History Of Dedham, Massachusetts, 1635–1699
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Dedham, Massachusetts Dedham ( ) is a New England town, town in, and the county seat of, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Located on Boston's southwestern border, the population was 25,364 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. First settled by E ...
, 1635–1699, begins with the first settlers' arrival in 1635 and runs to the end of the 17th century. The settlers, who built their village on land the native people called Tiot, incorporated the plantation in 1636. They sought to build a community in which all would live out Christian love in their daily lives, and for a time did, but the Utopian impulse did not last. The system of government they devised was both "a peculiar oligarchy" and "a most peculiar democracy." Most freemen could participate in Town Meeting, though they soon established a
Board of Selectmen The select board or board of selectmen is commonly the Executive (government), executive arm of the government of New England towns in the United States. The board typically consists of three or five members, with or without staggered terms. Three ...
. Power and initiative ebbed and flowed between the two bodies. The settlers then undertook the difficult task of establishing a church, drafting its doctrinal base, and selecting a minister. In early days nearly every resident was a member but, seeking a church of only "visible saints," membership declined over time. Though the "
half-way covenant The Half-Way Covenant was a form of partial church membership adopted by the Congregational churches of colonial New England in the 1660s. The Puritan-controlled Congregational churches required evidence of a personal conversion experience bef ...
" was proposed in 1657 and endorsed by the minister, the congregation rejected it. Population grew from about 200 people in early days to around 700 by 1700, with land being distributed according to rank and family size. Though it was given out sparingly in general, lands were also awarded in return for service to the church and the community. The town remained insular during the early years, with the community remaining self contained. With a small population, a simple and agrarian economy, and the free distribution of large tracts of land, there was very little disparity in wealth. As the town grew, new towns broke off from Dedham, beginning with
Medfield Medfield is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 12,799 according to the 2020 United States Census. It is a community about southwest of Boston, Massachusetts, which is a 40-minute drive to Downtown Bost ...
in 1651. With the division and subdivision of so many communities, Dedham has been called the "Mother of Towns." Of towns founded during the colonial era, Dedham is one of the few towns "that has preserved extensive records of its earliest years." This has enabled historians to date the Fairbanks House as the oldest tinder house in America and
Mother Brook Mother Brook is an artificial waterway in Dedham, and Hyde Park, Massachusetts, and the first man-made canal in the present-day United States. Constructed in 1639 by settlers of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, it diverts water from the Charles R ...
as the first man-made canal in Colonial America. It also established the
Dedham Public Schools The Dedham Public School System (Dedham Public Schools) is a Pre-kindergarten, PK–Twelfth grade, 12 graded school district in Dedham, Massachusetts. It is the oldest public school system in the United States. History On January 2, 1643, the ...
as the first public school in the country.


Incorporation

In 1635 there were rumors in the
Massachusetts Bay Colony The Massachusetts Bay Colony (1628–1691), more formally the Colony of Massachusetts Bay, was an English settlement on the east coast of North America around Massachusetts Bay, one of the several colonies later reorganized as the Province of M ...
that a war with the local native people was impending and a fear arose that the few, small, coastal communities that existed were in danger of attack. This, in addition to the belief that the few towns that did exist were too close together, prompted the
Massachusetts General Court The Massachusetts General Court, formally the General Court of Massachusetts, is the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts located in the state capital of Boston. Th ...
to establish two new inland communities. On May 6, 1635, the General Court granted permission to residents of Watertown to set off and establish new towns. One group, led by Rev.
Thomas Hooker Thomas Hooker (July 5, 1586 – July 7, 1647) was a prominent English colonial leader and Congregational church, Congregational minister, who founded the Connecticut Colony after dissenting with Puritan leaders in Massachusetts. He was know ...
, left and founded
Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...
and another, led by Simon Willard, left to found
Concord, Massachusetts Concord () is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. In the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the town population was 18,491. The United States Census Bureau considers Concord part of Greater Boston. The town center is n ...
. Together, Dedham and Concord helped relieve the growing population pressure and placed communities between the larger, more established coastal towns and the Indians further west. It was not until the following March, however, that the General Court ordered that the bounds of what would become Dedham be mapped out. The committee appointed to do so reported back in April, but the date the grant was awarded to the original proprietors has been lost to history. The original grant was for about on the northeast side of the Charles River, including what is today Newton and land on the other shore the makes up roughly half of present-day Dedham, Needham, Westwood, and
Dover Dover ( ) is a town and major ferry port in Kent, southeast England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies southeast of Canterbury and east of Maidstone. ...
. The order came after twelve men petitioned the General Court for a tract of land south of the Charles River. Those men, plus seven others, made a second petition on August 29, 1636, for additional land on both sides of the river. One of the additional men was
Robert Feake Robert Feake (c. 1602-c.1661) was an early New England settler, soldier, goldsmith, and founder of what is now Greenwich, Connecticut. Biography Feake was a goldsmith and likely came to New England with the Winthrop fleet of 1630. Governor John ...
, the husband of
Elizabeth Fones Elizabeth Fones Winthrop Feake Hallett (21 January 1610 – 1673) was an early settler in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. In 1640 Fones, with her then-husband Robert Feake, were founders of Greenwich, Connecticut. Wolfe (2012) She married her t ...
, the widow of
John Winthrop John Winthrop (January 12, 1588 – March 26, 1649) was an English Puritan lawyer and a leading figure in the founding of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, the second major settlement in New England following Plymouth Colony. Winthrop led the fir ...
's son,
Henry Henry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Henry (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters * Henry (surname) * Henry, a stage name of François-Louis Henry (1786–1855), French baritone Arts and entertainmen ...
. Feake only ever attended three meetings, all of them in Watertown, and there is no record that he ever set foot in Dedham. He was presumably recruited for his political influence and was granted a farm lot in addition to his house lot in return. Neither the settlers nor the General Court knew exactly how much land they were requesting, or granting. The petition was for all the land south of the Charles River, but maps from the early 1630s show the river ending somewhere near modern-day Dedham. It had never been explored by colonial settlers beyond that point. Instead, the colony gave them over "two hundred square miles of virgin wilderness, complete with lakes, hills, forests, meadows, Indians, and a seemingly endless supply of rocks and wolves." There were a number of surveys undertaken over the years, beginning with one in 1638 undertaken by John Rogers and Jonathan Fairbanks, but the issue was not settled until the United States Supreme Court took up a case in 1846 that involved a dispute between the border of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. In the second petition, the settlers asked the General Court to incorporate the plantation into a town, and to free the town from all "Countrey Charges," or taxes, for four years and from all military exercises unless "extraordinary occasion require it." The General Court granted only a three-year reprieve from taxes. They also asked to "distinguish our town by the name of Contentment" but when the "prosaic minds" in the Court granted the petition on September 7, 1636, they decreed that the "towne shall beare the name of Dedham." The earliest records of the settlement, before the General Court settled on Dedham, all use the name Contentment. Tradition holds that John Rogers or John Dwight, both signers of the petition seeking the establishment of the town, asked the Court to name it after their hometown in England of
Dedham, Essex Dedham is a village in the City of Colchester district of Essex, England. It is near the River Stour, which is the border of Essex and Suffolk. The nearest town to Dedham is the small market town of Manningtree. Governance Dedham is part of t ...
. "Contentment" eventually became the motto of the town. Many of the other yeomen settling the new Dedham in the
Massachusetts Bay Colony The Massachusetts Bay Colony (1628–1691), more formally the Colony of Massachusetts Bay, was an English settlement on the east coast of North America around Massachusetts Bay, one of the several colonies later reorganized as the Province of M ...
came from
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, in eastern England. The original grant stretched from the southwestern border of what is today
Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
but was then Roxbury and Dorchester to the
Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...
and
Plymouth Colony Plymouth Colony (sometimes spelled Plimouth) was the first permanent English colony in New England from 1620 and the third permanent English colony in America, after Newfoundland and the Jamestown Colony. It was settled by the passengers on t ...
borders. To the west were ungranted lands. The less than 100 Indians who lived on the land sold it for a small sum. Early settlers gave places names such as Dismal Swamp, Purgatory Brook, Satan's Kingdom, and Devil's Oven.


Landing and first settlement

The Algonquians living in the area called the place Tiot, which means "land surrounded by water." Many of them had died prior to the settlers arrival due to disease contracted by contact with English settlers. The area near Wigwam Pond, however, was still a seasonal site for the local tribe, however. The settlers were not looking to establish wide tracks of land, however. They were looking to recreate an English country village, and believed that with a compact settlement and hundreds of acres of land, a peaceful co-existence with the native peoples was possible. Dedham was settled in the summer of 1636 by "about thirty families excised from the broad ranks of the English middle classes," largely from Yorkshire and East Anglia. Only five signers of the covenant were university graduates, but many more would be called upon to serve the town, the church, and the colony. As
Puritans The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to rid the Church of England of what they considered to be Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should b ...
, they came to Massachusetts in order to live and worship as they pleased. They traveled up the
Charles River The Charles River (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ), sometimes called the River Charles or simply the Charles, is an river in eastern Massachusetts. It flows northeast from Hopkinton, Massachusetts, Hopkinton to Boston along a highly me ...
from Roxbury and Watertown in rough canoes carved from felled trees. These original settlers, including
Edward Alleyn Edward Alleyn (; 1 September 156621 November 1626) was an England, English actor who was a major figure of the Elizabethan theatre and founder of the College of God's Gift in Dulwich. Early life Alleyn was born on 1 September 1566 in Bishop ...
, John Everard,
John Gay John Gay (30 June 1685 – 4 December 1732) was an English poet and dramatist and member of the Scriblerus Club. He is best remembered for ''The Beggar's Opera'' (1728), a ballad opera. The characters, including Captain Macheath and Polly Peach ...
and John Ellis "paddled up the narrow, deeply flowing stream impatiently turning curve after curve around Nonantum until, emerging from the tall forest into the open, they saw in the sunset glow a golden river twisting back and forth through broad, rich meadows." In search of the best land available to them they continued on but
The river took many turns, so that it was a burden the continual turning about.... West, east, and north we turned on that same meadow and progressed none, so that I, rising in the boat, saw the river flowing just across a bit of grass, in a place where I knew we had passed through nigh an hour before. "Moore," said Miles then to me, "the river is like its Master, our good
King Charles King Charles may refer to: Kings A number of kings of Albania, Alençon, Anjou, Austria, Bohemia, Croatia, England, France, Holy Roman Empire, Hungary, Ireland, Jerusalem, Naples, Navarre, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Sardinia, Scotland, Sicily, S ...
, of sainted memory, it promises overmuch, but gets you nowhere."
They first landed where the river makes its "great bend," near what is today Ames Street, and close by the Dedham Community House and the
Allin Congregational Church Allin Congregational Church is an historic United Church of Christ church in Dedham, Massachusetts. It was built in 1818 by conservative breakaway members of Dedham's First Church and Parish in the Greek Revival style. History The preaching o ...
in Dedham Square. The site is known as "the Keye," and in 1927 a stone bench and memorial plaque were installed on the site. By March 1637, with homes built and fields planted, the settlers moved to their new village. The first town meeting held in Dedham was on March 23, 1636–37 and was attended by 15 men.


