from Boston Evening Transcript, August, 1900
TOPSFIELD'S QUAINT HISTORY
Representative George Francis Dow Tells of the Early Settlers and Traces the Town's Development
Representative Dow traced the town's history In an interesting address, in which he said:
The settlers of this were a plain people, who won their bread by their industry, yet among them were men of ability and native worth, whose descendants, now scattered to the four winds of heaven, bear witness in their lives that the leaven of the early days leaveneth the whole lump.
The actual settlement of the New Meadows began about 1639, when the General Court granted certain lands lying near Ipswich River to Inhabitants of Ipswich and Salem, who had farms near by, to be in enjoyed by those who first settled the village. Four years later it appeared that the Ipswich farmer had, since 1641, "maintained one to dispense the Word of God unto them, which they intend to continue."
Among the early settlers were Zacceus Gould, afterwards a large holder of land in Topsfield and Rowley Village; the Reddingtons, Abraham and John; Thomas Howlett and William Perking who had come with Winthrop; Rev. William Knight, who *dispenced the Word;" Walter Roper, the carpenter, who built the great bridge across the river; William Howard, the man of affairs; Francis Peabody, the mi!ler; Isaac Cummings; William Towne, whose daughters, Rebecca. Nourse and Mary suffered death during the witchcraft delusion; Allen Perley, and Alexander Knight, who had a court record as a "lter." Governor John: Endicott.
foundation are It and foundation her as to the the romance by treasures. 8 unwilling I owned large tracts of land and Governor Simon Bradstreet was granted 500 acres, a •portion of which has but recently passed from the family name after a continuous occupation of over 250 years. Rev. William Knight, the first who ministered to spiritual of the inhabitants at the New Meadows, was a nonconformist minister who refused to obey ecclesiastical injunction and, embarking for Massachusetts Bay, WAS received an inhabitant of Salem In 1637. The next year he was living in Ipswich, and in 1641 he began his labors at the New Meadows.
The organization of the church did not occur at this time, nor did Mr. Knight long remain with his little flock, tract, "Good News from New England," which was published in London in 1648, says: "William Knight of New Meadows has gone back to England." Among the earliest of those holding grants, of land Symonds in and of near Ipswich, our borders afterwards was assistant and deputy governor. In 1637 the town of Ipswich granted to him a farm of five hundred acres having, for its westerly bounds Pye Brook, slowly makes its winding way through meadow and thicket, barely a Ave-minute walk from the ancient burial place. This farm was long known on the records by the name of "'Oliver's." 1642 John Winthrop, son of Governor Winthrop and afterwards the first colonial governor of Connecticut, while in London, sold a tract of land lying near Mr. Symonds's farm to one Henry Parks, merchant tailor of London, and in the deed, ment, he that the land is located which is elaborately, engrossed upon parchpartly In "the hamlett village called Toppesfeld In the parish of Ipswich," preserving the spelling used to designate a small parish In Essex County in old England.
Thus early does the name appear, and yet in other transfers of title, and in various matters of record inscribed at Ipswich and Salem, the locality for several years longer was known as New Meadows. 1648, the settlement having grown larger and more important, Zacceus Gould. Brian Pendleton and William Payne addressed a petition to the General Court asking that the locality be given a name, at the same time suggesting that Hempstead might with propriety be adopted. The petition was read to the deputies and found their approval, but when a higher court of assistants viewed their action it was unceremoniously set aside, and the petition returned with the Endorsement that the settlement should be called Toppesfield. In this the deputies obediently concurred, and, with a slight abbreviation in the spelling, so it has remained to this day.
I have told you ° of Zacceus Gould's 111 success with the honored magistrates. Nearly two years elapsed after his petition before the settlement became in fact a town. The entry on colony records is In duplicate under dates of Oct. 16 the and Oct. 18.
The organization of the first town government is Irrevocably lost, for the earliest book of records was burned in 1658 by a fire which consumed the house of John Reddington, town clerk. The town historian must content himself with the contents of the second book, that of 1676. The early records are not wanting In quaintness. When John Robinson. in consideration of the sum of twenty-five shillings per annum.
agreed to sweep the meeting-house and fasten the doors. as a perquisite he was appointed to dig graves "For such as shall Require him, and to have three shilling six penc for al graues abou four foot long and two and six penc for al under.' Rev. William Knight, "who dispenced the Word." having returned to England. the settlement seems to have been without regular preaching until 1655. when Rev.
William Perking came from Gloucester, and buying a farm. cast in his lot with the Topsfeld farmers. The son of a merchant tailor in London. he contributed £50 to the Massachusetts Bay Company, and received a grant of four hundred acres of land. Until 1643 he lived in Roxbury, and then removed to Winthrop, where he was elected representative to the General Court.
He also commanded a military company. and was a member of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company in Boston. In 1651 he appears In Gloucester as a spiritual adviser to the people. Mr. Perkins brought suit against the town of Gloucester in effort collect his salary, and early In 1635 came to Topsfield.
where he preached to the neighborhood until the gathering of a church in 1663. A fragment of an autobiographical sketch states that he was absent in England In 1670. and again two years later. erine. his second daughter, he relates While writing of the A marriage of Kathwith enthusiasm that "She was the first much the Mercifull Providence of God which gave me the opportunity to be disposed of marriage." He died in 1682.
aged sevin enty-five years, leaving a numerous posterity. The actual organization of a church and settlement of a minister did not take place until Nov. 4. 1663. when the Roxbury church records have the following entry: is gathered at Topsfeld with **A church Thomas Gilbert over it." The records Mr.
church at Salem also shows that the of the people of Topstield sent letters "signifying their intention of joining in church fellowship." and Rev. John Higginson and John who was of Salem village. were delegated to represent the Salem church. Thomas Gilbert, the newly settled pasnon-conformist minister who tor. was a had been ejected from his living by King Charles IT.
of merry memory. He is supposed to have been a Scotchman. Topsfeld was his first and only settlement in the colony. He soon gave his people occasion to question the self-denial of their adviser when the wine was of spiritual good age and flavor, for It was not long before he was brought into court charged with Intemperance. It was shown that one afternoon the previous summer, It being sacrament day, the people waited long for their minister, some even going home, and when he did come at last and began to pray, all saw that he was distempered in his head, for he repeated many things over and lisped badly, and when he had done, commenced to sing and then read a psalm 80 that it could not be well understood, and then went to praying again, and was about following it with another hymn when Isaac Cummings rose his seat and desired him to forbear.
All testified that he then became very sober and said: "I bless God I can find a good deal of comfort in it," and then came down from the pulpit and said to the people, "I give notice that I will preach among you no more." Cider, beer and wine were used freely by all in those times, but in 1671 he was dismissed from the charge. Rev. Mr. Gilbert was followed by Rev. Jeremiah Hobart.
It was during his pastorate that the terrible Indian war, King Philip's, occurred. The meeting house was protected stone wall against attacks by the Indians. Mr. Hobart made enemies among his parishioners. They accused him of immorality and withheld his salary.
The minister brought the matter before the courts, and the town was Ordered to pay him all arrearages. This was in 1079, and the next year he was dismissed, but he continued to hold the fort until December, 1681, when the town demanded the keys of the meeting house, and only six months later was he finally ousted. Rev. Joseph Capen, "that revered man," came to the town of Topsfleld as its minis. ter in 1682.
For forty-two years Parson Capen preached acceptably, a faithful and beloved pastor and a shining contrast to his predecessors. In 1703 the old meetinghouse in the cemetery was abandoned and a new one built on the present location, an elevation having been leveled for the purpose. This building torn down in in turn, in 1842, gave way to the present 1759 and a new meeting-house house built, which, structure. Mr. Capen died In 1725, and all that was of of E.
A. and con of Colonel the the.
continuous ministered inhabitants nonconformist inhabitant remain mortal was buried at the spot where. long before, his pulpit had stood, and at the head of a the mound was erected an elaborately carved stone recording this summum of his life: "Dear Mr. Capen, that revered Who did the faith of Christ maintain, A learned man and godly, too, None will deny this who him knew." During Mr. Capen's ministry occurred the terrible delusion of witchcraft. The nearness of Topsfleld to Salem VillageDanvers -the home of the accusing girls, and especially the question of disputed wherein the Putnam and Townes families were concerned, and which had caused much 1l1-feeling, made it impossible that this town should escape.
