T HE S T O RY O F M ART H A ’ S V I N EYA RD F r om L i s of the p Its I nh abitants , N ewsp ape r F il es an d T h o s e W h o Have Visited I ts S S hore s , I n cluding tray N ote s on L oc al H istory an d I n dustrie s C o ll e c t ed a nd a rr a nge d by C . G . H I N E a n d H S . l u C a n d T O . I l s tra te d by . G . A H I N E PU B LIS HED B Y HINE B RO THERS x oo W ILLIA M ST . NEW YO R K U B RARYof CO NGRES S w l wo Com es fl ece eu. MAY 2 8 1908 M C. NU: 2 0 7 384 CO PY B . n e e n e . NE n e in th e 1908 G . I E t r d , accordi g to Act of Co gr ss , y ar , by C H , in th f h n n n n e e t e i e i . o fic of Librar a of Co gr ss , Wash gto , D C BE FO RE PRO CEE D I N G . 1 8 : Professor Shaler wrote in 74 Of those who travel , by far the larger part are driven about the world by a hunger for the curious . The evil demon that pursues them hides th beauty of things near at hand with a veil of the commonplace , “ - and sets on the horizon beacons that seem to point to fresher i‘ ’ fields beyond . Martha s Vineyard gives a rich soil , beautiful drives , brooks and woods , features denied to its bleaker sister to the east . ‘ The Vineyard has never had its story told in a form that one could be readily reached . For more than hundred years travelers and scientists have devoted a chapter or more to the is e island and newspapers have paragraphed it , but that pra tically all . — This book is an attempt to attach its stories historical , personal and legendary —to the particular spots to which they belong and to string them on a thread of description that will “ one carry the length of the island , in the hope that that hunger ” for the curious may be temporarily sated . ”3 1 2 2 1 0 7 3 8ber 7. This night about of the clock Thomas Blair departed this life . He had gone some time ago " to the Jarsies and came home with a fever and ague upon him . f . So says the diary o Rev . William Homes , of Chilmark It was ’ a 1 fever and ague th t , 47 years later , drove the writer s family “ i ” so from the J ar s es to the Vineyard for relief , and we came ’ IV . MARTHA S VI NEYARD . to know and love this beautiful island . We being entirely in w ho 06 a o : accord with Mr . John Brereton , 3 years g , wrote “ For u s the agreeing of this climate with (I speake of my selfe , and so I may j ustly do for the rest of ou r companie) that we found our health and strength all the while we remained there ” “ to one ou r so renew and increase , and not of companie (God be thanked) felt the least grudging or inclination to any dis or e ease sickn ss , but were much fatter and in better health ” as than when we went out of England . Even we than when u we went o t of Jersey . For most of my material I am indebted to the files of the Vineyard Gazette and the Vineyard Herald , and its predecessor the Cottage City Star ; of the New Bedford Standard and of the Mercury , and to the newspaper contributions of Dr . Charles E . Banks . To Mr . Charles H . Marchant and those pleasant evenings spent within the hospitable Home Club ” of Edgar e . town . To the writings of Mr . Richard L . Peas and to Mr Beriah T . Hillman and the several friends in the Edgartown T . o . Court House . Mr and Mrs Howes Norris , of Eastville M r s In Vineyard Haven to Mr . Charles H . Brown , . Margaret Claghorn , Miss Margaret L . Norton , Mr . H . C . Norton , Mr . w ho or Lorenzo Luce , and others have dropped me a story T n o . helped to complete o e . Mr Joseph Mingo of Indian Hill , Mr . William H . Rotch of West Tisbury , Mrs . Rebecca H . Manter of Roaring Brook , Mr . E . Elliot Mayhew , the D om inie and the crowd that throngs the store of evenings at “ Betel Bung Corners Mr . Eddy C . Flanders and Mr . Daniel Vincent C l e ett Vand erhO O of at Menemsha , and Mrs . Mary A . gg p Gay Head . My geology is lifted bodily from the writings of Prof . ’ N . S . Shaler , whose death was a great loss to Martha s Vine P R EEEDI O C NG . B E FO RE V . yard ; and beside those mentioned are many who have dropped l smal change into my ever ready cap . “ A recently published G uide to the Local History of Mas ” sach u setts a h as , rranged by county and town , made it easy to get at the printed records , but there has been no attempt to for make an authoritative history , that being left Dr . Charles E . Banks , w hose forthcoming volumes will cover the ground not as I could hope to do . While acknowledging help , it would be a sin against courtesy not to acknowledge that rendered by f of not the sta f the New York Historical Society , who could be I a more willing to d o if w stheir rich uncle and a bachelor . O ur story will begin at the eastern end of the island and travel , as does the sun , toward the west , gathering as it goes all sorts of stray items from folks and books and personal ex rien p e ce . Ac ross the sea s o f Wond er land ’ To M r h s I s e w e od d e d a t a l p l , Fo r ty singing sea m en In an o ld b ck bar u e . , la q And w e land e d in the tw il ight Where o l heni u s no d d e d a p yp , With his bu rnished fi re - eye w inking Red and yell o w t hr ou g h the d a rk d fl sh then hre e e o No w re . a a , t y ll w ’ ’ When it s hick the fo ho rn s be o t , g ll w B o o m s a cro ss the r e stl e ss wat er To sa v e the v ent u ring cre w from sla u g h ter ; To s a v e all singing se a m en fr o m the h ht r cru e l rocks t at s lau g e . ie t M r A fr e d No es i h o s o . !W t ap ol g l y , the e a r l y ex p l orers and the. Gay i Head L ght . ! EAR LY V O YAGES AN D FIRST OWNERS . - I N FI FTEEN TWENTY FO UR . It is difficult to go back in imagination to the loneliness of the time when our Summer Isle only knew the barbarism of his of the red man and lack enterprise , but there was such a the time , though barbarism seems to have been of a pleasant e kind , for the early explorers , before th y had taught the native to distrust them; appear to have met with nothing but hospi 1 2 tality along this coast . Verrazano , sailing these waters in 54, m — ay have landed here some think he did , but more believe his description fits Block Island rather better than it does the Vineyard . Wherever he landed , however , his treatment by the ‘ to his Indians was much liking , at least until after he rounded a “ ” C pe Cod . And Mr . John Brereton , who wrote a relation of ’ Gosnold s Captain visit in these waters , referring to the abo “ ” r i ines eied g , speaks particularly of their quick and steadfast “ fea rlesse looks , of others barmes , as intending none them selves they being exceeding courteous , gentle of disposition ” and well conditioned . N L D C APTAIN GO S O . osnold 1 602 Next of record comes Captain G in May , , who of of was the author the present name the island , as he was of C od ou t Cape , though he applied it to that dash of solitude in t ’ the Atlantic known o us as No Man s Land , the name then ’ “ M arth ae s to being spelled Vineyard , according Purchas his ” Pil rim es one g , which may have been a compliment to of the ’ 2 MARTH A S V I NEYARD . is so gentlem en accompanying the explorer . The name spelled both by Gabriel Archer and by John Brereton in their relations Gosnold o . f the voyage , coming from the north , appears to have coasted outside of Nantucket and the Vineyard , and possibly at that time of supposed them part the mainland , though The Relation of C aptaine ’ Gosnol s Voyage delivered by G a briel Archer , a Gentleman in the ” said Voyage speaks of doubling “ ” of Il and the Cape another , refer ’ ring to the present Martha s Vine O n e of th e stateliest sounds that ” — in e h e .