Utopian commune

Like its surrounding communities, Dedham's early culture was much like the English villages where its original settlers were born and small agricultural communities all over Europe. A number of the customs and institutions in the town were direct transplants from contemporary English villages. However, as a settlement of English
Puritans The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to rid the Church of England of what they considered to be Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should b ...
who escaped oppression to settle in the wilderness, "Dedham was peculiarly American." It was originally intended to be a
Utopian A utopia ( ) typically describes an imagined community or society that possesses highly desirable or near-perfect qualities for its members. It was coined by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book ''Utopia'', which describes a fictional island soci ...
society along the lines of the later
Amana Colonies The Amana Colonies are seven villages on located in Iowa County in east-central Iowa, United States: Amana (or Main Amana, German: ''Haupt-Amana''), East Amana, High Amana, Middle Amana, South Amana, West Amana, and Homestead. The villag ...
,
Oneida Community The Oneida Community ( ) was a Christian perfection, perfectionist religious communal society founded by John Humphrey Noyes and his followers in 1848 near Oneida, New York. The community believed that Jesus had Hyper-preterism, already return ...
, and
Brook Farm Brook Farm, also called the Brook Farm Institute of Agriculture and EducationFelton, 124 or the Brook Farm Association for Industry and Education,Rose, 140 was a utopian experiment in communal living in the United States in the 1840s. It was ...
. In "its first years, the town was more than a place to live; it was a spiritual community." Its distinctive characteristics created what has been described as a "Christian Utopian Closed Corporate Community":
Christian because they saw Christian love as the force which would most completely unite their community. Utopian because theirs was a highly conscious attempt to build the most perfect possible community, as perfectly united, perfectly at peace, and perfectly ordered as man could arrange. Closed because its membership was selected while outsiders were treated with suspicion or rejected altogether. And Corporate because the commune demanded the loyalty of its members, offering in exchange privileges which could be obtained only through membership, not the least of which were peace and good order.
Each of the original settlers pledged to live out Christian love in their daily lives. Each was also expected to be united in this love as it was designed to bring about a deep and abiding peace throughout the whole community. Inquiries could also be made into the private lives of townsmen, and adjustments ordered when a resident's life was not as virtuous as the community felt it should be. None who were not committed to this ideal were to be admitted as townsmen and, if the need arose, they were to be expelled. The commitment in the Covenant to allow only like-minded individuals to live within the town explains why "church records show no instances of dissension, Quaker or Baptist expulsions, or witchcraft persecutions." The Covenant was intended to extend beyond the lifetimes if those who wrote it and to be binding upon all residents in perpetuity. The poor would be helped if they were residents of Dedham, but sent away if they were not. In addition to paying taxes, each man was expected to labor on communal projects several days each month. Every year, six days were set aside to work on roads and each man was expected to work four of them. Townsmen also took turns serving in a variety of low level offices, including
constable A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. ''Constable'' is commonly the rank of an officer within a police service. Other peo ...
,
hog reeve A hog reeve or hogreeve, hog-reeve, hog constable is a Colonial New England term for a person charged with the prevention or appraising of damages by stray swine. Wandering domestic pigs were a problem to the community, due to the extent of damage ...
, or
fence viewer A fence viewer is a town or city official who administers fence laws by inspecting new fences and settles disputes arising from trespass by livestock that had escaped enclosure. The office of fence viewer is one of the oldest appointments in New En ...
. This did not mean communism as the settlers subscribed to the Puritan belief of a natural inequality among men as being divine providence. Still, the relative economic equality kept social rank to a minimum and helped maintain social harmony. Men could live their entire lives in this community among their equals and on their own land. This was, according to one commentator, the " plan of the society ohnWinthrop hoped to construct in Massachusetts was the plan of Dedham writ large."


Decline

The Utopian impulse did not last, however, and "the policies of perfection" no longer dominated just 50 years after the establishment of the community. By the 1640s the town began permitting residents to fence in their strips of land in the common field and, presumably, to grow whatever crop they wanted in it. By reducing and eventually eliminating the common field system, it reduced the number of interactions each farmer had with his neighbors and made one less decision they had to make and employ in common. By about 1660, not every newcomer to town was invited to sign the Covenant making them "by implication second class citizens." Laws that restricted the presence of strangers were rarely enforced after 1675. Eventually, as some men grew richer, they were able to hire substitutes to serve in their place on communal projects or to serve in office for them. Also around this time evidence of the "loving spirit" proclaimed in the Covenant "came to be conspicuous by tsabsence." Records of open dissent began appearing, first about seating placements in the meetinghouse. In 1674, people began sitting in places other than those assigned for them. This growing sense of egalitarianism did not sit well with some, and a committee was appointed to deal with those who sat in the seats assigned to others. Some refused to meet with the committee and others were not happy with the decisions they made. With discontent lingering, Ruling Elder John Hunting was asked to speak to those involved. Hunting was not successful either, so the selectmen imposed a fine of five shillings on those who did not sit in their assigned seats with one-third of the fine going to those who reported an offender and the remainder going to the town. After Nathanial Bullard informed on a number of his fellow townsmen, he apparently appeared so obnoxious and greedy that the fine was repealed. The number of yea and nay votes also began being recorded where previously decisions were made by consensus. As the century progressed, residents were also more likely to use the court system to settle disputes, which was previously unheard of, than they were to go use the arbitration method laid out in the covenant. While Dedham was insulated to a great degree from the outside world in its early years, as time went on it was dragged into the greater society. One result was that, as residents began to see them as parts of a larger society, less emphasis was placed on the local community. In 1661, Richard Ellis refused to serve as Town Clerk, an action that would have been unthinkable just a decade before. When a committee dispatched to evaluate land granted in return for 2,000 acres given to the "praying Indians" of Natick submitted a bill for their expenses in 1663, it was a sign that the days of performing community service without expectation of financial reward were over. By 1686, much of the overt Utopian spirit the founders had instilled 50 years prior had been destroyed. By the end of the first century, public disagreements seemed to be the rule rather than the exception and decisions were made by majority, not consensus. The Covenant was no longer enforced nor served as the guide for every decision by the time the town reached its 50th anniversary. That it lasted well into the second generation was, according to one commentator, "longer than anyone had a right to expect." Still, the town remained small and slow growing, with little change to institutional structures or traditional views. By 1675, taxpayers paid more the county and colony than they did to the town, reflecting a growing importance of the regional bodies and the cost of the colony expanding westward. After 1691, as the county grew more powerful, the town began more closely following the law lest they get fined.


Government

The colonial settlers met for the first time on August 18, 1636, in Watertown. By September 5, 1636, their number grew from 18 at the first meeting to 25 proprietors willing to set out for the new community. By November 25, however, so few people had actually moved to Dedham that the proprietors voted to require every man to move to Dedham permanently by the first day of the following November or they would lose the land they had been granted. A few young men without families set off to spend the winter there, including Nicholas Phillips, Ezekiel Holliman, and likely Ralph Shepard, John Rogers, Lambert Genere, Joseph Shaw, and the Morses. The first town meeting held in Dedham was on March 23, 1637. Most of the proprietors were present, and it is believed that most of them must have been living in Dedham by then. For the first fifty years of Dedham's existence, it enjoyed a stable, tranquil government. The town elected a group of wealthy, experienced friends as Selectmen and then heeded their judgement. It also adopted a clause in the covenant that mandated mediation, which supported stability of the society. There was not so much a system of
checks and balances The separation of powers principle functionally differentiates several types of state power (usually law-making, adjudication, and execution) and requires these operations of government to be conceptually and institutionally distinguishabl ...
so much as there was system where each individual voluntarily restrained himself. Due to its unique features it was both "a peculiar
oligarchy Oligarchy (; ) is a form of government in which power rests with a small number of people. Members of this group, called oligarchs, generally hold usually hard, but sometimes soft power through nobility, fame, wealth, or education; or t ...
" in that only a few men were chosen for political office and "a most peculiar
democracy Democracy (from , ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which political power is vested in the people or the population of a state. Under a minimalist definition of democracy, rulers are elected through competitiv ...
" in that laws of
suffrage Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise is the right to vote in public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally in English, the right to v ...
changed frequently both to restrict and to expand the franchise.


