History of Newburyport, (Essex County) Massachusetts United States of America

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Local History Notes:

NEWBURYPORT, a city, port of entry, and one of the capitals of Essex county, Massachusetts, 84 miles N. by E. from Boston, is situated on the right bank of the Merrimack river, and at the union of the Newburyport with the Eastern railroad. Lat. 42° 48' 32" N., lon. 70° 52' 47" W. It stands on a gentle acclivity, commanding a beautiful prospect, and is laid out with great regularity, in the form of a parallelogram. Near its centre, at an elevation of 60 feet above the surface of the river, is a small pond, comprising an area of about 6 acres. This has been surrounded with a wall and terraced promenade, rendering it one of the most attractive features of the place. The harbor of Newburyport is spacious and safe, but obstructed at its entrance by a shifting sandbar. The town is considered one of the pleasantest in New England. The principal public buildings are the custom house, a large granite structure with an elegant Grecian portico; the court house; the new city hall, a beautiful edifice, cost $35,000, and the churches, of which there are 16 of the various denominations. Besides 18 primary and 10 grammar schools, there are 2 liberally endowed free schools. The Putnam free school, dedicated April 12th, 1848, has a permanent fund of $50,000, the income of which is appropriated to the benefit of pupils, without regard to residence. The newspaper press consists of 2 daily, a semi-weekly, and a weekly issue. The city contains a Lyceum provided with lectures, and an excellent library, just established. Gas light has recently been introduced.

Newburyport formerly suffered severe commercial reverses, but for many years past its trade, both foreign and coastwise, has been steadily increasing. The shipping of the port June 30th, 1852, amounted to an aggregate of 20,308 45/95 tons registered, and 9121 89/95 tons enrolled and licensed. Of the latter, 1547 25/95 tons were employed in the coast trade. and 7574 64/95 tons in the cod and mackerel fisheries. The foreign arrivals for the year were 110 (tons, 9231,) of which 95 (tons, 5839) were by foreign vessels. The clearances for foreign ports were 116?tons, 10,140, of which 6995 tons were in foreign bottoms. During the year, 15 vessels, (8 of them ships,) with an aggregate burthen of 6137 60/95 tons were admeasured.

There are in the city 5 manufacturing corporations, employing an aggregate capital of $1,180,000, and from 1500 to 1600 hands. The principal articles are cotton goods, of which about 12,000,000 yards are annually produced. There are also manufactures of iron, machinery, leather, boots, shoes, &c. Incorporated as a town in 1734; and in 1851 chartered as a city, including in its limits two adjoining villages. There are 3 banks, with an aggregate capital of $650,000, and a savings institution, with deposits amounting to about $600,000. The celebrated George Whitefield died in Newburyport, September 30th, 1770. Pop., in 1850, 11,318; in 1853, about 13,000.

Biographies:

William Stedman, representative, born in Cambridge, Mass., baptized, Jan. 20, 1765. He was graduated from Harvard, A.B., 1784, A.M., 1784; was admitted to the bar in 1787, and began practice in Worcester. He was married in 1790, to Almy, daughter of William and Ann (Remington) Ellery of Newport, R.I. He was clerk of the supreme judicial court at Worcester for several years; a representative in the state legislature in 1802, and a Federalist representative from Massachusetts in the 8th-llth congresses, 1803-10, resigning in 1810. He died at Newburyport, Mass., Aug. 31, 1831.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

Theophilus Bradbury, jurist, was born at Newbury, Mass., Nov. 13, 1739. He was graduated from Harvard college in 1757, taught at Falmouth, Me., and was admitted to the bar in 1761. He remained in Maine for eighteen years, and then returned to his native town, where he became prominent in politics. He served in both branches of the state legislature, and was elected a representative in the 4th U. S. Congress, was re-elected to the 5th Congress, and resigned in 1797 to become a judge of the supreme court of Massachusetts. He was a presidential elector in 1801, and died in Newburyport, Mass., Sept. 6, 1803.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

Samuel Lorenzo Knapp, author, was born in Newburyport, Mass., Jan. 19, 1783. He was graduated from Dartmouth college, A.B., 1804, A.M., 1807, studied law with Theophilus Parsons in Boston, Mass., and engaged in practice in that city. He enlisted in the war of 1812, and commanded a regiment of militia on the coast defences. He was editor of the Boston Gazette in 1824, conducted the Boston Monthly Magazine, and established the National Republican in 1826. The latter magazine failed in 1828, and Mr. Knapp removed to New York city, where he continued in the practice of his profession. The University of Paris conferred upon him the honorary degree of LL.D. He is the author of: Travels in North America by Ali Bey (1818); Biographical Sketches of Eminent Lawyers, Statesmen and Men of Letters (1821); Memoirs of General Lafayette (1824); The Genius of Freemasonry (1828); Discourse on the Life and Character of De Witt Clinton (1828); Lectures on American Literature (1829); Sketches of Public Characters by Ignatius Loyola Robertson, LL.D. (1830); American Biography (1833); Life of Thomas Eady (1834); Advice in the Pursuit of Literature (1835); Memoir of the Life of Daniel Webster (1835); Life of Aaron Burr (1835); Life of Andrew Jackson (1835); The Bachelor and Other Tales (1836); Female Biography (1843). He also edited: Hinton's History of the United States (1834); The Library of American History (1837). He died in Hopkinton, Mass., July 8, 1838.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

William Morton Payne, educator and critic, was born in Newburyport, Mass., Feb. 14, 1858; son of Henry Morton and Emma Merrill (Tilton) Payne; grandson of Joel and Eunice (Lane) Payne, and of William and Elizabeth (Merrill) Tilton, and a descendant of William Payne, who came from England to Massachusetts Bay in 1635, during the Puritan emigration, and settled at Watertown. He removed to Chicago, Ill., in 1868, and attended the public schools, but was mainly self-educated. He was assistant librarian of the Chicago public library, 1874-76, and taught in the high schools of Chicago, 1876-1901. He was chairman of the committee on the philological congress, Chicago, in 1893; president of the Chicago French club, 1887-90, and secretary and treasurer of the Chicago Twentieth Century club, 1889-1901. He was lecturer on English literature at the University of Wisconsin in 1900. He was literary editor of the Chicago Morning News 1884-88, and of the Chicago Evening Journal 1888-92, and became associate editor of the Dial in 1892. He was prominent as a literary critic, chiefly of the modern English, French, German, Italian and Scandinavian languages, and is the author of: The New Education (1884); Little Leaders (1895); a translation of Bj?rnson's Sigurd Slembe (1888), and of J?ger's Henrik Ibsen (1890; new ed., with additions, 1901); and Editorial Echoes (1902). He edited "English in American Universities" (1895), and contributed many articles to the leading magazines.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor