Графични страници
PDF файл
ePub

The Town House is situated in Town Square. The Alms House, built of brick, is situated on Town Brook. Pilgrim Hall has been already described.

CHURCHES. There are two Congregational Societies in the village,-one at Monomet Ponds, one at Eel River; one Episcopalian, one Baptist, one Universalist, and one Christian Society.

ERRATA. The date of the deaths of Rose Standish and Wm. Mullins, p. 12, should read 1621 instead 1620-Edward Everett's Oration of Dec. 20, 1826, p. 26, should read Dec. 22nd, 1824-The age of Hon. John Howland, as named on p. 42, should read in the 95th instead of the 89th-The name of Wm. Crow, on p. 42, should read Wm. Crowe-The aggregate, 64,735, on p. 97, should read 64,835.

NOTE. The length of Leyden Street, as mentioned by De Rasieres, in his letter, p. 116, erroneous, the actual measurement being 385 yards. There seems also an error, p. 114, in the estimated width of the Sand Bank, or Beach, no part of which is even now so narrow as 20 paces.

13

APPENDIX.

EARLY CORRESPONDENCE OF THE PILGRIMS.

The following letters have been obtained, by special request, from the venerable Judge Mitchell, of Bridgewater, whose well known research has so greatly promoted the illustration of our early history. The early domestic correspondence between the Pilgrims is mostly lost, and for that reason alone to say nothing of the excellent spirit they manifest, these letters are highly interesting. The note of explanation, which follows the letters, was prepared by Judge Mitchell.

Loving and kind Uncle

My hearty and kind salutation I do here desire to tender unto you hoping and wishing your and your's well being both in soul and body. shall here communicate unto you a sad dispensation of the Lord toward me, in the taking away from me out of this life my most dear and tender mother, the which unto me indeed is a great loss, not only missing her most tender affection to me and over me, the which is very much, but also the godly example of piety, by the which, as by her counsel and godly persuasions she did labor to bring me, and us all here with her, to see and experience more and more the sweetness of walking in the ways of God, in obeying of him and in keeping close unto him, the missing of which you may easily judge cannot but be sad unto us here. Nevertheless we do desire, seeing it thus is the will of our God to administer unto us, having appointed unto all once to die, to labor to be contented, and to submit unto the will of our God considering the goodness of the Almighty even in this providence, the which, had it been long before, would have been more sad, in respect of my minority and young years; it being always her desire to see me to come to age before she should depart this life, the which mercy the Lord hath granted unto us, for I am now 23 years of age, and able sundry years ago, through the mercy and goodness of the Lord my God, to subsist in the world by my father's trade, the which indeed is a good consideration, and gives me occasion to awaken my soul and yet to be thankful to God, especially when I mind the sadness she was in of late being very weakly, out of which the Lord has delivered her, having taken her out of this sad and toilsome life, a world of misery, and has brought her to the kingdom of his dear son, to an inheritance, immortal in light. She deceased this life on the 25 March, 1662. Thus, most loving uncle, I have communicated my sad thoughts, and do further aequaint you, that I have received a letter from you, bearing date 23 April, 1661, in the which I understand concerning all your healths, at the hearing of which I am very glad. I do also wish my cousin Elizabeth much joy with her daughter that God has given her to her 6 sons. I do also wish my cousin Sarah much joy in her married estate. And as touching your enclosed letter, for Mr. Preserved May, I have delivered it and do return an answer. And now as touching my two sisters, and their husbands and children, they are well, and do most heartily remember their loves unto you and their cousins, and I pray remember me most kindly to your wife and unto all my loving cousins, the which by name I cannot. I also pray you, Uncle, do so much as to present my respicts and my sisters' and their husbands' to my aunt Jean Gunn and my cousin Joseph, and acquaint her concerning my dear mother's departing. I would have writ to her also, but I wanted time, the ship being to go away;

and pray my Aunt and cousin to write and not to fail. And I pray do you also not fail to write, and so, commending you all to the Lord's tuition, I rest and remain wherever I am,

Your very loving cousin,

In Amsterdam, 24 July 1662. THOMAS MITCHELL. Uncle, yet a word, the which perhaps you have not heard of, the which is the decase of Mr. John May, and Uncle Dickens, who died both about half a year since.

The superscription is For to be delivered unto his loving uncle Mr. Experience Mitchell, dwelling in Duxbury town, New England. To be sent.'

[Written probably in the early part of 1690.]

Loving cousin, Edward Mitchell.

Sir. Your letters of July and October 1689 are come well to hand, and I am very glad to hear of your welfare, as also that there is a way discovered of sending letters with much more security of not misbearing than heretofore, for truly it cannot but be a desirable thing for friends to converse one with another, the which, when it cannot be personal, as ours cannot. Providence having otherwise disposed of the bounds of our habitations, then to supply by letter what cannot otherwise be done. And the more desirable is it to maintain correspondence with such as are not alone tied in friendship together by the bonds of nature, but have besides that, and above that, a better and nearer, yea a lastinger nearness and relation one unto another, to wit, such as are children of one father, have one Saviour, and life by one Spirit, being by the same all joined together to that one body whereof Christ our Lord is head, and have all one divine nature, and shall all meet together and be ever with the Lord. These things unite better than natural ties, and truly wanting]-for in your lines I perceived a favoring and a relishing of the things of God. The Lord maintain, keep up, and perfect the good work he hath begun, and that to the day of the Lord. Your kind token, the otter's skin, I received, and thank you heartily for it. As for trade together I at present say only this to it, that there requires more estate than I have; besides that little that God in his mercy hath given me is employed in a stocking trade; but that which is of great consideration also is, that I am informed there are sometimes great losses by New England commodities. This is all I can say to it at present, but if time should present-[the rest of the letter is wanting, but there is on the back of it the following postscript.] Cousin, I here, by Mr. John Carter send you two fowling pieces, they say very good and exact. They cost eleven gilders a piece; the one accept as a token. As to the estate of things in Europe, they are full of confusion, and it looks bad with religion. But the time is coming, when God has accomplished his work on Mount Zion, that he will reckon with their and his enemies, and then will their deliverance be. Even so let it be, O Lord. One more farewell in the Lord. THOMAS MITCHELL.

The two foregoing letters were copied from the originals, in the hands of William Mitchell, now (March 9, 1851,) living in Bridgewater, in his 91st year, and who is of the 6th generation from Experience, inclusive. Copied by N. M., who is in his 83rd year, and of the 5th generation from Experience, inclusive.

Experience lived and died at Joppa, in E. Bridgewater, and on the farm now owned by Charles Mitchell, great, great grandson of Experience, and which has remained in the family from the beginning; each descendant before Charles, viz. ; Edward, Edward, Cushing, lived and died on the same farm, and the wills of all, Experience included, are preserved.

« ПредишнаНапред »