Covenant

While the first settlers were subject to the General Court, they had wide latitude to establish a local government as they saw fit. The first public meeting of the plantation was held on August 18, 1636. A total of 18 men were present, and the town covenant was signed. It was a diverse group and included husbandmen, wool-combers, farriers, millers, linen weavers, and butchers. The covenant outlined both the social ideal they hoped to achieve and the policies and procedures they would use to reach it. They swore they would "in the fear and reverence of our Almighty God, mutually and severally promise amongst ourselves and each to profess and practice one truth according to that most perfect rule, the foundation whereof is ever lasting love." Intended to be perpetual and binding on future generations, it prohibited those who were "contrary minded" and those who didn't share their religious beliefs, but it was not a theocracy. Before a man could join the community he underwent a public inquisition to determine his suitability. While great effort was taken to ensure disagreements were resolved before they grew into disputes, the covenant also stipulated that differences would be submitted to between one and four other members of the town for resolution. This arbitration system was so successful there was no need for courts. It was also expected that once a decision was made that all would abide by it with no further dissent or debate. For the first fifty years of Dedham's existence, there were no prolonged disputes that were common in other communities.


Town Meeting

The
town meeting Town meeting, also known as an "open town meeting", is a form of local government in which eligible town residents can directly participate in an assembly which determines the governance of their town. Unlike representative town meeting where ...
"was the original and protean vessel of local authority. The founders of Dedham had met to discuss the policies of their new community even before the General Court had defined the nature of town government." The early meetings were informal, with all men in town likely participating. Attendance at Meetings was considered vital for the life of the community. The meeting operated on a basis of consensus. Even when it did not fully exercise them, "the power of the town meeting knew no limit." The more wealthy a voter was, the more likely he would attend the meeting. However, "even though no more than 58 men were eligible to come to the Dedham town meeting and to make the decisions for the town, even though the decisions to which they addressed themselves were vital to their existence, even though every inhabitant was required to live within one mile (1.6 km) of the meeting place, even though each absence from the meeting brought a fine, and even though the town crier personally visited the house of every latecomer half an hour after the meeting had begun, only 74 percent of those eligible actually showed up at the typical town meeting between 1636 and 1644." A colony law required all voters to be Church members until 1647, though it may not have been enforced. Even if it were, 70% of the men in town would have been eligible to participate. The law changed in 1647 and, as it was interpreted in Dedham, all men over 24 were eligible to vote. The colony changed the requirements periodically, though occasionally with a grandfather clause. In provincial elections, only church members could vote. Regardless of whether or not they were able to vote, records indicate that all men were able to attend and speak.


Selectmen

The whole town would gather regularly to conduct public affairs, but it was "found by long experience that the general meeting of so many men... has wasted much time to no small damage and business is thereby nothing furthered." In response, on May 3, 1639, seven
selectmen The select board or board of selectmen is commonly the executive arm of the government of New England towns in the United States. The board typically consists of three or five members, with or without staggered terms. Three is the most common numb ...
were chosen "by general consent" and given "full power to contrive, execute and perform all the business and affairs of this whole town." The leaders they chose "were men of proven ability who were known to hold the same values and to be seeking the same goals as their neighbors" and they were "invested with great authority." If a man served three terms and met with the satisfaction of the community, he tended to stay on the board for many years following. Soon the selectmen "enjoyed almost complete control over every aspect of local administration." Almost all townsmen would have to appear before them at one point or another during the year to ask for a swap of land, to ask to remove firewood from the common lands, or for some other purpose. The selectmen wrote most of the laws in the town and they levied taxes on their fellow townsmen. They could also approve expenditures. They also served as a court, determining who had broken by-laws and issuing fines. As the selectmen became more active, the Town Meeting became essentially passive. Selectmen were "the most powerful men in town. As men, they were few in number, old, and relatively rich and
saints In Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Anglican, Oriental Orth ...
of the church." It was not required that a man be wealthy to serve, but it improved his chances of getting elected. Men who were not members of the church were still allowed to hold town office. The burdens of office could take up to a third of their time during busy seasons. They served without salary and came up through the ranks of lower offices. In return they became "men of immense prestige" and were frequently selected to serve in other high posts.


Relationship between Town Meeting and Selectmen

After creation of the Board of Selectmen, Town Meetings were generally called only twice a year and usually did not stray far from the agenda prepared for them by the selectmen. In fact, the Meeting would often refer issues to the Selectmen to act upon or to "prepare and ripen the answer" to a difficult question. Town Meeting typically took on only routine business, such as the election of officers or setting the minister's salary, and left other business to the selectmen. In the late 1600s and early 1700s, Town Meeting began to assert more authority and fewer decisions were left to the judgment of the selectmen. Over the course of 30–40 years, small innovations brought the initiative back to the meeting and away from the board. It brought back a balance of power between the two bodies which, in theory, had always existed, but which in practice had been tilted to the selectmen. One of the most prominent ways they did so was by calling for more meetings. In the first 50 years of existence, town meetings were held on average about twice a year but by 1700 it was held four or five times each year. The agenda also grew longer and included an open ended item that allowed them to discuss any item they liked, and not just the topics the selectmen placed upon the warrant.


Other

For 45 of the first 50 years of Dedham's existence, one of the 10 selectmen who served most often also served in "the one superior
he town He or HE may refer to: Language * He (letter), the fifth letter of the Semitic abjads * He (pronoun), a pronoun in Modern English * He (kana), one of the Japanese kana (へ in hiragana and ヘ in katakana) * Ge (Cyrillic), a Cyrillic letter cal ...
recognized, the General Court." In colonial Massachusetts, each town sent two deputies to the General Court each year. Three men, Joshua Fisher, Daniel Fisher, and
Eleazer Lusher Major (rank), Major Eleazer Lusher (died 1672) was a politician and military leader from Dedham, Massachusetts. Political career Lusher had unmatched political influence in Dedham and was one of the most powerful men in the Massachusetts Bay Colo ...
, virtually monopolized the post between 1650 and 1685. The first
Town Clerk A clerk (pronounced "clark" /klɑːk/ in British and Australian English) is a senior official of many municipal governments in the English-speaking world. In some communities, including most in the United States, the position is elected, but in ma ...
was elected on May 17, 1639.


Forming a church

On July 18, 1637, the Town voted to admit a group of very religious men that would radically change the course of the town's history. Led by
John Allin John Maury Allin (April 22, 1921 – March 6, 1998) was an American Episcopal bishop who served as the 23rd Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church from 1974 to 1985. Early life Allin was born in Helena, Arkansas. He graduated from the Univ ...
, they included Michael Metcalf, Thomas Wight, Robert Hinsdale,
Eleazer Lusher Major (rank), Major Eleazer Lusher (died 1672) was a politician and military leader from Dedham, Massachusetts. Political career Lusher had unmatched political influence in Dedham and was one of the most powerful men in the Massachusetts Bay Colo ...
, Timothy Dalton, and Allin's brother-in-law, Thomas Fisher. Dalton was invited to settle in "civil condition," but it was made clear he was not going to be made the town's minister over Allin. He and Thomas Carter quickly sold their land holdings and left town, Dalton to become a teaching officer in the church of what is today
Hampton, New Hampshire Hampton is a New England town, town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 16,214 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. On the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast, Hampton is ho ...
, and Carter to the pulpit in
Woburn, Massachusetts Woburn ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 40,876 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Woburn is located north of Boston. Woburn uses Massachusetts' ...
. Ezekiel Holliman, on the other hand, recognized that as a religious liberal that he was not going to be welcome in town and so moved to
Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...
with
Roger Williams Roger Williams (March 1683) was an English-born New England minister, theologian, author, and founder of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, Providence Plantations, which became the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Pl ...
.


Establishment

While it was of the utmost importance, "founding a church was more difficult than founding a town." Meetings were held late in 1637 and were open to "all the inhabitants who affected church communion... lovingly to discourse and consult together nsuch questions as might further tend to establish a peaceable and comfortable civil society ad prepare for spiritual communion." On the fifth day of every week they would meet in a different home and would discuss any issues "as he felt the need, all 'humbly and with a teachable heart not with any mind of cavilling or contradicting.'" After they became acquainted with one another, they asked if "they, as a collection of Christian strangers in the wilderness, have any right to assemble with the intention of establishing a church?" Their understanding of the Bible led them to believe that they did, and so they continued to establish a church based on Christian love, but also one that had requirements for membership. It took months of discussions before a church covenant could be agreed upon and drafted. The group established thirteen principles, written in a question and answer format, that established the doctrine of the church. Once the doctrinal base was agreed upon, 10 men were selected by
John Allin John Maury Allin (April 22, 1921 – March 6, 1998) was an American Episcopal bishop who served as the 23rd Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church from 1974 to 1985. Early life Allin was born in Helena, Arkansas. He graduated from the Univ ...
, assisted by
Ralph Wheelock Ralph Wheelock (1600–1683) was an English Puritan minister, American colonial public official, and educator. He is known for having been the first public school teacher in America. Early life and education Wheelock was most likely born in 160 ...
, to seek out the "pillars" or "living stones" upon which the congregation would be based. They began to meet separately and decided six of their own number—Allin, Wheelock, John Luson, John Frary,
Eleazer Lusher Major (rank), Major Eleazer Lusher (died 1672) was a politician and military leader from Dedham, Massachusetts. Political career Lusher had unmatched political influence in Dedham and was one of the most powerful men in the Massachusetts Bay Colo ...
, and Robert Hinsdale—were suitable to form the church. The men found worthy submitted themselves to a conference of the entire community. Finally, on November 8, 1638, two years after the incorporation of the town and one year after the first church meetings were held, the covenant was signed and the church was gathered. Guests from other towns were invited for the event as they sought the "advice and counsel of the churches" and the "countenance and encouragement of the magistrates."