Rebecca Nourse of Salem and Mary Esty of Topsfleld, daughters of William Towne, and highly respected by their neighbors, were carried to an ignominious death. Mary Esty has been called "the self-forgetful," because In a petition to Governor Phips, written while in prison, she asked not for her own life, but that other innocent blood might not be shed. Sarah Wildes, wife of John Wildes, was also executed, and several others were accused, only escaping as reason dawned on the frenzied community. The historian then gave brief accounts of the pastorates of Rev. Mr.
Capen's successors, Revs. Ashahel Huntington until 1818, Rodney Gove Dennis until 1820, James F. McEwen until 1840, Aaron MoLoud until 1868, Edward P. Tenney until 1869, James H. Fitts, Lyndon S.
Crawford. Charles W. Luck, A Albert E. Bradstreet, Francis A. Poole, all now living, Herberth J.
this Wycoff, town the has present had an influence in education is well known. The prominent position held at one time by the Topsfleld Academy cannot be forgotten, nor can we estimate the services of such men as Professor Nehemiah Cleaveland, for twenty years principal of Dummer Academy: Rev. David Peabody, professor at Dartmouth College; Professor Albert Cornelius Perkins, for many principal of Phillips Exeter Academy; years, nor Professor John Wright Perkins of Salem, formerly of Dummer Academy, who is with us today. The Topsfield Academy, famous for its preceptors and the high standard of scholarship there maintained, turned out many scholars who have become distinguished, and many a man and woman has made the world better for the Instruction there received. Among the more famous Instructorg were Benjamin Greenleaf, the well -known mathematician; Edwin D.
Sanborn, for many years professor Dartmouth College; Asa Fowler, justice of the Supreme Court of New Hampshire and a law partner of President Plerce, and later of Senator Chandler; Rev. Edmund F. Shafter and many other men of mark in the various professions. Patriotism early found A home in this ancient town. In every war from the swamp fight at Narragansett to the recent conflict with the yellow flag of Spain, she has borne her part.
When Charles Il. demanded the surrender of the charter of the colony the town voted: "Wee doe hereby declare yt we are vtterly vnwilling to veeld ether to a Rasignation of the Charter or to any thing yt shall be equeulent there vnto Where by ye foundations there of should be raced." and 31x years later, shortly after Governor Andros had been deposed from power, Lieutenant Thomas Baker elected represent the town, and was instructed "To act for the publick good welfare and safety of This Colony prohibiting any act or thing that may have any tendency to the infringment of any of our charter priuilidges what so ever." In 1770 the town was drinking "liberty tea." and the same year in town meeting assembled a vote was passed to encourage and promote home manufactures, thus showing anticipation of the approaching conflict, and when the storm broke, two companies of minute men, numbering 110 men. marched to the Concord fight. At Bunker Hill, Bennington and Ticonderoga, sons of Topsfield fought for that Independence which is our right. Over three hundred men were enlisted from this town during the Revolutionary war, the population at no time being greater than eight hundred gouls.
The War of 1812 and the conflict with Mexico found few supporters among our townsfolk. but the cannon shot fired at Fort Sumter aroused a patriotic fervor which sent our boys to many a Southern battlefield. At Fredericksburg and Bull Run: at Antietam and the Wilderness. in many a bloody conflict, our boys in blue fought bravely for the right and for native land. Andersonville claimed its victims, and the men still move about our streets carrying with them the taint of the Southern clime or the bullet of 8 fratricidal foe.
Twenty-two gave up their lives while in the service. During the Rebellion, Topsfleld furnished more than one man in ten of its population, or 113 soldiers, a surplus of six over all demands, while Afteen men were sent into the navy. Six men who claim a birthright in our town enlisted on the quota of adjoining towns. to 1g of 1t less The & and for for.
