ice in Plymouth harbour, where eels have been taken. As it passes over, its neck and a part of its tail appear to be white. It does not take the aboriginal generic name Mickasew (denoting the talons) but Wompissacuck, "white head birds." The bittern and the lesser heron are common and partial to the swamps and brooks, in the south part of Carver, while the Aumkuck, "painted bird," or grous, has now become rare; wood pigeons, partridges, and quails are common. The skins of furred animals were formerly collected hereabout for exportation, as well as domestic use ;* rabbits, minks, and misquash are yet taken, as well as foxes and racoons; the otter, occasionally seen in ponds, has become very rare. Mohootset, "the owl," giving name, as we believe to a brook, even now makes excursions, late in autumn and winter, to the gardens in the town of Plymouth. Deer, formerly common, have become rare. The records speak of a place at South Meadows, called "Beaver Brook and Falls;" also "Popos Neck," probably "Partridge Neck;" also "Polypody Cove," a place of "brakes." In this sec tion of the town is also "Horse Neck," a place where the colonists "depastured horses;" also "Rocky Neck." As to the cedar swamp, we have never heard any aboriginal name for it, unless "Woncenquag," applied to the brook, was intended to designate that. Onnaquege is one of the names for "bark," and Woenuncke is "a As to ditch." The brook partakes of this character. Annisnippi and Winnatuckset, the names for the brooks within Plympton, and giving name to the place, Noosnippit has the meaning of "beaver water, or pond;" and Taggoskit, "to shake," is the name applied to "fresh meadow," that is, "shaking meadow." Winna is an epithet of approbation in all its uses; hence Winnataggoskit would be a name given to good meadows of that description. The Craneberry is a very plenteous production of the low wet meadows, in the south of Carver and of Middle • Furs, collected in the vicinity, were exported from Plymouth to London, down to 1774, and in less quantities, since 1783. † Noosup, being one of the names for the beaver in the dialects of N. England. borough. Of some tracts it is the most profitable production, whence they are furnished in quantity to a wide vicinage, even to Boston. The wild cherry is a common native fruit tree, sometimes yielding abundantly an autumnal fruit. Of cultivated fruits, the apple, button and orange pear were common, but have become scarce. Among its manufactures, that of baskets, of an excellent kind, and of every variety of form, is entitled to notice. These are made solely by Mr. Jacob Vail, a foreigner, who resides here; and finds, among the ozier holts, and other places, the flexile woods, suited to his useful art, which it is desirable may be perpetuated. Many of these, such as bottle baskets, &c. are sold in Boston. The early employment of the people of Carver, next to agriculture, was making tar and turpentine in very considerable quantities. This has ceased for many years. Supplying the furnaces with coal, and Plymouth with fuel, together with the sale of a surplus of rye, and some few other productions, are the usual resources of the inhabitants, most of whom are farmers, with some mechanics; and in the summer months furnishing a few fishermen from Plymouth. In 1790, there were 150 families; and in 1800, 124 houses, many of which are of one story only. On a pleasant green, near the first meeting house, in which plain and humble edifice the swallow (in time past) has literally found an house, there are a few houses in close neighbourhood; also near the second, with a few stores, near the several furnaces; but the small population is spread over a wide surface, so that it may be truly said, in all time, when speaking of the respectable village pastor, in the words of the oldest of the English poets, "Wide was his parish; not contracted close "In streets, but here and there a straggling house." The people of this place are, almost wholly, descendants of the first planters of Plymouth. The most numerous names, by the census of 1790 were, Shurtliff, We hope the sun of 1816, will shine on a new edifice. Cobb, Atwood, Shaw, Cole, Ransom, Dunham, Lucas, Vaughan, Sherman, Burrows, Savory, Hammond, Tilson, Murdock, Crocker, Ellis, and formerly Ward. Of the three first names, there were then about fourteen males of each over 16 years of age. Many have attained great age in this village. Mr. Issachar Fuller is now (1815) living, about 90 years old, and a female yet older. 