Membership

Only "visible saints" were pure enough to become members. A public confession of faith was required, as was a life of holiness. It was not good enough just to have been baptized, because then "
papists The words Popery (adjective Popish) and Papism (adjective Papist, also used to refer to an individual) are mainly historical pejorative words in the English language for Roman Catholicism, once frequently used by Protestants and Eastern Orthodox ...
,
heretics Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, particularly the accepted beliefs or religious law of a religious organization. A heretic is a proponent of heresy. Heresy in Christianity, Judai ...
, and many visible
atheists Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...
that are baptized must be received." A group of the most pious men interviewed all who sought admission to the church. To become a member, a candidate must "pour out heart and soul in public confession" and subject every innermost desire to the scrutiny of their peers. All others would be required to attend the sermons at the meeting house, but could not join the church, nor receive communion, be baptized, or become an officer of the church. Once the church was established, residents, whether or not they were members, would gather several times a week to hear sermons and lectures in practical piety. Between the years of 1644 and 1653, 80% of children born in town were baptized, indicating that at least one parent was a member of the church. Servants and masters, young and old, rich and poor alike all joined the church. Non-members were not discriminated against as seen by several men being elected Selectmen before they were accepted as members of the church. By 1663, nearly half the men in town were not members, and this number grew as more second generation Dedhamites came of age. The decline was so apparent across the colony by 1660 that a future could be seen when a minority of residents were members, as happened in Dedham by 1670. It was worried that the third generation, if they were born without a single parent who was a member, could not even be baptized. To resolve the problem, an assembly of ministers from throughout Massachusetts endorsed a "
half-way covenant The Half-Way Covenant was a form of partial church membership adopted by the Congregational churches of colonial New England in the 1660s. The Puritan-controlled Congregational churches required evidence of a personal conversion experience bef ...
" in 1657 and then again at a church synod in 1662. It allowed parents who were baptized but not members of the church to present their own children for baptism; however, they were denied the other privileges of church membership, including communion. Allin endorsed the measure but the congregation rejected it, striving for a pure church of saints.


Ministers

Though Allin's salary was donated freely by members and non-members alike his salary was never in arrears, showing the esteem in which the other members of the community held him. In the 1670s, as the Utopian spirit of the community waned, it became necessary to impose a tax to ensure the minister was paid. Just before Allin's death, it was decided to continue to pay the salary by voluntary contributions of an assessed amount. Several other votes followed in the next 16 months after it was determined that the system no longer worked. No solution was found, however, and the church was constantly behind in paying William Adams' salary.


John Allin and John Phillips

John Phillips, though he was "respected and learned," was "unable to join the church as its first minister." He twice refused calls to settle in Dedham and instead went to the Cambridge church where
Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate education, undergraduate college of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Part of the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Scienc ...
had recently been established. A "tender" search for a minister took an additional several months, and finally
John Allin John Maury Allin (April 22, 1921 – March 6, 1998) was an American Episcopal bishop who served as the 23rd Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church from 1974 to 1985. Early life Allin was born in Helena, Arkansas. He graduated from the Univ ...
, who was the leader of the small group of church members, was ordained as pastor. John Hunting was selected as Ruling Elder over
Ralph Wheelock Ralph Wheelock (1600–1683) was an English Puritan minister, American colonial public official, and educator. He is known for having been the first public school teacher in America. Early life and education Wheelock was most likely born in 160 ...
, who also wanted the position. They were ordained on April 24, 1639. Phillips left Cambridge at the end of 1639, however, and decided to come to Dedham after all. He quickly became unsatisfied in his new pulpit, however, and returned to his old church in England in October 1641. As in England,
Puritan The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to rid the Church of England of what they considered to be Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should b ...
ministers in the American colonies were usually appointed to the pulpits for life and Allin served for 32 years. He received a salary of between 60 and 80 pounds a year. When land was divided, his name was always at the top of the list and he received the largest plot.


William Adams

After Allin's death the pulpit went without a settled minister for a long stretch. William Adams, who was graduated from
Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate education, undergraduate college of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Part of the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Scienc ...
two weeks prior to Allin's August 1671 death, had several connections to the town and attended Allin's funeral. By December he had already been approached several times to preach in Dedham. He finally accepted an offer to preach in Dedham and did so on February 17, 1672. He rejected the call several times, before agreeing to preach on a trial basis in September 1673. He moved to Dedham on May 27, 1673, and was ordained on December 3, 1673. Adams served until his death in 1685. Aside from a few minor squabbles, his time in Dedham was mostly peaceful. Given the church's rejection of the
Half-Way Covenant The Half-Way Covenant was a form of partial church membership adopted by the Congregational churches of colonial New England in the 1660s. The Puritan-controlled Congregational churches required evidence of a personal conversion experience bef ...
, which the colony's clergy had endorsed, Adams may have been a last choice option. Eventually the church would recant and accept the Half-Way Covenant


Joseph Belcher

After Adams died, the church was without a minister from 1685 to 1692. Following his death, the congregation again rejected the Half-Way Covenant. As a result, though a large number of preachers came on a guest basis, and even though several young men were offered the pulpit, the church could not find a minister to settle with them permanently. At the end of 1691, the congregation voted again to accept the half-way covenant and declared that Allin was right to have tried to get them to accept it. A new minister, Joseph Belcher, began preaching in March 1692 and was installed on November 29, 1693. He remained in the pulpit until the autumn of 1721 until illness prevented him from preaching.


Meetinghouses

Almost immediately after arriving, the group began holding prayer meetings and worship services under various trees around town. On January 1, 1638, the Town voted to construct a meetinghouse. It was originally planned to be constructed on High Street, near the present day border with Westwood, but those who lived on East Street argued that it should be built more centrally. It is unclear when the building was finished, but presumably was not complete before November 1638. An addition was ordered to be built in 1646, but the plastering was not completed until 1657. A vote to purchase a bell was made in 1648, but a bell was not hung until February 1652. As a result of the bell being hung, the Town no longer needed to pay Ralph Day to beat a drum announcing the start of meetings. The bell was rung not only to announce the start of public meetings, but also to alert residents of a fire, to announce a death, and to signal the start of church services. Until a separate schoolhouse was completed, the meetinghouse also served as a classroom. The roof of the east gallery also served as a storehouse for the town's supply of gunpowder following a 1653 vote. A referendum to build a new meetinghouse, held on February 3, 1673, was conducted with voters casting a piece of white corn if they were in favor and a piece of red corn if they were opposed. The vote was nearly unanimous in favor. The new meetinghouse was erected on June 16, 1673.


First public school

On January 1, 1644, by unanimous vote, Dedham authorized the first U.S. taxpayer-funded public school; "the seed of American education." Its first teacher, Rev. Ralph Wheelock, was paid 20 pounds annually to instruct the youth of the community. Descendants of these students would become presidents of
Dartmouth College Dartmouth College ( ) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, Dartmouth is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the America ...
,
Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...
and
Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
. Another early teacher, Michael Metcalf, was one of the town's first residents and a signer of the Covenant. At the age of 70 he began teaching reading in the school. John Thurston was commission by the town to build the first schoolhouse in 1648 for which he received a partial payment of £11.0.3 on December 2, 1650. The details in the contract require him to construct floorboards, doors, and "fitting the interior with 'featheredged and rabbited' boarding" similar to that found in the Fairbanks House. The early residents of Dedham were so committed to education that they donated £4.6.6 to
Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate education, undergraduate college of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Part of the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Scienc ...
during its first eight years of existence, a sum greater than many other towns, including Cambridge itself. By the later part of the century, however, a sentiment of anti-intellectualism had pervaded the town. Residents were content to allow the minister to be the local intellectual and did not establish a grammar school as required by law. As a result, the town was called into court in 1675 and then again in 1691.


Population

On June 3, 1637, Ruth Morse was the first child born to white parents, John and Annis, in Dedham. The average population during the 1600s was about 500 people making slightly larger than the average English village during the same time period. With people moving either in or out of town, nearly all growth came from births and all declines through deaths. The average age for first marriages was 25 for men and 23 for women, in contrast to the European average of 27 for men and 25 for women. Younger marriages resulted in more births. There were fewer deaths as well, partially due to Dedham being spared disease, famine, and extreme climate events that ravaged parts of Europe during this time. By the 1650s, a variety of types of men were living in Dedham, including bachelors, family men, the well-to-do, and servants. Some bought land in town but never settled there, some left soon after arriving, either to other towns or back to England, and a few died before they could do much of anything.


Lifestyles of early settlers


Land distribution

Each man received tiny houselots in the village with additional strips of arable land, meadow, and woods. Each strip was located in a common field and the community decided which crop to grow and how to care for and harvest it. The common field method brought men into regular contact with one another and prevented farms from being established far from the village center. As there is no record of clearing the land, it was probably used previously by the native population. Each man was also assigned a plot of land within the field to cultivate. Residents grew corn, beans, peas, and pumpkin. Later residents who acquired larger plots of land planted wheat, rye, barley, and oats. The land was given sparingly, with no family given land than they could currently improve. Married men received 12 acres, four of which were swamp, while single men received eight, with three acres being swampland. Lands were also awarded in return for service to the church and the community, a practice that had long been established by the General Court. Land was distributed according to several criteria. The first was the number of persons in the household. Servants were considered a part of a freeman's estate. Land was also given according to the "rank, quality, desert and usefulness, either in church of commonwealth" of the proprietor. Finally, it was thought that men who were engaged in a
trade Trade involves the transfer of goods and services from one person or entity to another, often in exchange for money. Economists refer to a system or network that allows trade as a market. Traders generally negotiate through a medium of cr ...
other than farming should have the materials needed to work and those who were able to improve more land should have that fact taken into account.


