History of Amesbury - Merrill.org

HISTORY OF AMESBURY. 21
at the Ferry. The lime was very strong and made durable,
hard walls.
The East parish records contain the following: "1750 then
received of Ephraim Weed Eight pounds five shillings old tenor
for the spindle of the meeting house." What this spindle was,
there is nothing further to show.
The Amesbury Friends contributed ^11 this year towards
repairing the Boston meeting house.
1751.
The record is deficient this year, the annual meeting not
being recorded on the book.
William Challis being chosen constable, as he thought, before
his turn, refused to take the oath and was fined £4. He gave
his note, but his friends thought he had been badly treated
and applied to the selectmen to call a town meeting to con-
sider the matter, but were met with a refusal. Application
was then made to a justice, who issued a call for a meet-
ing. This meeting ordered the note given up, and the unpleas-
ant affair was ended.
The great event of the year was the change of the calendar
by Parliament. The first day of January was made the begin-
ning of the year in all future time. In the old style reckoning,
January was the eleventh month and February the twelfth.
Moses Sargent is captain of the second company and Rich-
ard Kelley, lieutenant. The commission of the latter was signed
by Lieut. -Governor Shirley July 18th, and is now in the posses-
sion of Mr. Giles M. Kelley, a descendant.
Theodore Hoyt and Thomas Colby petitioned the town to
grant them a piece of land near Mr. Giddeon Lowell's wharf
for a ship-yard and to set a workshop on. The other yards
were occupied, no doubt, and here was a convenient place.
The petition was granted.
Jonathan Pierpont and John Hickey were school-masters this
year.
1752.
The poor were provided for in the usual way at 2 s. per
week, lawful money. Seventy pounds were raised for town
expenses. 28
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