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sex, afterwards set off to Maine, and in Ipswich in 

 1640. 



In the same year the General Court under the new code 

 granted to Joseph Jenks of Lynn, the exclusive right of 

 erecting mills to [be worked by water for all purposes. 

 This Joseph Jenks was a remarkable man, and more than 

 any one man gave that prominence in manufactures to 

 Essex County which she has maintained to the present. 

 He came to Lynn about 1640, probably with Mr. Winthrop, 

 and engaged in the manufacture of iron ; it is well said of 

 him that he was the Tubal Cain of New England, a won- 

 derful inventor and artificer, and deserves to be held in 

 perpetual remembrance as the first founder who worked in 

 brass and iron in the western world ; by his hands the first 

 models were made, and the first castings taken of many 

 domestic implements, and iron tools ; he was the first to 

 make hollow castings. He constructed grinding mills, saw 

 mills, and for iron working. He contracted with the 

 selectmen of Boston to build a fire engine. He made the 

 dies in 1653 for the new coinage of Massachusetts. He 

 was expert at wire drawing, but the invention of his that 

 comes nearest to us as farmers, was in the design and con- 

 struction of scythes ; the only scythe in use in England or 

 on the continent, was a short thick instrument like a brush 

 scythe ; he lengthened and lightened it, and stiffened the 

 back by welding on a rib of iron, and no essential change 

 in scythes to the present time has been made on the in- 

 vention of Joseph Jenks, two hundred and forty years ago. 

 I dwell on this man and his achievements as belonging to 

 the City of Lynn in the County of Essex. 



In 1646 a general Market and Fair was established at 

 Lynn. The fisheries off the coast, carried on by boats 

 from Salem, Gloucester, Cape Ann, and especially Marble- 

 head, had become most valuable and important, and as 

 earl}' as 1633, so well established, on account of the great 

 size and goodness of the fish at " Marble Harbor," after- 

 wards Marblehead, that shiploads were cured, salted and 



