmans, Lawrences and Burgesses became dwellers here.

Thus the Beverly shore, says a recent writer, " was probably the fir^t in New England to be sought for summer homes. Its southerly exposure, the coast line trending nearly east and west, gives it a matchless summer climate. The prevailing winds of the warm months - those from the southwest - elsewhere bearing a parching heat, are here wafted across the salt floods of Salem Bay, filled with a delicious and invigorating freshness.

The hills and woods, rising directly from the shore, also break the force of the harsh winds from the northerly quarters. In consequence, many of the summer residents come as early as possible in the season and often linger late in the fall, enjoying the quiet drives amidst the autumnal glories of the Essex woods, until even the rich hues of the oaks have changed to a uniform dry brown, under the blighting touch of the frost.

Sailing along the coast on a pleasant summer day, one sees a moderately high reach of hills sloping gracefully back from the sea. The deep water permits a near approach to the land, so that in the dense foliage masses which often come close down to the water's edge and give to this shore a luxuriant aspect quite exceptional in New England coast scenery south of the spruce-clad capes of Maine, may be distinguished the intermingling hues of pines and oaks and the other deciduous trees, whose light leafage relieves the sombreness of the evergreen masses. Bold promontories jut out into the water, the waves ceaselessly tossing up white greetings at their feet, and between the cliffs stretch intervals of glittering beach, with smooth, green lawns reaching far back into the shadowy recesses of forest glades. All along this shore stand the beautiful villas; not huddled in vulgar promiscuousness, as at popular shore resorts, nor dniwii up in showy dress parade, as at Newport ; but disposed in tlie easy attitudes of a high-bred company, thoroughly assured of its place in the world, and neither eager for prominence nor solicitous about privacy. Embowered in the woodlands, occupying castle-like heights, or standing out amid sunny lawns with the dignified repose surrounding them of broad verandas, there are few of these houses that are not in admirable keeping with their surroundings.

A drive over the beautiful roads that meander in easy grades over the diversified region has a charm equally great with sailing the shore. Not so much is seen of the villas themselves as from the water, for they mostly stand retired from the highways, and only approached by pleasant avenues.

Few places could be found affording such a multiplicity of romantic sites ; there might be almost a surfeit of picturesqueness, were not the variety so great that every turn, every new view, reveals a fresh charm. In short, the lavish disposition of nature and the costly efforts of art have together made of the Beverly shore a region that approaches the ideal of an earthly paradise as nearly as is possible in this part of the world.

One rolls over the smooth roads among blooming gardens and wide lawns, with broad reaches of the bay visible between splendid houses. A turn of the way, and the natural forest incloses the scene, and the air, just redolent with the fragrance of blossoming shrubs, is now tilled with the tonic breath of the pines. Again, reaching a slight elevation, the sea comes into sight, framed by a wild margin of rocks and trees.

And so the enchanting picture continues in scores of lovely glimpses, until it seems as if nature's portfolio would be exhausted of its novelties. Life on the Beverly shore duiing the season has a character quite distinctive, and very different from that of the usual summer resort, as may be inferred from the character of its population. This is composed chiefly of leading Boston families, with a few fron^ neighboring Salem, and some permanent residents of Beverly - whose ancestry, like that of the Endicotts, is identified with the founding of the town - nearly all more eminent for social position and culture than for wealth ; which, however, needs be considerable to enable residence in such a place."

1 This table shows the arrangement by "Classified Occupations" (in italks), with detail for certain classes by principal lines of occupation. Also, the "Explanatory Note," defining the distribution of the people into classes of occupations, that is, those having related occupations, as, for Census purposes, all persons are supposed to bo "occupied."

Domestic Service. - Persons concerned or employed in the hotel, boarding and lodging service, housewives, persons engaged in house work (without remuneration, generally in own family), housekeepers and domestic servants.

Scholars and Students. - Public and private school scholars, persons at college, or studying special branches, as law, dentistry, medicine, etc.

A^licted, etc. - Persons suffering with acute or chronic diseases, blind, deaf, dumb, maimed, lame, insane, idiotic, and other afflicted persons and paupers and homeless children.

Israel Thorndike

Israel Thorndike was bora in Beverly, Mass., in 1755. He was fifth in descent from John Thorndike, who came to this country in 1633, and returned in 1668 on a visit to his brother, Herbert Thorndike, in England, where he soon after died, and was buried on November 3d of that year in the Cloisters of Westminster Abbey. The Eev. Herbert Thorndike, above referred to, was prebendary of Westminster and a profound scholar and theologian. He wrote many ecclesiastical works in English and Latin, some of which are still of so much interest that they have been recently republished. He died in 1672 and was buried in Westminster Abbey. In his will he left property to his nieces, Martha and Alice, daughters of John, who had accompanied their father on his visit to England, on condition, however, "that they should neither return to New England, their birthplace, nor yet, remaining in England, marry with any who went to mass or to the new Licensed Conventicles."

