ay. 
PF 
a , 
Vol. I. 
NORTH SHORE BREEZE 
A:WEEKLY- JOURNAL DEVOTED-TO-THE: BEST: INTERESTS-OFTHENORTHSHORE 
No. 38 
BEVERLY, MASS., SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 1905 
Three Cents 
MANCHESTER OF OLD. 
Wealthy North Shore Town Once Sought 
Aid From the General Court. 
Manchester, the ‘ picturesque little 
town by the sea,” the wealthiest town 
in the county and one of the wealthiest 
in the State, with a valuation of more 
than $10,000,000, was not always so 
well-to-do, for in 1685, according to 
some old State records, the seventeen 
poor families then constituting the 
town, or parish, petitioned the General 
Court for aid. 
Humble, indeed, were the few fam- 
ilies of Allens and Leaches, who were 
huddled together in their thatched- 
roof houses on the very spot where 
now millionaires and multi-millionaires 
have built costly mansions, 
The summer of 1685 had not been a 
very successful one. The fishing trade 
‘amounted to naught, the crops had 
been small, and what little money the 
settlers had made must pay the taxes 
‘to the county — for ‘* Cripple Creek’”’ 
has only recently been set off as a 
town. Hunger stared the handful of 
colonists in the face, and they stood 
“in need of relief.” 
‘A petition, signed by Samuel Allen, 
sr., Samuel Leach, John Sibly and’ 
‘ALMSHOUSE, MANCHESTER. 
The accompanying-picture is of the 
Almshouse, Manchester Cove, where 
the town’s poor are cared for. The 
. building has recently been remodelled 
within, a system of heating installed, 
and the house made a veritable home 
Photo by Cheever. 
of comfort for the few who are cared 
for there. In the foreground stands 
Keeper George Haskell and the old 
white horse which has done service 
for the town for a quarter of a 
century. 
Robert Leach, was forwarded to the 
General Court, which in return recom- 
mended that the neighboring churches 
give aid: 
This petition is a very interesting 
article, and will, undoubtedly, be pre- 
served by the Manchester Historical 
society. . 
Rev. D. F. Lamson evidently was 
not aware of its existence when he 
compiled the History of Manchester, 
in 1895. 
Town Clerk Alfred S. Jewett of 
Manchester, who is always deeply in- 
terested in matters of this kind, while 
ferreting among some old ‘papers in 
the Historical and Genealogical rooms 
on Somerset street, Boston, last week, 
came across this petition in an old 
magazine, the writer of which had 
discovered the original petition among 
some old State papers years before. 
Mr. Jewett copied the article, and 
gives it to the BREg&zE for publication. 
It follows : 
To the hon’ rd Generall Court held at 
Boston 16th: 12th mo, 1085 — S6. 
The humble Petitioners many yeares 
senc, by our Prediscessers, having ob- 
tained of your Predisesserrs favour of 
the’ honr’d General] Court of this 
Colony, that they might be erected a 
vilidge or township, hoping thereby. 
that wee might have bin in a beter 
Capacity, then now wee are in, for a 
more Comfortable discharge of our 
duty towards God and the Country, 
but our Predisesers and wee also, 
being disapointed in that which was 
thought might be in the greatest 
measure the makeing or upholding of 
our township, viz. : the Fishing trade ; 
and indeed huveng hopes that we 
might have obtained bennefit thereby, 
both to our selves and the Country, 
our Predisesers thought the Acomo- 
dations which was Granted unto them 
might be suteable : but mising of our 
expectation thereby, and in regard of 
the smallness of our Acomodations, 
and the meanes thereof, and the 
Lownes of the perticuller Estate of 
those few that are Inhabitants therein, 
