THE RETROSPECT OF THE YEAR. 131 



charge of the settlement. A charter was obtained in 1629 

 from King Charles to the company, giving powers of gov- 

 ernment. Encouraged by the new grant from the king, 

 large additions were made to the company by non-conform- 

 ists from different purts of England, including many of the 

 gentry and wealthy merchants, with a view to a large emi- 

 gration. Winthrop was elected governor and large prep- 

 arations were made for the great emigrations which took 

 place in the spring of 1630, when some fifteen hundred 

 people came over. In regard to the establishment of an 

 Independent church here, Mr. Northend said it was with 

 the knowledge and consent of the king. 



Monday, March 17, 1890. Mr. James F. Almy de- 

 livered a lecture upon "The Quaker ascendancy in the 

 town of Adams, Mass." The Quakers of Cape Cod and 

 Providence Plantations went to Adams from 1776 to 1800, 

 buying out the original settlers. Many of these Quakers 

 were of illustrious English ancestry. They brought with 

 them to Adams a home life which was perfect, for its divi- 

 sion of labor rendered them independent of every other 

 home. They could make everything they needed. The 

 adult membership of the society was over one hundred, 

 and the affiliated membership was twice as great. The 

 children of Friends are members of the society by right of 

 birth. The Friends started a free school system there. 

 At Adams they found conditions very different from those 

 of our day. No progress had been made in manufactures. 

 It was an age of handicraft when every home was a scene 

 of constant, intense industry ; every family must produce 

 everything necessary to itself, when the land produced not 

 only the food, but the staples for clothing. The women 

 spun and wove the flax and wool, dyed the web and made 

 the garments, while carrying on the thousand interests of 



ESSEX INST. BULLETIN, VOL. XXII 9 



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