These brothers, John and Herbert, were sons of Francis Thorndike, who in 1634 signed the pedigree for the first visitation of Heralds recorded in the family, and were fifth in descent from William Thorndike, who lived at Little Carlton, County of Lincoln, in the reign of Henry VII., and died in 1539. The arms borne by the family were "Argent, six guttees, three, two and one, gules, on a chief of the last three leopards' faces, gold."

President Quincy, in his "History of Harvard University," speaks of Israel Thorndike as follows : " He had in youth no advantages of education, except those which the public schools of his native town afforded, but he possessed, in the vigor of his own mind, a never-failing spring of self-advancement. The war of the American Revolution was an event adapted to call into activity his powers and spirit of enterprise. Embracing with zeal the cause of his country, he became part-owner and captain of an armed ship, and the judgment with which he planned his cruises, and the intrepidity and diligence with which he conducted them, were rewarded with distinguished success. Having entered into partnership with his brother-in-law, the late Moses Brown, he engaged, after the peace of 1783, in an extensive and most profitable commerce with the East Indies and China.^ Sagacity, judgment, industry, strict attention to business, and thorough acquaintance with the details of every commercial enterprise in which he engaged, were the chief causes of his success. He was also an early patron of manufactures, and in-

1 This partnership began during the War of the Kevolution, and apparently continued till the close of the century. See also the biography of Moses Brown in this work.

" Mr. Thorndike was at different periods of his life a member of the convention called for the adoption of the Constitution of the United States, and a Representative and Senator in the Legislature of his native State. He was a generous contributor to all patriotic and charitable objects, and often gave an active agency in their support. In 1806 he subscribed five hundred dollars for the foundation of the Natural History Professorship in the University, and also the same amount in 1818 for the library of the theological school. In the same year, being informed that the library of Professor Ebeling, of Hamburg, was for sale, and that an agent of the King of Pruss-ia was negotiating for it, Mr. Thorndike ordered it to be purchased at the cost of six thousand five hundred dollars, and presented it to Harvard University, thereby securing to his country one of the most complete and valuable collections of works extant on American history."

In 1810 Mr. Thorndike removed to Boston for the greater convenience of carrying on his now immense business in all parts of the world, and until his death resided in Summer Street, in that city. " He was eminently social in his feelings, and none more than he delighted in dispensing a princely hospitality." But he still retained his mansion in Beverly, afterwards the Town Hall, passing a considerable portion of his time there, ever manifesting a warm interest in the welfare of his native town, and the first parish of Beverly received from his estate an addition to its funds of about twenty-six hundred dollars.

Mr. Thorndike died in May, 1832. He retained to the last his great energy and activity, and left a large fortune. Mr. Quincy, in allusion to an obituary notice of Mr. Thorndike in the Boston Daily Advertiser in May, 1832, after referring to his remarkable mental powers, says that " when their influence is united, as was his, with high moral i>owers, and exerted during a long life on the side of virtue, and in promoting the best interests of society, it is enduring, and serves to give a character to the age in which they live."

Mr. Thorndike was married three times. His first wife was Mercy, daughter of Osmyn Trask, of Beverly. By her he had one son, who died in infancy, and a daughter, wife of Ebenezer Francis, an eminent merchant in Boston. Mr. Thorndike's second wife, the mother of his twelve other children, was Anna, daughter of George Dodge, of Salem. He married thirdly, in 1818, Sarah, daughter of the Rev. Joseph Dana, of Newburyport. She survived him, and died in 1845.

The accompanying engraving of the portrait of Mr. Thorndike was made from the oil painting by Gilbert Stuart, taken towards the end of his lii'e.'-^

Moses Brown

Moses Brown, of Beverly, was born in Waltham, formerly a ]>art of Watertown, Massachusetts, April 4, 1748. He was the eldest surviving sou of Isaac Brown, a very active business man, who resided on Waltham Plain, and who descended in the fifth generation from Abraham Browne, one of the original settlers of ... .......-,. u . J Watertown. Abraham