Insularity

Most of the original settlers and early arrivals made Dedham their home for the rest of their days. Less than two percent of men in the town arrived in any given year and less than one percent left. Because of the low
geographic mobility Geographic mobility is the measure of how populations and goods move over time. Geographic mobility, population mobility, or more simply mobility is also a statistic that measures migration within a population. Commonly used in demography and huma ...
, the town became "a self-contained social unit, almost hermetically sealed off from the rest of the world." This stability was a "typical, persistent, and highly important feature of Dedham's history." A century after settlement, immigration and emigration were still rare. Of every 10 men born in Dedham between 1680 and 1700, eight would die there. From its earliest days, Dedham was closed off to all unless the current residents explicitly welcomed someone in. Shortly after the town was incorporated, in November 1636, Town Meeting voted not to allow any land sales unless the buyer was already a resident of the town, or was approved by a majority of the other voters. On August 11, 1637, a total of 46 house lots had been laid out and it was voted to stop admitting new residents. Two decades after the plantation was begun, those who had done the hard work of first settling the land were worried that, as the town's population grew, their dividends of land would be diluted. On January 23, 1657, the growth of the town was further limited to descendants of those living there at the time. Newcomers could settle there, so long as they were like-minded, but they would have to buy their way into the community. Land was no longer freely available for those who wished to join.


Wealth

With a small population, a simple and agrarian economy, and the free distribution of large tracts of land, there was very little disparity in wealth. In the early days anyone who might be considered poor was likely to be a sick widow, an orphan, or "an improvident half-wit." In 1690, the poorest 20% of the population owned about 10% of the property. At least 85% of the population were farmers or, as they called themselves, "yeoman" or "husbandman." There were also those who served the farmers, including millers, blacksmiths, or
cordwainer A cordwainer () is a shoemaker who makes new shoes from new leather. The cordwainer's trade can be contrasted with the cobbler's trade, according to a tradition in Britain that restricted cobblers to repairing shoes. This usage distinction is ...
s. Like in the English countryside, they were largely subsistence farmers who grew enough for their families but did not specialize in any
cash crops A cash crop, also called profit crop, is an agricultural crop which is grown to sell for profit. It is typically purchased by parties separate from a farm. The term is used to differentiate a marketed crop from a staple crop ("subsistence crop") ...
or particular animals. The first homes were all fairly similar, built with boards and stone fireplaces and chimneys. The hip roofs were covered with thatch. The first floor would have a living room and kitchen, and sleeping quarters could be reached by ladder in the garret above. Each person may own two changes of clothes plus a good suit or cloak, and a family may have a little silver or pewter. They typically would own a Bible, pots, pans, bowls, and bins. Outside of the house, in the barn or lean-to, would be agricultural tools and a few bushels of crops. For animals, one or two horses along with several cattle, pigs, and sheep were common.


Labor

Single people, including adult children of residents, were not allowed to live alone unless they had sufficient resources to set up their own household with servants. Each year, one day was set aside to assign young adult to other households as subordinates. The practice was intended to both keep up the family labor system that underpinned the local economy, and was to prevent the "sin and iniquity ...
hat A hat is a Headgear, head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorpor ...
are the companions and consequences of a solitary life." Selectmen also had the authority to take children out of homes and put them to work in other households. If a household did not pay their full taxes, or if a household was not deemed efficient enough, children could be removed and placed in the homes of richer men. In 1681, there were 28 servants serving in 22 of the 112 households in town. Of them, all but four were children and 20 of the servants were white. There were ten boys, eight girls, two "Negro boys," two "Indian boys," one "lad," and one "English girl." There was also one man, one "Negro man," and two "maids." The servants in town, while they served in 20% of the households, made up only 5% of the population. Most of them soon became independent yeomen. Many of the children who lived in Dedham as servants may have been taken in partly out of charity. After
King Phillip's War King Philip's War (sometimes called the First Indian War, Metacom's War, Metacomet's War, Pometacomet's Rebellion, or Metacom's Rebellion) was an armed conflict in 1675–1678 between a group of indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands ...
, there were a large number of orphaned children. With Dedham's strong ties to Deerfield, it is presumed that some of the children—white and Indian—were casualties of the war.


Relationship with native peoples

In April 1637, the Town voted to begin keeping watch to prevent Indian attacks. By May, however, they were lamenting the time and resources they were spending on patrols. A delegation was sent to Watertown to ask Thomas Cakebread to move`to Dedham "upon good consideration of his knowledge of martial affairs." Just a year later, however, the new town of
Sudbury Sudbury may refer to: Places Australia * Sudbury Reef, Queensland Canada * Greater Sudbury, Ontario ** Sudbury (federal electoral district) ** Sudbury (provincial electoral district) ** Sudbury Airport ** Sudbury Basin, a meteorite impact cra ...
enticed him to move there by granting him a monopoly on the milling business in town. New settlements, which grew into separately incorporated towns, were established for several reasons, including to serve as a buffer between the native peoples and the village of Dedham. Medfield and Wrentham, which broke away from Dedham, each suffered at least one Indian raid during the 17th century that would have otherwise struck the mother town. Dedham itself had served as a buffer in its own time between native peoples and the population centers along the coast, as well as against the freethinking followers of Roger Williams. In the 1680s, the Town fathers sought out and purchased the rights to the land from every native person who claimed to own land or hold title. Sarah David, the wife of
Alexander Quapish Alexander Quapish (circa 1741 – March 23, 1776), also known as Alexander Quabish, was a Wampanoag veteran of the American Revolution. Personal life Quapish was born circa 1741 in Wampanoag territory in Yarmouth, Massachusetts. He moved to D ...
, was known as the "last Indian" in Dedham. When Sarah died in 1774, she was buried at the ancient Indian burial ground near Wigwam Pond. She was said to be the last person buried there.


King Phillip's War

During
King Phillip's War King Philip's War (sometimes called the First Indian War, Metacom's War, Metacomet's War, Pometacomet's Rebellion, or Metacom's Rebellion) was an armed conflict in 1675–1678 between a group of indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands ...
, men from Dedham went off to fight and several died. More former Dedhamites who had moved on to other towns died than men who were still living in the community, however. They included Robert Hinsdale, his four sons, and Jonathan Plympton who died at the Battle of Bloody Brook. John Plympton was burned at the stake after being marched to Canada with Quentin Stockwell. Zachariah Smith was passing through Dedham on April 12, 1671, when he stopped at the home of Caleb Church in the "sawmill settlement" on the banks of the
Neponset River The Neponset River is a river in eastern Massachusetts in the United States. Its headwaters are at the Neponset Reservoir in Foxborough, near Gillette Stadium. From there, the Neponset meanders generally northeast for about to its mouth at ...
. The next morning he was found dead, having been shot. A group of
praying Indians Praying Indian is a 17th-century term referring to Native Americans of New England, New York, Ontario, and Quebec who converted to Christianity either voluntarily or involuntarily. Many groups are referred to by the term, but it is more commonl ...
found him and suspicion fell on a group on non-Christian Nipmucs who were also heading south to Providence. This was the "first actual outrage of King Phillip's War." One of the Nipmucs, a son of
Matoonas Matoonas (? - died 1676 in Boston) (also spelled Matonas) was a sachem of the Nipmuc Indians in the middle of 17th century. He played a significant role in the Native American uprising known as King Philip's War. Early life Matoonas had originall ...
, was found guilty and hanged on
Boston Common The Boston Common is a public park in downtown Boston, Massachusetts. It is the oldest city park in the United States. Boston Common consists of of land bounded by five major Boston streets: Tremont Street, Park Street, Beacon Street, Charl ...
. For the next six years his head would be impaled on a pike at the end of the gallows as a warning to other native peoples. Dedham then readied its cannon, which had been issued by the colony in 1650, in preparation for an attack that never came. After the raid on Swansea, the colony ordered the militias of several towns, including Dedham, to have 100 militiamen ready to march out of town on an hour's notice. Captain Daniel Henchmen took command of the men and left Boston on June 26, 1675. They arrived in Dedham by nightfall and the troops became worried by an eclipse of the moon, which they took as a bad omen. Some claimed to see native scalplocks and bows in the moon. Dedham was largely spared from the fighting and was not attacked, but they did build a fortification and offered tax cuts to men who joined the cavalry. Plymouth Colony governor
Josiah Winslow Josiah Winslow ( in Plymouth Colony – 1680 in Marshfield, Plymouth Colony) was the 13th Governor of Plymouth Colony. In records of the time, historians also name him Josias Winslow, and modern writers have carried that name forward. He was b ...
and Captain
Benjamin Church Benjamin Church may refer to: * Benjamin Church (physician) (1734–1778), effectively the first Surgeon General of the U.S. Army * Benjamin Church (ranger) (1639–1718), considered the father of the U.S. Army Rangers * Benjamin Church (carpenter) ...
rode from Boston to Dedham to take charge of the 465 infantrymen and 275 cavalry assembling there and together departed on December 8, 1675, for the
Great Swamp Fight The Great Swamp Massacre or the Great Swamp Fight was a crucial battle fought during King Philip's War between the colonial militia of New England and the Narragansett people in December 1675. It was fought near the villages of Kingston and We ...
. When the commanders arrived, they also found "a vast assortment of teamsters, volunteers, servants, service personnel, and hangers-on." Dedham's John Bacon died in the battle. During the battle in Lancaster in February 1676, Jonas Fairbanks and his son Joshua both died. Richard Wheeler, whose son Joseph was killed in battle the previous August, also died that day. When the town of Medfield was attacked, they fired a cannon as a warning to Dedham. Residents of nearby Wrentham abandoned their community and fled for the safety of Dedham and Boston.
Pumham Pumham (died 1676) (also known as Pomham) was one of Metacomet's chief advisors during King Phillip's War. He was sachem of Shawomet. He was described as "one of the stoutest and most valiant sachems that belonged to the Narragansett." He was frie ...
, one of Phillip's chief advisors, was captured in Dedham on July 25, 1676. Several Christian Indians had seen his band in the woods, nearly starved to death. Captain Samuel Hunting led 36 men from Dedham and Medfield and joined 90 Indians on a hunt to find them. A total of 15 of the enemy were killed and 35 were captured. Pumham, though he was so wounded he could not stand, grabbed hold of a militiaman and would have killed him had one of the militiaman's comrades not come to his rescue. John Plympton and Quentin Stockwell were captured in Deerfield in September 1677 and marched to Canada. Stockell was eventually ransomed and wrote an account of his ordeal, but Plympton was burned at the stake.


