121 



fered somewhat with the proceedings of the raeetiug. In a few 

 moments, however, quiet was restored, and the Chairman, after giv- 

 ing some account of the church founded here in 1672, called upon Mr. 

 W. P. Uphani for information as to the historj^ of Giles Corey, upon 

 whose homestead this meeting was held. 



Mr. Uphaji stated that though he feared he should not be able to 

 present much that would be specially interesting, the principal facts 

 in the history of Giles Corey being probably well known to all pres- 

 ent, yet, as he had some years ago carefully studied the history of this 

 region for the purpose of ascertaining the true site of Corey's dwell- 

 ing house, he might be able to give some information on this point. 

 In strolling over these fields and pastures to-day he had found pleasure 

 not only from the contemplation of the quiet and peaceful scenery of 

 hill and dale, and the alternate views of forest and cleai-ing, so charm- 

 ing to the eye, but from the associations that cluster round the place. 

 Names are called to mind of men who lived here long ago, men of 

 strong character, pioneers in the civilization of that day. To them 

 these scenes were rendered familiar and dear through long years of 

 toil and honorable endurance. 



Our place of meeting to-day is at the very centre of what was once 

 the homestead farm of Giles Corey, one of the martyrs of the Witch- 

 craft Delusion of 1692. His first home in Salem was in a house which 

 vpas situated near the Town Bridge, as it was called, a little to the 

 northwest of the corner of Boston and Federal streets. There are 

 indications that the western part of the town was first settled by a 

 class of persons specially inclined to differ in religious affairs from 

 those having the control of the church ; possibly this may have first 

 taken place under the leadership of Koger Williams, who lived, in 

 1635, in the house now standing on the west corner of Essex and 

 North streets. However this may be, investigations recently made, 

 show that among the families living during the earliest years between 

 North street and the Town Bridge, were those of Verren, Phelps, 

 Trusler, Kitchen, Cotta, Keeves, Morey, Pease, Shattuck, Gardner, 

 Needham, Byshop, Moulton, Bufi'um, Alderman, Flint and Southwick; 

 all of them more or less conspicuous as conscientious opponents of 

 some of the religipus doctrines of their time, and some of them well 

 known in history as fearless defenders of their own peculiar faith. 

 Giles Corey's nearest neighbor, before he removed to this farm, was 

 Lawrence Southwick, whose daughter has been immortalized by 

 Whittier for her heroic exhibition of that same spirit of unyielding 

 devotion which afterwards cost poor Giles Corey his life. 



In 16G0 Corey purchased of Robert Goodell, fifty acres of land, which 

 had been originally granted to Edward Giles, and also about sixty 

 acres more of the heirs of John Alderman. In the fall of the prece- 



EssEX Inst. Bulletin. ii 10 