1790, souls 847, includes 12 of colour. Those of the name of Shaw are descendants of John Shaw, who arrived at Plymouth about 1627. Those of Cobb, probably, from Gershom Cobb, one of the earliest settlers of Middleborough, and son of Henry Cobb. Those of Savory,* from Thomas, who came from Slade, in Devonshire. Those of Atwood, from Henry and Stephen Wood. Those of Shurtliff, from William, who was a surveyor and selectman at Plymouth, and an early settler of Lakenham. Vaughan and Sherman were early Marshfield names, and came in here from Middleborough. Succession of Ministers. In this second church of Plympton, now first at Car ver, Rev. Othniel Campbell, ord. 1734, dism. 1744. John Howland, ord. 1746, died 1804, æ. 84. Mr. Campbell, who was born in Bridgewater, entered Harvard College, it is said, when near thirty years old, where he graduated, 1728. He removed from this parish of Tiverton, about 1747. A contemporary manuscript, taking notice of the period of 1744, says, “ Lakenham, (the name of the parish) dismissed Mr Campbell for giving way too much to itinerants, though it is doubtful whether his friends or enemies are the greater number. It is thought he has had hard measure, being in the main an honest and good man." He has a daughter, (Mrs. Ellis) who survives in Plympton, which place he visited about 1772. * Thomas and Anthony Savory came before 1640; the latter settled above Boston, near Haverhill. Mr. Howland, who graduated at Harvard College 1741, the son of John Howland, was born in the parish of Great Marshes, Barnstable. This exemplary pastor, of humble desires, of primitive simplicity of manners, of cheerful and of hospitable disposition, after having lived to see his parish become a town, and surviving that era fourteen years, died, Nov. 4, 1804, in his 84th year. "At church, with meek and unaffected grace, His looks adorned the venerable place.' Mr. Howland's wife was a daughter of the Rev. Mr. Lewis, of Pembroke. Four sons and three daughters survived him. One of the latter is the wife of the Rev. Mr. Weld, of Braintree. One son, John, a promising young man, educated a merchant at Plymouth, died in the West Indies, early in the revolution. The youngest son continues on the paternal farm in Carver. This family is lineally descended from John Howland, who arrived at Plymouth, 1620, whose four sons settled, John at Barnstable, Joseph at Plymouth, Isaac at Middleborough, and Jabez at Bristol; from whom, and many daughters, the lineage, like that of Abraham, is spread over the land in countless numbers. Mr. Shaw, the present pastor, is a graduate of Brown University, 1805, and officiates one sabbath in three at the South Meadow district, or precinct, where, also, Rev. Abraham Cummings, (baptist) a graduate of the same university, preaches the interval sabbaths. Baptists began to appear in this section of the town about 1761. In the old meeting-house, before Mr. Howland, it was, that Mr. Nathaniel Gardner, an usher of a school in Boston, a scholar and a wit, occasionally preached. His sab. bath was passed here; but his social week at Plymouth, to and from which he usually travelled on foot. The late Rev. A, Crosswell, of Boston, also, supplied the pulpit at the South Meadows, incidentally, during the revo. lution. In the vicinity of this latter place of worship, there is a pleasant view of Samson's Pond;, it is near the centre of the town, on the Rochester and Wareham road. Carver is an healthy town. The annual bill of mortality varies from three to twenty deaths; the last number applies to 1815. The average is stated at twelve. Con sumption is the prevalent disease. Of the influenza, which has prevailed, (autumn of 1815,) several aged people have died. This last remark applies also to Plymouth, in a peculiar manner, in November, where there were fifteen deaths in that month, chiefly aged females. Those on the poor list in Carver are few, sometimes not one, partially six or more. NOTES ON HALIFAX. ABOUT the year 1733, some of the inhabitants of the north of Plympton, the north-east of Middleborough, and the south of Pembroke, built a meeting-house, and became incorporated as the town of Halifax,* July, 1734. It is bounded northerly by Pembroke, east and south by Plympton, south by Middleborough, and west by Bridgewater; twelve miles distant from Plymouth W. and from Boston by the shortest route, thirty-two S. S. E. Hav. ing a large pond in these bounds, with much swamp and low meadow, the population is not in proportion to the given contents, which may be near four miles square. Its outline, however, is irregular, insulating, as it were, whole farms on the Plympton border, the result doubtless of diversity of sentiment as to location in 1754. The original growth was walnut, oak, múch white pine, some pitch pine, and white cedar. King's cedar swamp, of 200 acres, is in this town, with a part, say 60 acres, of the Pembroke great cedar swamp, which contains 1000 acres. Saw mills were early erected, and the first generation were not so much an agricultural people as otherwise. Sawing boards and plank, procuring masts, ranging timber, and the making of shingles for exportation, were early employments, and are yet pursued, modified and controlled by circumstances. Jones' River Landing, Plymouth, Duxbury, There was a period in colonial history, when many towns in British America adopted this name, probably in compliment to the Earl of Halifax, or, it may be, in some instances, from a town of that name in England. |