Praying Indians

In the middle of the 17th century the Reverend John Eliot converted many of the native people in the area to Christianity and taught them how to live a stable, agrarian life. He converted so many that the group needed a large portion of land on which they could grow their own crops.
John Allin John Maury Allin (April 22, 1921 – March 6, 1998) was an American Episcopal bishop who served as the 23rd Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church from 1974 to 1985. Early life Allin was born in Helena, Arkansas. He graduated from the Univ ...
assisted Elliot in his work, and it is probably through his influence that Dedham agreed to give up of what is today
Natick Natick ( ) is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is near the center of the MetroWest region of Massachusetts, with a population of 37,006 at the 2020 census. west of Boston, Natick is part of the Greater Boston area. ...
to the "
praying Indian Praying Indian is a 17th-century term referring to Native Americans of New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Ver ...
s in 1650." In return, Dedham expected the Indians to settle only on the northern bank of the Charles River, not to set any traps outside their grant, and give up all claims to any land elsewhere in Dedham. The natives, who did not hold the same notions of private property as the colonists, settled on the south side of the river and set traps within the bounds of Dedham. Disputes began arising in 1653, and compromise, arbitration, and negotiation were all attempted. In 1661, Dedham gave up attempts at friendly solutions and took their indigenous neighbors to court, suing for title to the land the Indians were inhabiting. The case centered around the Indians' use of a tract of land along the Charles River. The native people claimed they had an agreement to use the land for farming with the Town Fathers, but Dedham officials objected. While the law was on the side of the town, Elliot made a moral argument that the group had a need for land of their own. The case eventually went before the General Court who granted the land in question to the Indians and, in compensation for the land lost, gave another in what is today
Deerfield, Massachusetts Deerfield is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. Settled near the Connecticut River in the 17th century during the colonial era, the population was 5,090 as of the 2020 census. Deerfield is part of the Springfield, Massachus ...
to the Dedham settlers. The town's actions in the case were characterized by "deceptions, retaliations, and lasting bitterness," and they harassed their native neighbors with petty accusations event after the matter was settled.


Parishes, precincts, and new towns

As the town's population grew greater and greater, residents began moving further away from the center of town. Within a quarter century of the first settlement, an expansionist philosophy had developed within Dedham. In the 1670s, with each new dividend of land, farmers began taking shares close to their existing plots. This, along with special "convenience grants" close by their existing fields, allowed townsmen to consolidate their holdings. A market for buying and selling land also emerged by which farmers would sell parcels further away from their main plots and buy land closer to them. When this began happening, residents first started moving their barns closer to their fields and then their homes as well. By 1686, homes coalesced in several outlying areas, pulling their owners away from the day-to-day life of the village center. As the numbers further away grew they began to break off and form new towns beginning with
Medfield Medfield is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 12,799 according to the 2020 United States Census. It is a community about southwest of Boston, Massachusetts, which is a 40-minute drive to Downtown Bost ...
in 1651. Until 1682 all Dedhamites had lived within of the meetinghouse. After Walpole left, Dedham had just 25% of its original land area. Dedham residents also became, in substantial numbers, early settlers of
Lancaster Lancaster may refer to: Lands and titles *The County Palatine of Lancaster, a synonym for Lancashire *Duchy of Lancaster, one of only two British royal duchies *Duke of Lancaster *Earl of Lancaster *House of Lancaster, a British royal dynasty ...
, Hadley, and
Sherborn, Massachusetts Sherborn is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. Located in Boston's MetroWest (Massachusetts), MetroWest region, the community is within area code 508 and has the ZIP Code 01770. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ...
.


Medfield

The majority of present-day
Medfield Medfield is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 12,799 according to the 2020 United States Census. It is a community about southwest of Boston, Massachusetts, which is a 40-minute drive to Downtown Bost ...
had been granted to Dedham in 1636, but the lands on the western bank of the Charles River had been meted out by the General Court to individuals.
Edward Alleyn Edward Alleyn (; 1 September 156621 November 1626) was an England, English actor who was a major figure of the Elizabethan theatre and founder of the College of God's Gift in Dulwich. Early life Alleyn was born on 1 September 1566 in Bishop ...
, for example, had been granted 300 acres in 1642. Dedham asked the General Court for some of those lands and, on October 23, 1649, the Court granted the request so long as they established a separate village there within one year. Dedham sent
Eleazer Lusher Major (rank), Major Eleazer Lusher (died 1672) was a politician and military leader from Dedham, Massachusetts. Political career Lusher had unmatched political influence in Dedham and was one of the most powerful men in the Massachusetts Bay Colo ...
, Joshua Fisher, Henry Phillips, John Dwight, and Daniel Fisher to map out an area three miles by four miles and the colony sent representatives to set the boundaries on the opposite side of the river. The land that Dedham contributed to the new village became Medfield, and the land the colony contributed eventually broke away to become
Medway Medway is a Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in the ceremonial county of Kent in South East England. It was formed in 1998 by merging the boroughs of City of Roche ...
. The separations were not without difficulty, however. When Medfield left there were disagreements about the responsibility for public debts and about land use. There were some residents who did not move to the new village who wanted rights to the meadows while others thought that the land should be given freely to those who would settle them. A compromise was reached where those moving to the new village would pay £100 to those who remained in lieu of rights to the meadows. It was later reduced to £60, if paid over three years, or £50 if paid in one year. Tax records show that those who chose to move to the new village came from the middle class of Dedham residents. Among the first 20 men to make the move were
Ralph Wheelock Ralph Wheelock (1600–1683) was an English Puritan minister, American colonial public official, and educator. He is known for having been the first public school teacher in America. Early life and education Wheelock was most likely born in 160 ...
, Thomas Mason, Thomas Wright, John Samuel Morse and his son Daniel, John Frary Sr., Joseph Clark Sr., John Ellis, Thomas Ellis, Henry Smith, Robert Hinsdale, Timothy Dwight, James Allen, Henry Glover, Isaac Genere, and Samuel Bullen. By 1664, several of their sons would join them, as would Joshua Fisher and his son John, and several other Dedhamites. Those who moved there often moved with family members, and many would move on from their to other inland communities. It is also possible that those who left Dedham for Medfield were those most disaffected by the political or social climate within the town. Town Meeting voted to release Medfield on January 11, 1651, and the General Court agreed the following May.


Wretham

In 1660, after the dust had settled on the Medfield separation, five men were sent to explore the lakes near George Indian's wigwam and to report back to the selectmen what they found. The report of those men, Daniel Fisher, Joshua Fisher, Sgt. Fuller, Richard Ellis, and Richard Wheeler, was received with such enthusiasm that in March 1661 it was voted to start a new settlement there. The Town then voted to send Ellis and Timothy Dwight to go negotiate with
King Phillip King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a constitutional monarch if his power is restrained by fi ...
to purchase the
title A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify their generation, official position, military rank, professional or academic qualification, or nobility. In some languages, titles may be ins ...
to the area known as Wollomonopoag. They purchased 600 acres of land for £24, 6s. The money was paid out of pocket by Captain Thomas Willett, who accompanied Ellis and Dwight. The Town voted to assess a tax upon the cow commons to repay him, but some thought the money should be paid by those who would be moving to the new village. The dispute resulted in Willet not being paid back for several years. After the boundaries of the new community were set, the Town voted to give up all rights to the land in return for the proprietors paying Dedham £160 over four years, beginning in 1661. By January 1663, however, little progress had been made towards establishing a new village. A meeting was called, and the 10 men who volunteered to go raised several concerns about their ability to move forward. After much discussion, it was decided not to give the 600 acres to the group of pre-selected men, but rather to lay out lots and then award them by lottery. Those who already began to improve their lots were allowed to keep them, and land for a church, burial ground, training ground, roads, and officer lots were not included. All were free to buy and sell their lots. Not much happened at Wollomonopoag until 1668, at which time a report arrived of native peoples planting corn and cutting down trees on the land that Dedham had purchased.
Eleazer Lusher Major (rank), Major Eleazer Lusher (died 1672) was a politician and military leader from Dedham, Massachusetts. Political career Lusher had unmatched political influence in Dedham and was one of the most powerful men in the Massachusetts Bay Colo ...
was charged with sending the illiterate Indians a letter warning them to "depart from that place and trespass no further." Samuel Fisher then took it to them and read it aloud, at which point they replied that they had every intention of remaining on the land. Though they had still not paid him back for the land in question, the Town then asked Willett to speak with King Phillip and ask that he intervene. There is no record of Phillip's response to that entreaty but, in August 1669, the Town Fathers received an odd letter from him offering to negotiate for more land if they would quickly send him a "holland shirt." Dwight and four others were appointed to negotiate with him again, provided Phillip could prove he, and not another
sachem Sachems and sagamores are paramount chiefs among the Algonquians or other Native American tribes of northeastern North America, including the Iroquois. The two words are anglicizations of cognate terms (c. 1622) from different Eastern Alg ...
, had the rights to the land. In November, an agreement was reached to clear the title for £17 0s 8d. There is no record of whether a shirt was traded. Samuel Sheares lived alone at Wollomonopoag for some time before a new attempt at a settlement was undertaken in 1671. Five men, John Thurston, Thomas Thurston, Robert Weare, John Weare, and Joseph Cheeney moved there with him, followed the next year by Rev. Samuel Man, a one-time teacher in the
Dedham Public Schools The Dedham Public School System (Dedham Public Schools) is a Pre-kindergarten, PK–Twelfth grade, 12 graded school district in Dedham, Massachusetts. It is the oldest public school system in the United States. History On January 2, 1643, the ...
. Robert Crossman was employed at the same time to construct a corn mill. Man would be selected by the residents of the new village to be their minister, and their decision was ratified by a committee of
John Allin John Maury Allin (April 22, 1921 – March 6, 1998) was an American Episcopal bishop who served as the 23rd Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church from 1974 to 1985. Early life Allin was born in Helena, Arkansas. He graduated from the Univ ...
, John Hunting, and
Eleazer Lusher Major (rank), Major Eleazer Lusher (died 1672) was a politician and military leader from Dedham, Massachusetts. Political career Lusher had unmatched political influence in Dedham and was one of the most powerful men in the Massachusetts Bay Colo ...
. Those who moved there were drawn from the middle class of Dedham. They were primarily people from outside of Dedham who had purchased land there, and second generation Dedhamites who moved without their parents. Without the outsiders, it is questionable whether the new community would have survived. Soon, however, the Wollomonopoag settlers complained that those in the village center were keeping them in a state of colonial dependency. They were upset about absentee landlords whose land values were going up thanks to the labor of the inhabitants and who refused to pay taxes to support the community. They also complained that with the seat of the town government being so far away that they were disenfranchised and best by a lack of capital. Constables refused to travel to Wollomonopoag to make collections, assessments, and social judgement. With the blessing of Dedham's Board of Selectmen, the General Court separated the new town of
Wrentham, Massachusetts Wrentham ( ) is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 12,178 at the 2020 census. History In 1660, five men from Dedham were sent to explore the lakes near George Indian's wigwam and to report back to th ...
on October 16, 1673.


