18th Century Records of House Wrights, Jointers and Carpenters
Essex County Massachusetts, Part II
This is the second part of Essex County documents and deeds relating to Early American woodworking trades and craftsmen. This installment was supposed to cover documents dating from 1770 through the end of the century, but a few earlier examples found their way into the group.
Most of these documents, as with the two previous articles, are deeds which record the sale of land. They are important because the craftsmen's trade is given thus providing a link to a given person at a given time and place. But, two of the documents are different. They are bills or agreements which deal with the actual trades themselves. One, a 1790 document involving Benjamin Poor, joiner, outlines his agreement to repair a old barn. Both his responsibilities and those of the barn owner are delineated. The second piece, a 1763 bill from Henry Noyes, records his making windar frames and squears of sash. These two documents are quite rare. They provide great details into the day to day transactions of a "typical" craftsman.
Notes: Original spellings are retained if possible. If the spelling or interpretation of a name is questioned, that entry is so noted by the use of ( ... )'s.
Document List
1677 Thomas Fflint, Salem, houss carpenter.Deed for 28 ½ acres of land in Salem, Essex County, sold by Lott Killum, husbandman, and his wife Hanna. Signed by John Black, Lot Killum, Hanna Killum, her mark, Hillian Veren. Also mentioned: Elizabeth Smith, Isaac Goodell. Several names are too questionable to include in the listing.
1677 Thomas Fflint of Salem, House Carpenter
1735 John Browne, Ipswich, Turner. John and his wife Mary sold a certain Whol: Narragansett Right situate in Township Number One to Daniel Hale. The land was inherited from John’s honored uncle, Benjamin Newman, a soldier at Naragansett. Signed by John and Mary, her mark, with seals. Also signed by Thomas Berry, Samuel Waite, Jer. Moulton.
1735 John Browne, Ipswich, Turner
1738 John Dennis, Ipswich, joyner. John sold land in Ipswich to Silvanus Lakeman of Ipswich. Signed and sealed deed. Document signed by Francis Dennis, Samuel Goodridge, John Dennis, Sarah Dennis and Jonathan Wade. Also mentioned: Samuel Wenwright, Jacob Coldwell, John Newmarck.
1738 John Dennis, Ipswich, Joyner.
1763 Henry Noyes, Newbury, bill to Moses Stickney. Itemized bill for a total of six windar frames, 48 plus 16 squears sashes and a total of four days work at four shillings per day.
1763 Henry Noyes, Newbury. Bill for window frames and sash.
1771 Benjamin Davis, Newburyport, joyner. Samuel Davis, brass founder of Exeter, NH, sold 12 acres in Newbury to Benjamin Davis. The land had been owned by Samuel’s uncle Samuel Davis, weaver, in Newbury, deceased. The document is signed by Samuel Davis, Lemuel (Davis), Daniel Farnham. Also mentioned: Col. Jonathan Bagly, widow Mary Moulton and Benjamin Davis.
1771 Benjamin Davis, Newburyport, Jointer.
1783 Elijah Cummings, Topsfield, joiner. Jonathan Cummings, Topsfield, cordwainer, sold two and one half acres of woodland to Elijah Cummings. Signed, sealed and delivered … ”in the seventh year of the Independence of the United States of America”. Signed by Joseph Cummings, jr., (Pelatiah) Cummings, Jonathan Cummings. Also mentioned: Jonathan Dodge of Beverly, Jonathan Dodge of Ipswich, George Dodge, Jonathan Cummings.
1783 Elijah Cummings, Topsfield, Jointer.
1790 Benjamin Poor, Rowley, joiner. Benjamin Poor’s agreement with Stephen Longfellow of Rowley, yeoman. Benjamin to provide the labor to sill Stephen’s old barn which was his father’s, to hu (hew) timber for a ten foot end to said barn and to frame it. Longfellow is to raise it, board it and shingle it. Longfellow is to find the timber, the boards, the shingles and the nails. Signed and sealed in … 1790 … the “Fourteenth year of American independence”. The document is sealed but not signed.
1790 Benjamin Poor, Rowley, joiner.
1791 Enoch Sandbourne, Newbury Port, cabinet maker. Enoch purchased land containing 24 rods in Newbury Port from John Goodwin, mariner. Signed by Theop Parsons JP, John Bunill, John Goodwin and Sarah Goodwin, her mark. Signed on reverse by John Pickering, Reg. Also mentioned: Joseph Somersby, cordwainer, Abigail Somerby, Thomas Frothingham.
1791 Enoch Sandbourne, Newbury Port, cabinet maker.
1796 Nehemiah Adams, Salem, cabinet maker. Nehemiah purchased land in Salem containing 46 ½ poles from Henry Williams of Salem, mariner. Signed by Thomas Barnes, Benjamin Adams, Henry Williams, Abigail Williams and Richard Manning, JP. Signed on reverse by John Pickering, Reg. Also mentioned: Jon Harranden, B Putnam, Joshua Dodge, Harranden Rope Walk. Price was $511 ½ dollars ….no longer in pounds.
1796 Nehemiah Adams, Salem, cabinet maker.
1797 Nehemiah Adams, Salem, cabinet maker. Nehemiah purchased land in Salem containing one and 1/14th pole from Henry Williams of Salem, mariner. Signed by Enoch Knight, Thomas Lamson, Henry Williams, Abigail Williams and Richard Manning, JP. Signed on reverse by John Pickering, Reg. Also mentioned: Simon Forrester, James Dalrymple.
1797 Nehemiah Adams, Salem, cabinet maker.
1798 Samuel Brown, Newbury, County of Essex, housright and Richard Hood, Wenham, County of Essex, housewright. Heirs of Lydia Goodridge sell three acres of meadowland in Beverly to Jonathan Moulton of Wenham, yeoman. Multiple pages, multiple heirs with multiple signature and seals. The document is signed by Richard Hood but not signed by Samuel Brown.
Heirs in Wenham: Caleb Kimball, yeoman and wife Huldah. Richard Hood, housright and wife Lydia. Eunice Porter, spinster. Rebecca Mouton, weaver. Heirs in Danvers: Israel Hutchenson, esq. Samuel Fairfield, gentleman and wife Anna. Andrew Fuller, trader and wife Elizabeth. Heirs in Beverly: Mehetable Babson, weaver. William Feilder, cooper and wife Mary. George Raymond 2nd., mariner. Thomas Raymond, bricklayer. Samuel Goodridge, gentleman. Heirs in Stirling: John Brown, tailer and wife Ginger. Heirs in Newbury: Samuel Brown, housright. Heirs in Boston: Anna Connant, trader. Heirs in Cox Hall: Samuel Raymond and wife Susanna.
Witnessed and signed by David Fornis, Joseph Wood, James Kimball, Nath’l Webb, Amos Putnam. Signed and sealed by Samuel Goudridge, Mehetable Babson, Caleb Kimball, Huldah Kimball, Eunice Porter her mark, Rebeca Moulton, Richard Hood, Lydiah Hood, Sam’l Fairfield, Anna Fairfield, Andrew Fuller and Betsy Fuller. Also mentioned: William Batchelder, Mehitable Babson, Bartholomew Trask, Israel Thorndike.
1798 Samuel Brown, Newbury, County of Essex, house wright and Richard Hood, Wenham, County of Essex, house wright. Page 1.
1798 Samuel Brown, Newbury, County of Essex, house wright and Richard Hood, Wenham, County of Essex, house wright. Page 2.
1798 Samuel Brown, Newbury, County of Essex, house wright and Richard Hood, Wenham, County of Essex, house wright. Page 3.