The Sterling genealogy

WILLIAM STERLING OF HAVERHILL, MASS. 243
The history of this building is thus given in the Essex An-
tiquarian, Vol. Ill, pp. 167-8:
The town conveyed to William Sterling, a ship carpenter,
this lot of about twelve acres before 1683. He sold to Francis
Wainwright eleven acres of it (that part above the house), April
24, 1683, and it soon after came into the hands of Capt. John
Wainwright. Mr. Sterling conveyed the rest of the lot and the
house to Capt. Wainwright and removed to Lyme, Conn.
Cornet James Pecker of Haverhill was an innholder and had
kept a public house in town for several years. He bought this
estate of Capt. Wainwright, May 16, 1717. Mr. Pecker apparently
erected a brick dwelling house just south of the old house
soon after his purchase and removed to it. Some years later
he turned over to his son John the business of a public house and
resumed his original occupation of farming. He conveyed this
estate, with the houses and barns, to John, Feb. 14, 1729-30.
John Pecker conveyed the old house and a small lot to Grant
Webster of Haverhill, a trader, March 26, 1748, and just four
years later Mr. Webster sold them to Benjamin Harrod of Bos-
ton, brazier.
Mr. Harrod died about 1781 and his son Joseph came into
possession of the property and for many years conducted there
in the inn known as the " Mason's Arms," its sign board consisting
of a painting representing the Freemasons' arms. Here Washington
stayed on his visit east in 1789. Mr. Harrod died and his
heirs conveyed the premises to Phineas Foster, a merchant of
Boston, Jan. 13, 1830. Mr. Foster died soon after and Dec. 31,
1836, his heirs sold them to James H. Duncan.
Mr. Duncan conveyed the house and middle of the lot to the
town May 8, 1847. The house was then demolished and the townhouse
built upon the site the same year.
John Pecker lived in the brick house and died possessed of it
in 1757. A part was assigned to the widow as dower and the
rest was occupied by Matthew Soley as a tavern in 1763. This
house was situated on Main Street, about a hundred feet south-
east of the city hall. Subsequently passing through many vie
situdes of conveyances, inheritances, mortgages and sheriffs'
levies, the title finally came into the hands of John White just
before the great fire of Sunday, April 16, 1775, in which the
house was destroyed.
William Starling was married first, probably about 1659, to
Elizabeth , of whom we have no knowledge save that she d.