102 



dividing line between Georgetown and Groveland. These 

 were of different widths ; the boundaries of most of them 

 can now be easily ascertained, and any one acquainted in 

 town can designate with sufficient accuracy the place 

 where the first people lived, and the land they occupied. 

 Although meetings of the settlers were probably held from 

 the beginning, yet the first on record was on the 20th 

 Feb., 1668-9. The name then given was Merrimac, after- 

 wards called Rowley village on the Merrimac; Jan. 7, 

 1672-3, they voted to take the name of Bradford and 

 incorporated under that appellation about 1675. 



The first congregational church was constituted Dec. 

 27, 1682. Zachariah Symnies, a native of Churlestown 

 and a graduate of Harvard in the class of 1657, was the 

 first pastor, and was succeeded by his son, Thomas 

 Sy mmes. 



On the seventeenth of June, 1726, the town was divided 

 into town parishes and this portion was set off as the East 

 Precinct, and incorporated as a distinct municipality, 

 March 8, 1750, under the name of Grovelaud. 



The first parish meeting was held July 4, 1726 ; on 

 the 8th of November following, Rev. William Balch was 

 unanimously invited to preach with them ; he was born at 

 Beverly in 1704, graduated at Harvard College in 1724, 

 ordained in 1728, and died January 12, 1792, aged 88 

 a descendant of John Balch, one of the old planters of 

 Salem. He was succeeded by Rev. Ebenezer Dutch, a 

 native of Ipswich, a graduate of Brown in 1776, ordained 

 Nov. 17, 1779, died Aug. 4, 1813, aged 62. Rev. Gardner 

 B. Perry was the third pastor, born at Norton, Aug. 9, 

 1783, graduated at Union in 1804, settled Sept. 28, 1814, 

 and after a long and useful ministry died Dec. 16, 1859. 



Balch's woods, extending alono- the banks of the Merri- 



