Part 7 (1/2)
Richard Dummer removed to Newbury in the spring or summer of 1635, and other grants of land were subsequently made to him. It is a little difficult to determine the precise boundaries, on account of the scanty records. A short time before his death he executed deeds for his sons that showed him to be the owner of most of the uplands and marshes bordering on the south side of the river Parker, a tract more than three miles in length and including most of the extensive marshes, a.s.sembling a farm of three hundred and thirty acres. Whether he had more land or not is uncertain, but it is known that it never exceeded five hundred acres.
Since the early grant this farm has been in the family, Richard Dummer making his first home on Newbury Neck on the place that was known as Mr.
Dummer's farm. A very rich and benevolent man, he contributed much toward the growth of Newbury, being elected one of the a.s.sistants of the colony in 1635 and re-elected in 1636, taking the highest office with the exception of governor and deputy-governor. He was an ardent supporter of Governor Sir Harry Vane, taking active part in the election of 1637 which resulted in Vane's defeat. Although he was disarmed, with seventy-two others, he was not removed from the colony.
Richard Dummer was an unusual man. Manifesting no resentment at his treatment, two years afterwards, when Winthrop, owing to his impoverishment, called for contributions, Dummer gave one hundred pounds,--more than one-fifth of that contributed in the colony. Two of his sons, Richard and Jeremiah, became very prominent, the former living on the farm by the falls and the latter becoming a judge. It was this Jeremiah who was the father of the governor, William Dummer, and also of Jeremiah, Jr., who was graduated from Harvard in 1699.
At this period the names of the students were arranged in the catalogue in rank of family, and Jeremiah's headed the list. He was also the first scholar in his cla.s.s and was spoken of by President Mather as the best scholar ever at the college. He was very prominent all his life.
Bancroft, speaking of him, said: ”His writings were the fruit of loyal colonial liberties and contained the seed of American independence.”
In 1687 his brother William was born in Boston. William was not a student, being educated simply at the Boston Grammar School. Enlisting in the Artillery Company in 1702, he rose to its captaincy. England was his residence for several years prior to his marriage in 1714 to Katherine, daughter of Joseph Dudley, then governor of the province and son of Thomas Dudley, one of the early governors of the colony. In 1716 Governor Dudley refused re-appointment, and Colonel Samuel Shute was appointed in his place by the Crown, who under the Province Charter reserved the right to appoint governor, lieutenant-governor, and secretary. This was a time of continual conflicts in the colony through disagreements in appointments, so that the province governors enjoyed little ease.
After an uneasy administration of six years, Governor Shute left in 1723 in disgust, remaining in England until the arrival of his successor, William Burnett, in 1728. This left Dummer in the gubernatorial chair for nearly six years.
Governor Dummer was placed in a very trying position. The Administration made it practically impossible for him to render strict and impartial judgment and give satisfaction to the people. His alliance with Dudley and Shute, however, proved no obstacle to his influence with them, for Governor Dummer was born in the province, and his education, his experience, and his family traditions were with the people. It is said of him, too, that during the critical period of his administration, his wisdom and impartiality, as well as his kind, conciliatory spirit brought about the confidence and respect of all who were thrown in contact with him.
The office of lieutenant-governor was his until 1730, when he was succeeded by Lieutenant-governor Tailer. The house in Newbury was only a summer estate, for he occupied in winter a brick house on School Street in Boston, bounded northerly on Province Street, and being separated from the Province House estate by a six-foot pa.s.sageway.
Governor Dummer was a very religious man, attending the Hollis Street Church and presenting it with an imperial folio Bible in two volumes, richly bound in rich crimson Levant morocco, splendidly gilt on the edges and elaborately tooled by the bookbinders. It was presented on condition that it should be read as a part of the Divine service, and at the present day retains its former richness of color and gilding. The paper is rich and smooth and creamy as though just made, while the size and clearness of type are a comfort to any minister's eyes. After Dummer's death he was buried in the Granary Burying Ground on Tremont Street, Boston.
Governor Dummer was a man of great firmness, strict integrity, and warm benevolence. In civil and administrative affairs he showed a rare combination of qualities, leading his administration to be spoken of by Dudley as the ”wise administration of Dummer.”
