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Historical Collections D'BD BAM. 4IJ5 four years. The Rev. Jacob Flint, ~he next minister, was settled here in 1798. A Trinitarian church was built here in 1826, and Rev. Aaron Picket was installed the first pastor. This town is noted for. its rocky coasts, and for the numerous shipwrecks which have taken place on its borders. Cohasset r~ck, which consists of several small islands and sunken rocks, lies about three miles north-east of the harbor j they have proved fatal to many vessels. This town has become quite a place of resort for citizens and strangers, in summer months, to enjoy the marine scenery and sea air. In 1837, there were 36 vessels em­ ployed in the cod and mackerel fishery, the tonnage of which was 2,284 i codfish caught, 750 quintals, valued' at $2,250; mackerel caught, 11,700 barrels, value, $73,286 i hands employed, 324. In five years preceding 1837, there were 17 vessels built, the ton­ nage of which was 2,765, valued at $110,600. Population, 1,331. Distance,6 miles from Hingham, and about 16 miles to Boston by water. DEDHAM. THE settlement of this town was commenced in 1635. In that year, the general court, then sitting at Newtown, (now Cambridge,) granted a tract of land south of Charles river to 12 men. The next year 19 persons,including the first 12, petitioned the general court for an additional grant, lying on both sides of Charles river, which was made, agreeably to this petition. The last-mentioned grant included the territory of the present town of Dedham, and of a number of other towns in the vicinity. The first recorded public meeting was on the 15th of August, 1636, at which were present 18 persons. These adopted a covenant, by which each individual bound himself" to give infonnation concerning any per­ son who applied for admission, to submit to such fines as might be imposed for violation of rules, and to obey all such bye-laws' and regulations as the inhabitants shall judge necessary for the management of their temporal affairs, for religion, and for loving society." The Ilovemment of the town was delegated by the freemen to '1 men, who were to be chosen annually. These 7 men met monthly, for many years, made mmy necessary bye-laws, which were recorded in the records of the town. Concerning tho appropriation of the land, each man was provided with a lot of 12 acres if married, and 8 acres if unmarried; this to begin with. The after grants seem to have been made according to the necessities of members, or as a reward for services pertbrmed. The nnmber of persons in a family was also made a rule by wlUch to divide the lands; quality, rank or desert and usefulness in the church or commonwealth was also & rule considerable in the apportionment. In a petition to the general court the inhabitants requested Ih&t tbe town might be called Contentment; which name is written over the record of the first several meet­ ings. It would seem that the word well expresses the leailing motives of the first 24 lIelt1ers in coming into this town. Tht,Y were soon, however, associated with men of lllIDewhat a different and higher character. The celebrated John Rogers, of Dedham, ill Eng1alld, had been tbrbidQen. to preach before the first settlers came to this country. Many of hia people emigrakJd, me{ nllmbel'l settled in this place. From that circum- DEDHAM. IltaDce, it may reuoIlably be iDf'erred that the pneral court gan to the towD the 1WIle of Dedham. The first sett1era were more immediately from Watertown. They YeN U follows, viz. : EdW11rd Allyne, lohn KingsbUry, Lambert Genere, Francis Austin, Abraham Shaw, John DWite, Nicholas Phillips, John Rogers, Samuel Morse, John Cooledge, Ralph Shepard, Joseph Shaw, Phileman Dalton, Richard Ewed, lohn Gay, William Bearstowe Ezekiel Holliman, John Howard, Thomas Bartleet, In luly, 1637, John Allin and Eleazer Lusher, and ten other ~rsons, came to Ded· ham, bringing recommendations, and were at the same time admItted freemen. These 12 persons gave a more decided character to the whole company. The following is the liat of freemen who had been admitted into Dedham preVIOus to 1647. Mr. John Allin" Edward Kempe, Samuel Morse, George Barber, Mr. Timothy Dalton, John Leuson, Nicholll.S Phillips, Robert Onion, Mr. Thomas Carter, lohn Dwight, John Morse, Robert Feashe, Mr. Ralph Wheelock,Henry Smith, Jobn Page, John Gay, Mr. 10hn Hunting, John Rogers, Michael Powell, Lambert Gene1'Y. Mr. - Pruden, lohn Sllawe, Joseph Kingsbury, Samuel Gnile, Mr. Henry Phillips, Nathan Aldis, deac., Nathaniel Colbome, John Ellis, F. Chickerin~, deac., Daniel Fisher, Timothy Dwight, Daniel Morse, Abraham Shaw, Michael Metcalf, Peter