Deerfield

After the "Praying Indians" were given in what is today
Natick Natick ( ) is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is near the center of the MetroWest region of Massachusetts, with a population of 37,006 at the 2020 census. west of Boston, Natick is part of the Greater Boston area. ...
, the General Court gave the Dedham proprietors in compensation. The question of how to handle the additional grant puzzled the town for some time. There were those who wanted to sell the rights to the land and take the money, while others wanted to find a suitable location and take possession. The Town sent Anthony Fisher Jr., Nathaniel Fisher, and Sgt. Fuller to explore an area known as "Chestnut Country" in 1863. They reported back two weeks later that the area was hilly, with few meadows, and was generally unsuitable for their purposes. After a potential location was claimed by others before Dedham could do so, a report was received about land at a place known as Pocomtuck, about 12 or 14 miles from Hadley. It was decided to claim the land before others could do so. Joshua Fisher, Ensign John Euerard, and Jonathan Danforth were assigned by the selectmen to go and map the land in return for 150 acres. Two weeks later Fisher appeared before the board, demanding 300 acres instead. The selectmen agreed, provided that he provide a plot map of the land. Fisher's map and report were submitted to the General Court, and they agreed to give the land to Dedham provided that they settle the land and "maintain the ordinances of Christ there" within five years. Fisher was the first in the region to use a compass while surveying. Daniel Fisher and
Eleazer Lusher Major (rank), Major Eleazer Lusher (died 1672) was a politician and military leader from Dedham, Massachusetts. Political career Lusher had unmatched political influence in Dedham and was one of the most powerful men in the Massachusetts Bay Colo ...
were sent to purchase the land from the
Pocomtuc The Pocomtuc (also Pocomtuck, Pocumtuc, Pocumtuck, or Deerfield Indians) were a Native American tribe historically inhabiting western areas of Massachusetts. Settlements Their territory was concentrated around the confluence of the Deerfield ...
Indians who lived there. They contracted with John Pynchon, who had a relationship with the native peoples there, and he obtained a quitclaim deed from them. Pynchon submitted a bill for £40 in 1666 but a tax on the cow commons to pay it was not imposed until 1669. By that time the bill had risen to over £96, and he was not paid in full until 1674. The drawing of lots took place on May 23, 1670, by which time many rights had been sold to people from outside of Dedham or one of her daughter towns. Before that even happen, Robert Hinsdale's son Samuel moved into the area and began squatting on the land. He was eventually joined by his father and brothers. Hard feelings arose at the distance of the new settlement from Dedham and the fact that the proprietors were not strictly "a Dedham company." On May 7, 1673, the General Court separated the town of Deerfield, with additional lands, provided they establish a church and settle a minister within three years.


Natural resources


Mother Brook

While both the
Charles River The Charles River (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ), sometimes called the River Charles or simply the Charles, is an river in eastern Massachusetts. It flows northeast from Hopkinton, Massachusetts, Hopkinton to Boston along a highly me ...
and the
Neponset River The Neponset River is a river in eastern Massachusetts in the United States. Its headwaters are at the Neponset Reservoir in Foxborough, near Gillette Stadium. From there, the Neponset meanders generally northeast for about to its mouth at ...
ran through Dedham and close by to one another, both were slow-moving and could not power a mill. With an elevation difference of between the two, however, a canal connecting them would be swift-moving. In 1639 the town ordered that a 4000-foot ditch be dug between the two so that one third of the Charles' water would flow down what would become known as
Mother Brook Mother Brook is an artificial waterway in Dedham, and Hyde Park, Massachusetts, and the first man-made canal in the present-day United States. Constructed in 1639 by settlers of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, it diverts water from the Charles R ...
and into the Neponset. Abraham Shaw would begin construction of the first dam and mill on the Brook in 1641 and it would be completed by
John Elderkin John Elderkin was a colonial American carpenter who built mills, meetinghouses, and wharves around New England. Mother Brook While both the Charles River and the Neponset River ran through Dedham, Massachusetts and close by to one another, both ...
, who later built the first church in
New London, Connecticut New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States, located at the outlet of the Thames River (Connecticut), Thames River in New London County, Connecticut, which empties into Long Island Sound. The cit ...
. A fulling mill would be established in 1682.


Trees

It is estimated that each family would burn enough wood in a year to clear cut four acres of land. With the memory of the social unrest that happened in Boston when they cleared nearly every tree in that town within three years of its founding, restrictions upon cutting trees on public and unallotted lands were strictly enforced. Preserving these trees became "one of the first conservation projects in New England. The Old Avery Oak Tree, named for Dr. William Avery, stood on East Street for several centuries. The builders of the
USS Constitution USS ''Constitution'', also known as ''Old Ironsides'', is a Full-rigged ship, three-masted wooden-hulled heavy frigate of the United States Navy. She is the world's List of oldest surviving ships, oldest commissioned naval warship still afloat ...
once offered $70 to buy the tree, but the owner would not sell. The Avery Oak, which was over 16' in circumference, survived the
New England Hurricane of 1938 The 1938 New England Hurricane (also referred to as the Great Long Island - New England Hurricane and the Long Island Express) was one of the deadliest and most destructive tropical cyclones to strike the United States. The storm formed near th ...
to be toppled by a violent thunderstorm in 1973; the Town Meeting Moderator's gavel was carved out of it.


Swamps, bogs, and meadows

Owners of swampland were required to drain them. At first, this was supposed to be voluntary but it quickly became a mandate, with a fine of "the price of a Ewe kid" for those who failed to do so. The mandate was suspended for the summer, but it was agreed to reimpose it if the swamp land next to the settlement was not cleared by May. Clearing the swamp served several purposes. First, it deprived dangerous wild animals of a habitat. Secondly, it made it easier to cut down the trees on the land at a time when lumber was in high demand for building projects and for burning. Clearing the swamp turns it into a bog, and draining a bog turns it into a meadow. Meadowland was in high demand to raise cattle, and the rich meadows along the Charles River were a major factor in choosing the location to settle in the first place. The General Court had awarded 300 acres to Samuel Dudley along the northeast border of town, between East Street and the river. Four men, Samuel Morse, Philemon Dalton, Lambert Genere, and John Dwight, purchased the meadowland from Dudley for £20. With an immediate need for more meadows, the Town purchased it from them for £40, doubling their initial investment. The land came to be known as Purchase Meadows and was divided into herdwalks for use by the residents of the various districts. A road, today known as Needham Street, was laid out along the banks of the Charles River in 1645, but was frequently washed out or flooded. The road brought farmers from their homes in the village to the planting field at Great Plain, in what is today Needham. In addition to washing out the road, the waters would also frequently would flood the "broad meadow," further limiting needed pasture. It was discovered that the river, which runs due east for many miles, suddenly took a turn southeast, then north, and then northwest, at which point it flowed close by to where it originally turned. Despite a run of seven or eight miles, it only fell three feet, accounting for much of the flooding. In January 1652, Town Meeting voted to dig a 4000-foot ditch connecting the Charles River at either end of its great loop. It was not completed for nearly two years, but once it was it began channeling the water directly from the high side to the low side. Doing so also created an island, today the neighborhood of Riverdale.


Sawmills

In 1699, with the town fed up with conflict between two mill owners on Mother Brook, Ezra Morse's dam was removed, and Morse was given 40 acres of land near the Neponset River at Tiot in compensation. He would go on to open a new mill there, in what is today
Norwood, Massachusetts Norwood is a town and census-designated place in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Norwood is part of the Greater Boston area. As of the 2020 census, the population was 31,611. The town was named after Norwood, England. Norwood is ...
, next to a sawmill that Joshua Fisher and
Eleazer Lusher Major (rank), Major Eleazer Lusher (died 1672) was a politician and military leader from Dedham, Massachusetts. Political career Lusher had unmatched political influence in Dedham and was one of the most powerful men in the Massachusetts Bay Colo ...
opened in 1664. Permission for the mill in the cedar swamp was granted in 1658. Thomas Clapp built a sawmill soon after arriving in Dedham in 1661, though the location is unknown, but forfeited it to the town in 1674. Joshua Fisher, and his cousin, Daniel Fisher, built another saw mill on the Charles River in 1683. The mills were carefully controlled by the town, with tax abatements and non-compete clauses providing incentives for owners. Contracts with saw mill owners also outlined the terms of payment and listed the areas where trees could be cut down for milling. The area of what is today Westwood proved to be such a profitable area for harvesting and milling pine trees that it became known as Clapboard Trees Parish.


