Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1840, by THOMAS GAGE, in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts. 24855 CAMBRIDGE: PRINTERS TO THE UNIVERSITY. PREFACE. THE early history of every town furnishes many incidents worth preserving. Some of them may be uninteresting to strangers; but to native inhabitants, descendants of the Pilgrim Fathers, they all have an interest. To preserve such facts and incidents as are supposed to be more particularly interesting to the descendants of the first settlers of the ancient town of Rowley, is the object of the following pages. The 5th day of September, 1839, having been set apart, in pursuance of a vote of the town, for the purpose of celebrating the second centennial anniversary of its settlement, such material facts were collected, as were judged proper to be incorporated into addresses to be delivered on the occasion. The address, by the Rev. Mr. Bradford, (which makes a part of this volume,) and another by Thomas E. Payson, Esquire, were delivered, the latter of which related to the civil history of the town, which it was very desirable to have printed, and a request was accordingly made for this purpose, with which Mr. Payson did not think best to comply.* There having been much information collected at that time, and since, relating to the early history of the place, it was the wish of the inhabitants of the town that something, in addition to the Address of Mr. Bradford, might be published; and they having, by vote, granted to the Compiler of the ensuing sheets the exclusive right of publishing this work, he, with diffidence in his ability for undertaking it, consented to comply Iwith their desires. It may, perhaps, be proper to add, that, in its compilation, the records and files of ancient papers, of the Colonial, Provincial, and State Governments of Massachusetts, of the County Courts, registry of deeds and of probate, records of the towns, parishes, churches, and societies of ancient Rowley, have all been examined with as much care and attention as time would permit ; as also the works of various ancient historians, as Winthrop, Johnson, Hubbard, Mather, Lechford, Josselyn, Massachusetts Historical Collections, with other ancient and modern works. "Gentlemen, * The following communication is his reply to the request. "Andover, October 1, 1839. "To Willard Holbrook, Thomas Gage, and Joshua Jewett. The expression of your thanks for my address on the 5th ultimo, has been received, together with your polite request for a copy for publication. Please accept my thanks for the same; but I must respectfully decline having the address published. |