Woodward, Thomas Alooke, Edward Allyne, John Bullard, John Baker, John Batchellor, 10hn Frayre, Joshua Fisher, Nathaniel Whiting. Joseph Morse. Eleazer Lusher, Ferdinando Ad.amII, Anthony Fisher, Robert Hinsdale, Thomas Wight, Andrew Dewing, The first settlers located themselves on the margin of the mead­ ows, near the modem center. Each house-lot consisted of a part upland and a part meadow. These lots were laid out in narrow parallel slips. It is stated in Worthington's History of Dedham,. that in 1664, ninety-five small houses, near each other, were situ­ ated within a short distance of the' place where the court-house stands; the greater part of them east of that place and around DWight's brook. A row of houses stood on the north side of High street, as that road was then called which extends from the bridge over Dwight's brook westwardly by the court-house. The greater number of these houses were built soon after the first settlement commenced. Four only of these were valued at £20; the greater number were worth from 3 to 10 pounds. At the time these houses were built, there were but very few carpenters, joiners, or masons in the colony. There was no saw-mill in the settlement for many years. The only boards which could be procured at first were those which were sawed by hand. The saw-pits yet to be seen denote that boards were sawed in the woods. The necessary ma­ terials of glass and nails were scarcely to be obtained. These houses, therefore, must have been principally constructed by farmers, not by mechanics, and have been very rude and incon­ venient. Most of them were probably covered with thatch roofs. By an ordinance of the town, a ladder was ordered to extend from • II The History ofDedham from the beginning of its SeUlement, in September', 1635, to May, 18272 by Erutul Worthington." It is to this work the author is principally indebted for tile faet8 in the history ofthis toWJI. The II Historical A.dd.ress" of Sam­ ael F. Baven, EIIQ.., on the IIeCOIId centennial anniversary, in 1836, with DoteI, is also &DOCher valuable pllb,lieatilm respecting the history of this toWJI. SOUTijERN VIEW OF THE COURT·HOUSE IN DEDHAM. 1'bia Coart-BoaIe; dmmueted or granite, is considered to be one or the best models ror • public b~ in thia 00IIDt1'1. TIle tJDlIadaa aAl1 O~ chlUC!la are IeCIl ill &he dialaAce GIl &he 114. DBDS ..... the ground to the chimney, as a substitute for a more perfect fire engine. Around these houses nothing was seen but stump', clumsy fences of poles, and an uneven and unsubdued soiL Where the meeting-hcmse of the fim parish now stands, there stood for mOre thaD 301~ a law building, 36 feet long and 20 wide, 12 feet high, with a thatched roof, an a Ia.rge ladder resting upon it. This was the first meeting-house. Near by W8lI th~ BChool-house, standing on an area of 18 feet by 14, and rising to 3 stories; the third story, however, was a watch-house, of small dimensions, and which stood beside the ample slone chimney. The spectator there elevated might view the plain, the site of the present village, then a common plough-field, containinj\" about. 200 acres of cleared land, partially subdued, yet full of SlUmps and rools. Around him at a further dis­ tance were the herd-walks, as the common feeding lands were called, in the language of that time. One of these herd-walks was on Dedham Island, north of Charles river, and one was on East street, and more fully in view. The other hem·walk wu OIl Sou.th Plain. The meadows wers not yet cleared to any great eXleI1t. Beyond tbese herd-walks W8lI a continued wilderness, which was becoming more diAgreeable to the inhabitants, for the cattle, goats and sheep seem to have allured the wolves to ·their neighborhood. Tbe dense swamps about Wigwam were not yet cleared. Tbe numer­ oua d~ in the ,Plantation, which wers 60 troublesome to the worshipping assembly, were not a suffiCient ~rd against the wolves; and the killing of tbese animals was encouraged by a conSiderable bounty. A law of the colony, as well as the dange1'll of the people from Indian assanlts, compelled the first settlers to build their bouses near each other. 'fbe necessity of adhering to this law continued more than 50 Yearll. But as soon as the inhabitants could live with safety on their farms, houses were built in all parts of the present town. In about 70 years' time, the humble village o( the first settlers had disappeared, and the place was oocupied by a few farmers for about 100 years. When Dedham became the county town, in 1793, the second village was begun on tbe place of the former.· The lim school-house in Dedham was built in 1648.
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