Animals

Wild animals were an issue, and the town placed a bounty on several of them. Upon producing an inch and a half of a rattlesnake, plus the rattle, the killer was entitled to six pence. A ten shilling bounty was placed on wolves, and was frequently paid, in addition to a bounty on wildcats. In 1638, seven-year-old John Dwight disappeared in the woods near Wigwam Pond, an area known to be particularly infested with wolves. Between 1650 and 1672, more than 70 wolves were killed in Dedham. For a short period of time, the Town employed professional hunters and a pack of dogs. Dogs could also be a problem, though. In 1651, the Town deputized Joshua Fisher to keep them from disturbing people in the meetinghouse. On May 27, 2647, Daniel Fisher gave a parcel of land to the Town for use as an
animal pound An animal pound is a place where stray livestock were impounded. Animals were kept in a dedicated enclosure, until claimed by their owners, or sold to cover the costs of impounding. Etymology The terms "pinfold" and "pound" are Saxon in origi ...
but reserved the right to cut the trees on it. A great black boar, eight feet long, walked into town in November 1677. Nearly every man in town was assembled around it with his musket before they could subdue it. Eventually it would take 13 bullets before it was killed.


Mines and minerals

By 1647, residents had discovered "plenty of iron and some lead" in the wilderness. All were encouraged to seek out more and the following year John Dwight and
Francis Chickering Francis Chickering was an early settler of Dedham, Massachusetts who served in the Great and General Court of Massachusetts and on that town's Board of Selectmen for 15 years. He was also a teacher in the first public school in America, today well ...
thought they had discovered a mine in present-day Wrentham. A decade later, in 1658, a committee was appointed to look into setting up an
ironworks An ironworks or iron works is an industrial plant where iron is smelted and where heavy iron and steel products are made. The term is both singular and plural, i.e. the singular of ''ironworks'' is ''ironworks''. Ironworks succeeded bloome ...
within the town. Neither the mine nor the ironwork would pan out, however.


Other


Cemetery

The first portion of the
Old Village Cemetery The Old Village Cemetery is an historic cemetery in Dedham, Massachusetts. History The first portion of the cemetery was set apart at the first recorded meeting of the settlers of Dedham on August 18, 1636, with land taken from Nicholas Phillips ...
was set apart at the first recorded meeting of the settlers of Dedham on August 18, 1636, with land taken from Nicholas Phillips and Joseph Kingsbury. The original boundaries were roughly Village Avenue on the north, St. Paul's Church in the east, land later added by Dr. Edward Stimson in the south, and the main driveway off Village Avenue in the west. It remained the only cemetery in Dedham for nearly 250 years until
Brookdale Cemetery Brookdale Cemetery is an historic cemetery in Dedham, Massachusetts, United States. More than 28,000 people are buried there. Mother Brook runs behind it. History For nearly 250 years after it was established, Old Village Cemetery was the only c ...
was established.


Early records

Of towns founded during the colonial era, Dedham is one of the few towns "that has preserved extensive records of its earliest years." They have been described as "very full and perfect." So detailed were the records that a map of the home lots of the first settlers can be drawn using only the descriptions in the book of grants. Many of the records come from Timothy Dwight, who served as town clerk for 10 years and selectman for 25. In 1681, the town voted to collect all deeds and other writings and store them in a box kept by Deacon John Aldis in order to better preserve them. The records included four deeds from Indians at Petumtuck, one from Chief Nehoiden, one from Magus, and one deed and one receipt from
King Phillip King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a constitutional monarch if his power is restrained by fi ...
.


Jonathan Fairbanks

In 1637 Jonathan Fairbanks signed the town Covenant and was allotted of land to build his home, which today is the oldest house in North America. In 1640 "the selectmen provided that Jonathan Fairbanks 'may have one cedar tree set out unto him to dispose of where he will: In consideration of some special service he hath done for the towne.'" He had "long stood off from the church upon some scruples about public profession of faith and the covenant, yet after divers loving conferences... he made such a declaration of his faith and conversion to God and profession of subjection to the ordinances of Christ in the church that he was readily and gladly received by the whole church." The house is still owned by the Fairbanks family and today stands at 511 East Street, on the corner of Whiting Ave. Jonathan Fairbanks would have a number of notable descendants including murderer Jason Fairbanks of the famous Fairbanks case, as well as Presidents
William H. Taft William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) served as the 27th president of the United States from 1909 to 1913 and the tenth chief justice of the United States from 1921 to 1930. He is the only person to have held both offices. ...
,
George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushBefore the outcome of the 2000 United States presidential election, he was usually referred to simply as "George Bush" but became more commonly known as "George H. W. Bush", "Bush Senior," "Bush 41," and even "Bush th ...
,
George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...
and Vice President
Charles W. Fairbanks Charles Warren Fairbanks (May 11, 1852 – June 4, 1918) was the 26th vice president of the United States under President Theodore Roosevelt serving from 1905 to 1909. A member of the Republican Party, Fairbanks was previously a senator from In ...
. He is also an ancestor of the father and son Governors of Vermont
Erastus Fairbanks Erastus Fairbanks (October 28, 1792 – November 20, 1864) was an American manufacturer, a Whig politician, a founder of the Republican Party, and the 21st and 26th governor of Vermont. An industrialist and businessman, he was a co-founder o ...
and
Horace Fairbanks Horace Fairbanks (March 21, 1820 – March 17, 1888) was an American politician and the 36th governor of Vermont from 1876 to 1878. Biography Fairbanks was born in Barnet, Vermont, on March 21, 1820, the third of nine children of Erastus Fairba ...
, the poet
Emily Dickinson Emily Elizabeth Dickinson (December 10, 1830 – May 15, 1886) was an American poet. Little-known during her life, she has since been regarded as one of the most important figures in American poetry. Dickinson was born in Amherst, Massac ...
, and the anthropologist
Margaret Mead Margaret Mead (December 16, 1901 – November 15, 1978) was an American cultural anthropologist, author and speaker, who appeared frequently in the mass media during the 1960s and the 1970s. She earned her bachelor's degree at Barnard Col ...
.Lineage as follows
Jonathan
to his so

to his so

to his daughter Martha who married Ebenezer Leland, and together they had a child Caleb whose daughter Hannah married John Ware. Their son Orlando had a daughter Emily who married James Pecker Fogg, who had a son James Leland Fogg. He married Elizabeth Bogart Lockwood and they had a daughter Emily Fogg who married Edward Sherwood Mead. Together their child was Margaret Mead.


Early laws

In early years each resident was cautioned to keep a ladder handy in case he may need to put out a fire on his thatched roof or climb out of harm's way should there be an attack from the Indians. It was also decreed that if any man should tie his horse to the ladder against the meetinghouse then he would be fined sixpence. The Town occasionally "found it necessary to institute fines against those caught borrowing another's canoe without permission or cutting down trees on the common land." A one shilling fine was imposed in 1651 for taking a canoe without permission.


Colonial politics

When King Charles II threatened to revoke the charter of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Dedham went firmly on the record as opposing any such action. Town meeting requested that Governor
Simon Bradstreet Simon Bradstreet (baptized March 18, 1603/4In the Julian calendar, then in use in England, the year began on March 25. To avoid confusion with dates in the Gregorian calendar, then in use in other parts of Europe, dates between January and Ma ...
protect the rights and interests of the colonists. In a unanimous vote, they also rejected a motion to completely subjugate themselves to the king and accept his decision to revoke the charter. Daniel Fisher and his sister Lydia helped to hide
William Goffe William Goffe, 1613/1618 - 1679/1680, was a religious radical from London who fought for Parliament during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. Nicknamed “Praying William” by contemporaries, he was a leading advocate of putting Charles I on tri ...
and
Edward Whalley Edward Whalley (c. 1607 – c. 1675) was an English military leader during the English Civil War and was one of the regicides who signed the death warrant of King Charles I of England. Early career The exact dates of his birth and death are u ...
after they sought asylum in American. During the
1689 Boston revolt The 1689 Boston revolt was a popular uprising on April 18, 1689, against the rule of Sir Edmund Andros, the governor of the Dominion of New England. A well-organized "mob" of provincial militia and citizens formed in the town of Boston, the ca ...
, Fisher grabbed Governor
Edmund Andros Sir Edmund Andros (6 December 1637 – 24 February 1714; also spelled ''Edmond'') was an English colonial administrator in British America. He was the governor of the Dominion of New England during most of its three-year existence. At other ...
by the collar and placed him under arrest, both to protect him from a mob and to ensure that he stood trial. A group of notable clergy from around the colony, including Dedham's John Allin, wrote a petition to the General Court in 1671 complaining that the lawmakers were contributing to anti-clerical sentiment. They asked for the General Court to endorse the authority of the clergy in spiritual matters, which by implication included the
half-way covenant The Half-Way Covenant was a form of partial church membership adopted by the Congregational churches of colonial New England in the 1660s. The Puritan-controlled Congregational churches required evidence of a personal conversion experience bef ...
. The General Court complied but 15 members, including Joshua Fisher and Daniel Fisher, dissented.


Notes


References


Works cited

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:History of Dedham, Massachusetts, 1635-1792 * Colonial Massachusetts Colonial settlements in North America 1636 establishments in the Massachusetts Bay Colony Pre-statehood history of Massachusetts People from colonial Massachusetts 17th century in the Massachusetts Bay Colony 17th century in the Province of Massachusetts Bay