March 6, 1631-2, and soon became prominent in the place of his adoption, receiving, as is manifest from the early records of the town, "import- " ant appointments and trusts more numerous than "were conferred upon any other person." He was descended, in the fifth generation, through the Browues of Swan Hall, Hawkedon, in Suftolk, England, from Christopher Browne of Stamford, in Lincolnshire, and of Tolethorpe, Rutlandshire, who, again, was descended, in the fifth generation, from John Browne, a merchant of Stamford, and Alderman, or chief magistrate, of that town in 1376, the office of Mayor not having been created till 1663. Several mortuary brasses of the family, called by Fuller, in his Worthies, "the ancient family of Brownes of Toll- Thorp," still remain on the walls of the Church of All Saints in Stamford, and on the floor of a chapel of the same " proper to the family ", and also in the church at Little Casterton, near Tolethorpe. The church of All Saints, itself, was in great part rebuilt about the year 1465 at the expense of John Browne, father of Christopher Browne, above named ; and its beautiful steeple was erected by William Browne, uncle of Christopher. This William Browne, under a charter dated 1485, also founded the "Browne Hospital or Bead House " for the support of "twelve poor men," and endowed it liberally by grants of lands. This institution still flourishes in Stamford, and, by the large increase in the value of its land, the scope of its charities has been greatly extended. The Manor of Tolethorpe, near the village of Little Casterton, in Rutlandshire, about three miles from Stamford, was purchased by Christopher Browne, above named, of the Burton family towards the end of the 15th century, and thenceforth continued to be the seat of the head of the family until into the present century, a period of nearly four hundred years. About thirty years ago it was sold, and the ancient stone manor house is now owned and occupied by Charles Orniston Eaton, Esq., a prominent banker of Stamford, who kindly entertained there the writer of this article in the summer of 1886. Mr. Eaton has added wings to the original mansion, but has otherwise carefully preserved this venerable structure, as nearly as possible, in the condition in which he found it. A wood-cut copied from a photograph of the house, before its recent alterations, is inserted; together with wood-cuts from photographs of the church of All Saints, and of the Bead House. The two large windows, at the further end of the latter building, are those of the little chapel in which the "twelve poor men" are required to attend daily services. The rest of the building is occupied by two large halls, the whole structure forming one side of an interior quadrangle on which are the residences of the beneficiaries.

The three mascles, in the coat of arms given at the beginning of this article, were granted, together with the crest and motto, to Christopher Browne, above mentioned, July 20, 1480 ; but are here combined with a still earlier grant to the family of the three mallets with a slightly different crest, which latter coat and crest are cut in stone on the walls of the Bead House. The original parchment grant to Christopher still exists, and is in the possession of Frederick Sayres Browne of Norwich, England. It is a curious bit of old French, and is printed in full in the Heraldic Journal, Vol. IV., page 146. The herald, Mr. Alfred Scott Gatty, of the Heralds' College, London, stated to the writer that he knew of but one other instance where two grants of arms had been made to the same family.

Moses Brown, the subject of this memoir, was fitted for Harvard College by his maternal uncle, the Rev. Thomas Balch of Dedham, and graduated in 1768. He taught school for three or four years in Framingham, Lexington and Lincoln, and then settled in Beverly as a merchant, in the autumn of 1772. The cause of American Independence was warmly espoused by him, and a commission, dated August 7, 1775, signed by James Warren, President of the Provincial Congress, appointed him Captain of a company enlisted by him in Beverly, under a commission dated July 11th of the same year. In January 1776 he joined the line of the American army as Captain in the fourteenth regiment. Colonel John Glover, under a commission dated January 1, 1776, and signed by John Hancock, President of the Continental Congress^ This regiment, of which many of the privates were seamen, and which is accordingly called the " Amphibious Regiment" by Irving in his Life of Washington, did good service at Brooklyn in ferrying over the army to New York when it was obliged to evacuate Brooklyn Heights. It also performed similar service for the army on its crossing the Delaware, preliminary to the battle of Trenton, in which it took a prominent part. Captain Brown's Orderly Book ^

1 The following extract from this book, in commendation of Col. Glover's command for its gallant attack upon Sir William Howe Oct. 18, 1776, on his mai-ch to New Eochelle, may be of interest, as showing the beginning in January 1776, kept with his characteristic neatness and exactness, is still preserved by his descendants, together with his sword, field-glass and commissions. At the expiration of the term of enlistment of his coni^any he returned to Beverly, where he resumed his business with his partner and brother in law, Israel Thorndike, and some of the vessels of " Brown and Thorndike," transformed from their peaceful character as merchantmen into armed ships, continued the patriotic work which Captain Brown had begun in the field, and did good service to his country.

