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PLYMOUTH AND MASSACHUSETTS SETTLED. 119

them in another, failed of doing so, and left them behind; whereupon the company, to their great loss, were under the necessity of giving them all liberty, who had cost about £16, or £ 20, a person, to furnish and bring over.

Notwithstanding all the difficulties and embarrassments under which these people labored, they soon began to consult about a place or places for their setting down. They on the whole concluded to plant themselves dispersedly, some at Charlestown, some at Boston, some at "Meadford," Watertown, Roxbury, Saugus (now Lynn), and others at Dorchester. After having fixed upon their places of location and settlement, such as were able to labor fell to building, wherein many were interrupted with sickness, and many died weekly, yea, almost daily, amongst whom were Mrs. Pinchon, Mrs. Coddington, Mrs. Phillips (wife of the Rev. George Phillips), Mrs. Alcock, sister of Mr. Hooker. These died before September, 1630. About the beginning of September died Mr. Gager, a skilful chirurgeon, and a deacon of the church. And Mr. Higginson, one of the ministers of Salem, died March 15, 1630–1.

On the 30th of September died Mr. Johnson, one of the five undertakers for the joint stock of the company, (the lady Arabella, his wife, having died a month before.) This gentleman was a prime man, having the best estate of any. Within a month after, died Mr. Rossiter, one of the assistants. So that now there were left, of the five undertakers, but the governor (Winthrop), Sir Richard Saltonstall, and Thomas Dudley, (Mr. Revil having returned to England.) The natural causes of so many deaths seem to be, the want of warm lodging and good diet, to which they had been habituated at home, and the sudden increase of heat they endure, who are landed

here in summer.

Those only, these two last years, died of fevers, who landed in June and July. Those of Plymouth, who landed in the winter, died of the scur

vy.

Notwithstanding the many and great discouragements under which the first settlers of the Massachusetts colony labored, they were prosperously increased by great numbers of emigrants from England, who arrived from year to year. For several years, next after 1631, about twenty ships, with passengers, arrived each year. The number of inhabitants were so increased, they were forced to look out for new plantations every year; so that, within a few years, every desirable place, fit for a plantation on the sea-coast, was taken up. On the arrival of Mr. Ezekiel Rogers, with about twenty families, in December, 1638, the aforenamed towns of Salem, Charlestown, Boston, Medford, Watertown, Roxbury, Lynn, and Dorchester, together with Cambridge, Ipswich, Newbury, Weymouth, Hingham, Concord, Dedham, and Braintree, were all occupied. They therefore spent the winter in Salem, improving the time in looking out a place for a plantation.

Mr. Rogers was a man of great note in England for his zeal, piety, and abilities. Mr. Eaton and Mr. Davenport exerted themselves, therefore, to persuade him and his company to proceed to New Haven, and settle with them. In consequence of these importunities, he made a partial engagement to comply, and sent on several of his company to examine the place, who, not finding every thing to their satisfaction, and he, feeling his responsibility to many persons of "quality in England, who depended on him to choose a fit place for them," consulted with the ministers of Massachusetts. By their

advice, he and his people concluded to take a place between Ipswich and Newbury; and these towns having granted some farms on this tract, Mr. Rogers's company purchased them at the price of £ 800. They then sent a pinnace to New Haven for their people who had gone there. But Mr. Davenport and Mr. Eaton, and their people, were so zealous to obtain Mr. Rogers and his flock, that they detained the pinnace, and sent on a messenger with letters to obtain them if possible, even pleading his engagement.

Mr. Rogers again desired the ministers to assemble. He laid before them his letters from New Haven. They determined, that, as the propositions upon which Mr. Rogers's engagements were made, could not be fulfilled, he was therefore released from all his aforesaid engagements. Accordingly, he sent them his final answer, and then came with his people to this place, at first called "Mr. Rogers's plantation," afterwards Rowley; so called from Rowley, in Yorkshire, England, where he and some of his people had lived.

The precise time of their removal to Rowley is not known. It was probably as early as the last of April, or first of May, 1639.

The act of incorporation is in the following words, viz. "4th day of the 7th month, 1639. Ordered, that Mr. Ezekiel Rogers's plantation shall be called Rowley." It was the practice of the General Court at that period, to give to all their acts and orders, passed at any one session, the date of the day on which the session commenced. It is therefore to be understood, that the above order passed at a General Court which commenced

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its session on the day of the date thereof; but that particular order might not pass until several days after the time the date indicates.

Mr. Rogers brought over from England with him, but about twenty families, as before stated. Before coming to Rowley, however, he had increased his company to about sixty families.

These people, it appears, labored together and in common, for nearly five years, from the time they commenced a settlement in the place; no man owning any land in severalty from the company, until after they had, probably, cleared up the lands on each side the brook that runs through the central part of what is now the first parish in Rowley, and had laid out the several streets and roads, as now improved. Several of the streets were named when first laid out, viz. "Bradford Street," commencing somewhere near the westerly end of Narrow Lane, so called, and extending northerly to the corner near the house of Samuel Jewett, and to "Wethersfield Street." This street extended from said corner, easterly, to the meeting-house, where "Holmes Street " commenced, and extended northerly, probably to Town's End Bridge, then so called, which is the bridge near the house now owned by Thomas Payson. The names of other streets are not now known.*. It is believed they continued their locations of streets as follows, viz. from the corner near Captain Daniel N. Prime's house, by said Holmes Street; thence on the street or road which passes by the house lately owned by Paul Jewett, deceased; and thence by the house now owned by Dr. Benjamin Proctor, and continuing round on the main

* Edward Bridge's house lot is bounded on Cross and High Streets.

road, passing by the house now of the Rev. Willard Holbrook, to the common, and so on by the northerly side of the common and to the aforesaid Bradford Street road, uniting therewith at the corner, near the house of Joseph M. Jewett ; and also the road on the southerly side of the common, and so on toward Ipswich; and also the road leading from the meeting-house to the aforesaid main road, and the road called Kiln Lane.

Upon the aforesaid streets and roads, a committee for the purpose proceeded to lay out sixty-one houselots to as many individuals, as appears by the ancient record thereof, now in the Town Clerk's office; a copy of which is substantially as follows, viz.

"The survey of the towne of Rowley, taken the tenth of the eleaventh Anno Dni 1643, by Mr. Thomas Nelson, Mr. Edward Carleton, Humphrey Reyner, Francis Parrot, appointed for that purpose by the fremen of the said towne, who also are to regester the severall lotts of all the inhabitants granted and laid out, and to leave thereof a coppy with the Recorder of the Sheire, according to the order of the General Court. "A regester of all the house lotts in such severall streets as are formerly mentioned in the book.

"BRADFORD STREETE.

"Imp. To Thomas Ellethrop, one lott containinge one acree and an halfe, bounded on the south side by the commons, part of it lyinge on the west side, and part of it on the east side of the streete.

"To John Dresser, one lott containinge one acree and an halfe, bounded on the south side by Thomas Ellethrop's house lott, part of it lyinge on the west side, and part of it on the east side of the streete.

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