L 



248 HIS TOR V OF CO HA SSE T. 



neighborhood, and sometimes even one of the selectmen 

 of the town was chosen from this precinct.* As already 

 has been mentioned, John Jacob, one of our precinct, was 

 elected to the high office of representative for Hingham, 

 at the General Court in Boston, from 1726 to 1733. 



All of these experiences in the art and methods of 

 public administration were steadily developing the Co- 

 hasset people into feelings of self-sufficiency in matters 



of government. 



^ r' In the mean time their financial strength had been grow- 



ing as well as their numbers. Their industry and econ- 

 omy was heaping up little fortunes in many homes. 



Boston's growth was furnishing a market for the prod- 

 Tice of farms, and stove wood f was shipped incessantly 

 from our harbor to keep citizens of that town warm in 

 winter. Our shipbuilding at that period may seem small 

 to modern eyes, for vessels of four tons or even as large 

 as eighty tons, such as we had in the year 1737, would not 

 cut much of a figure in modern commerce, but they were 

 large enough to bring prosperity in those days. Mackerel 

 and cod were sold at Boston by Cohasset fishermen, bring- 

 ing money into their homes. 



In the year 1737 there were eight vessels, averaging 

 twenty-two tons each, that were taxed to men of this pre- 

 cinct, while in the mother town there were only six vessels 

 owned, averaging less than twelve tons each. One hun- 

 dred and seventy-six tons of shipping belonged to this 

 precinct against sixty-nine tons in the first precinct. This 

 enterprise, so far outreaching the mother town, was an 

 element of power in bringing about the town's independ- 

 ence, for it brought sailor families here, and made ship- 



* Ibrook Tower, 1699. Stephen Stoddard, lyir. Samuel Gushing, 1731, 1732, 

 1746, 1749. Samuel Orcutt. 1733, 1734, 1736, 1741, 1742. John Jacob. 1742, 1743, 



^745- 



t One instance of the wood business is shown in a document bearing the date 

 December 23, 1727, in which one lot in the Second Division furnished one hundred 

 cords of wood to Jolin Beal, who leased it for ^40. 



^ 