After the close of the war, Mr. Brown continued to be energetically and successfully engaged in commerce until the year 1800, when he retired from active business with what was, for those days, an ample fortune. His house on the main street of Beverly, in which, together with Mr. Thorndike, he resided for several years, and until the latter erected a separate mansion, afterwards the Town Hall, is still standing, is a good specimen of the Colonial residences of the better class. Of this also, a wood-cut, taken from a photograph, is inserted. Here, for many years, Mr. Brown dispensed a generous hospitality, and paid much attention to the cultivation of fruit and flowers in the ample garden belonging to his house. The noble elms, w'hich still adorn the main street of Beverly, were also set out by him. He was largely instrumental in the construction of Essex Bridge, between Beverly and Salem, and also of the Salem and Boston Turnpike, the latter having been constructed under his personal supervision. In both of these enterprises he Avas among the largest original proprietors. He was a Federalist of the Washington school, was a member of the Massachusetts Legislature, and one of the Presidential Electors in 1808. " His manners were dignified and courteous. He always took an important part in public enterprises." President Quincy, in his History of Harvard University, says of him that " He united integrity with benevolence, was exemplary in all social and domestic

'.' Orders for Gen. Lee's Division, Mile Square, Oct. 19, 1776. Gen. Lee " returns his wannest thanks to Col. Glover and the Brigade under his " Command, not only for their gallant behavior yesterday, but, for their '- prudent, cool, orderly and soldierlike conduct in all respects, he as- " sures these brave men that he shall omit no opportunity of shewing his " gratitude. All the wounded to be sent immediately to Valentine's hill "at the second Liberty Pole, where surgeons should repair to dress them. are afterwards to be forwarded to Fort Washington." And, two " days later, Washington issued general orders as follows, "Headquar- " ters 21 Oct. 177fi. The hurried situation of the General for the last two " days, having prevented him from paying that attention to Col. Glover "and the officers and soldiers who were with him in the skirmish on " Friday last that their merit and good behavior deserved, he flatters " himself that his thanks, tho' delayed, will nevertheless be acceptable " to them, as the3' are offered with great sincerity and cordiality. At "the same time he hopes that every other part of the army will do " their duty with equal bravery and zeal whenever called upon ; and " neither dangers, nor difficulties nor hardships will discourage soldiers "engaged in the cause of liberty, and while we are contending for all "that freemen hold dear and valuable."

relations, and a generous contributoi* to public and private charities and associations." [n his will he bequeathed two thousand dollars to the Theological School at Cambridge connected with the College, to be applied in any way that " will best promote the cause of Christianity, and the design and utility of this religious establishment." He deceased June 15th, 1820, and his funeral sermon was preached by his friend and pastor, the Rev. Abiel Abbott of Beverly. He married first Oct. 16, 1 774, Elizabeth, daughter of Osmyn Trask of Beverly. She died without issue, and he married secondly. May 3d, 1789, Mary, daughter of the Rev. Matthew Bridge of Framingham, Harvard College 1741, and grand-daughter of the Rev. Daniel Perkins of Bridgewater, Harvard College 1717. His children were first, Charles, born in Beverly, May 24, 1793, who graduated at Harvard College in 1812. He then studied law and was admitted to the bar, but never practised his profession. He soon removed to Boston, where, for some years, he was engaged in business. During the latter part of his life he was much interested in genealogical jjursuits, and was largely instrumental in tracing his ancestors in this country to their origin in England. He returned to the former spelling of the name by resuming the final e. He married Dec. 14, 1825, Elizabeth Isabella Tilden, and died in Boston, July 21, 1856, leaving three children, Harriet Tilden, Francis Perkins and Edward Ingersoll Browne (Harvard College 1855) all now living. The name of the old firm has, of late years, been revived by the association of Edward Ingersoll Browne with Charles Thorndike, grandson of Israel, as partners in the law business, under the name of Browne and Thorndike of Boston, in which city they have long been established.

The second and only other child of Moses Brown, except one who died in infancy, was George, born Nov. 24, 1799. For several years he was a captain in the merchant service. In 1843 he was appointed Commissioner to the Sandwich Islands, and, with his eldest son, was lost at sea on a voyage to China in August, 1846. He married, Dec. 9, 1821, his cousin, Harriet Bridge by whom he had several children, all of whom have deceased, his two sons Samuel and Moses alone leaving issue.^

Andrew Preston Peabody, D.D., Ll.D.

Dr. Peabody is descended from Lieutenant Francis Peabody, who was born in 1614 in St. Albans, Hertfordshire, England, and came to New England in the ship "Planter" in 1635, settling in Lynn, and later, in 1638, in Hampton, Old Norfolk County, subse-

1 See Bond's Genealogies and History ofWateitown ; Stone's " History of Beverly"; Quincy's " History of Harvard University" ; tbe Nevf England Hist, and Genealogical Register for January 18S5 ; the Heraldic Journal, Boston 1865 ; Wright's " History of Rutlandshire " ; Blore'g " History of Rutlandshire ; " and Drakard's " History of Stamford."*