The Sterling genealogy

WILLIAM STERLING OF HAVERHILL, MASS. 249
Thomas Kimball, who were killed by " converted Indians " early
in May. Kimball's wife and children were captured and hurried
away by the savages. Haverhill suffered no further during this
war, which came to an end in 1678, although often threatened
with attack. An armed watch was kept night and day during
the whole three years.
We, of the present age, can have but a faint conception of
the sufferings of the settlers during these years and the many
following, constantly exposed to the attacks of savage hordes,
surrounded on every side by an immense and unexplored forest,
thinly scattered over a large area and isolated by three thousand
miles of water from their native soil. Communication between the
settlements was difficult as the highways were at best merely paths
or tracks, ungraded and without bridges. Appliances for carry-
ing on the various trades and. occupations were of a primitive
character and were chiefly brought from England at great ex-
pense. The houses were at first of logs. These were later sup-
planted by timbered structures, with clapboarded sides, between
the inner and outer sheeting of which bricks, brought from Europe,
were placed. There were but two brick houses in the village be-
fore 1700. One huge fireplace in the middle of the house, with
its roaring flames, kept out the cold of a rigorous climate, whose
snows sometimes fell in early September. One of these fireplaces
would hold from six to seven cords of wood and sixty to seventy
cords of hickory or other hardwood were needed for the winter's
supply.
Cattle and sheep were introduced at an early date, but wolves
and other wild animals were numerous and made many raids on
the small herds and flocks.
A shoemaker established himself in the village in 1679, and a
tanner somewhat earlier. A school master was employed at ir-
regular intervals until 1686, when a schoolhouse was built near
the meeting-house.
Two orchards were set out in 1650 among the stumps of the
clearings. Isaac Cousins asked admission to the town in 1 650
to set up a blacksmith shop but it was not until several years
later that a smith settled there.