[Ill.u.s.tration: PLATE XLII.--Dummer Mansion, Byfield, Ma.s.s.]
The Dummer Mansion, which is situated in Byfield, then Newbury, Ma.s.sachusetts is prominently connected with the town's history, being one of the most notable colonial homes in New England. It was built by Governor Dummer about 1715 on a farm which was given him by his father on October 15, 1713, a few months before his marriage. It is a fine specimen of the houses of that day, showing brick sides and resembling in architecture the Royall House at Medford, Ma.s.sachusetts.
Just after he and his bride took up their abode in the newly completed mansion, a housewarming was held. Governor Dummer, so the legend runs, was a famous horseman, and on this occasion he is said to have dashed up the broad front staircase to the second floor, mounted on a magnificent white charger, much to the consternation of the guests. This event took place in the month of August in the time of the full moon, and tradition relates that he repeats this performance even unto the present day whenever in August there are two full moons, riding forth on the occasion of the first full moon and charging up the stairs and down again.
In the kitchen of the mansion house on several occasions a little child appeared. Whenever the apartment was left vacant, the next person to come in would find a little golden-haired, blue-eyed girl about five years of age, balancing herself upon the door-sill and peeping in and out just as a real child naturally would do at play. She was never seen in any other part of the house. Where she came from no one ever knew.
She always appeared in the same doorway and after standing awhile would vanish. She became so familiar to the people of the house that they called her Elizabeth. She had such a pleasant, smiling face that even the most timid person felt no fear of her.
During the oiling of the kitchen floor a child's ring was discovered in a crack where it had lain for years. In trying to get it out, a secret spring was seen and a trap-door was disclosed. On opening it, an old ladder was revealed, leading to the s.p.a.ce below, but it fell to fragments at a touch. The cellar underneath was explored. In a secret recess was a small chamber not larger than a grave. Inside was a large, round, cheese box, which contained the bones of a child. These were properly buried, and the apparition ceased to appear.
In the slave quarters, which were in the ell of the mansion house, the slaves were chained each night to prevent their escaping. The rings to which the chains were attached were to be seen until quite recently, and when the wind was right, the clanking of the chains could plainly be heard.
Outside the house on the green, so the story runs, a duel was fought by an English officer and a gentleman over an affront concerning Madam Dummer. The English officer was killed, and tradition relates that he appeared subsequently. He was clad in epaulets and gold lace, wandering about as if in search of his adversary. He always wore an amazingly large, powdered white wig and carried a dress sword in its sheath, as on the occasion of the fateful encounter.
[Ill.u.s.tration: PLATE XLIII.--Doorway, Dummer Mansion; Hallway, Dummer Mansion.]
The present mansion, remodelled, is to-day a famous landmark. It is considered an excellent example of a colonial home, with its pitched roof, its huge stone chimneys covered with mortar, its dormer windows, and its Georgian porch. One enters through the wide doors into a n.o.ble hallway extending entirely through the house, the woodwork showing fine panelling of white pine. The box stairs rise by easy treads to the wide landing, where a colonial window gives light to the apartment. At the foot of the staircase is an arch, a great ornament to the hallway. The bal.u.s.ters are hand-carved, the newel post being plain. The bal.u.s.ters and stairs are of mahogany and the furniture is Windsor.
Opening from the hall at the right are double parlors. On the wall hangs a fine portrait of Governor Dummer and his wife, Katherine Dudley. The portrait of the governor is in oil by Smibert, while a copy of it by the late Frederick Vinton is in the Senate Chamber of the State House in Boston. The parlor shows woodwork in place of plastering or paper. The old shutters have been carefully preserved as have the window-seats. The furniture is of the colonial type, including Chippendale and Windsor pieces.
[Ill.u.s.tration: PLATE XLIV.--Dining Room, Dummer Mansion; Den, Dummer Mansion.]
[Ill.u.s.tration: PLATE XLV.--Two Views of the Living Room, Dummer Mansion.]
Opposite the parlor is the living-room, with its fine carvings shown in the mantel. This carving is done in wood and not in French putty glued on, as is the case with many ornamentations. Although there is fine panelling and woodwork in this room, it shows plaster and paper as well.