52 



parcel of land wliich was John AVooclbiiry's in the old 

 planter's marsh, and all right of commonage the town 

 might have claimed, to him and his heirs forever ;'' 

 and, in 1658, to Wm. Hathorue "the town's right and 

 privileges in the planter's marsh," and he gave a deed of 

 release to Francis Skerry in 1659, and to Walter Price in 

 1666; This interest which the town disposed of, may 

 have been acquired when that peaceful settlement of con- 

 flicting rights was made between Endicott and Conant, 

 which gave the name of Salem to the town. 



We have thus brought together all that we have been 

 able to learn as to the early history of this locality ; and 

 we think these facts all tend to show that the Old 

 Planters did not build their first houses there, but, proba- 

 bly before the arrival of Endicott, had made use, in com- 

 mon, of the marsh land there, as a convenient place for 

 r{iadily obtaining salt hay, at that time of great import- 

 ance to them ; the town reserving the right to use it also 

 for that purpose, at certain seasons of the year. At 

 al)out the time when Koger Conaut removed to Beverly, 

 they seem to have divided it among themselves, subject 

 to the rights of the town. AVe are inclined to think that 

 the land in that vicinity was not appropriated for house- 

 lots till after Beverly and Ipswich were settled ; that is, 

 about the year 1634, or 1635. 



The manner in which the house-lots in the central part 

 of the town were originally laid out, seems to indicate 

 that the earliest settlement was made in the vicinity of 

 Elm street and Washington street upon the South River. 

 Between these streets the lots were small, irregular, and 

 not in conformity with the plan upon which the rest of 

 the town was laid out. East of there, all along the South 

 Kiver to the Neck, house-lots were laid out running back 

 from the river ; and along the North River, west of 



