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HISTORIC
SALEM INC
2 ½ Essex Street
Salem, MA
Built for
John Waters
Carpenter & Mariner
And wife
Mary Felt
1850
Researched and written by Amy Kellett and Robert Booth, Public History Services Inc.
December 2019
Historic Salem, Inc.
9 North Street
Salem, MA 01970
(978) 745-0799 I historicsalem.org
©2019
�Owners & Occupants
Two and A Half Essex Street, Salem
By Amy Kellett & Robert Booth, Public History Services Inc., December 2019.
According to available evidence, this house was built for John Waters,
carpenter & mariner, and wife Mary Felt, in 1850.
On July 30, 1840, Nathaniel Weston, Salem merchant (and wife Christiana), for
$235 sold to John Waters Jr., Salem merchant mariner, a dwelling house and land
on Essex street which Captain Weston had bought of the estate of his
mother-in-law, Christiana Waters (ED 320:85). The grantee was brotherin-law of
the granter. No boundaries or measurements were given for the lot of land.
John Waters Jr., mariner and carpenter, held the property for ten years; and in
1850 he built a new house thereon-this one. The evidence is in the City
Valuations. In the 1850 valuation book, p. 70, we find, for Ward One, in pencil
"John Waters Jr., new house." The 1854 (p. 89) valuations show "John Waters,
house 2 Essex Street, $2500 (in pencil: $2000), and personal estate $1500 (in
pencil: $1000)."
John Waters (1791-1868) was born in Salem, the son of John Waters and
Christiana English. His mother was the daughter of Philip English, the longtime
sexton of the East Church, who owned a homestead here. His father, Capt. John
Waters, died on a voyage at Baltimore, offever, in August, 1797, aged 42 years.
John was just six at the time.
In 1814 the Philip English homestead (house and land) was sold to the widow
Christiana (English) Waters (ED 230:275, 285). Evidently she and some or all of
her children lived here in an old house that her father Philip English had bought in
1784 from the Cann heirs (ED 137:213). In that deed, the land was described as
bounded south on the main street, east on the sea or salt water, and north and
west on land of Masury.
In 1741 John Cann, tailor, had bought from John Masury, baker, for 70 Ii a house
and land bounded as in 1784, Canns to English (ED 82:55). Possibly this is the site
ofthe George Hodges house, standing by 1667, sold to Thomas Roots in 1681,
willed to Katherine (Hodges) Daland, and sold in 1700 to John Masury (per Sidney
Perley, "Part of Salem in 1700, No. 19" in "Essex Antiquarian" magazine).
�As a young boy in Salem in the 1790s, John Waters Jr. saw the old post-war
seaport transformed into a center of world commerce. New foreign markets
brought great riches to the Salem merchants, and raised the level of wealth
throughout the town: new ships were bought and built, more crews joined more
shipmasters, new shops and stores opened, new partnerships were formed, and
new people moved in. Salem's first bank, the Essex Bank, was founded in 1792,
although it "existed in experiment a long time before it was incorporated," per Rev.
William Bentley. From a population of 7921 in 1790, the town would grow by 1500
persons in a decade. At the same time, thanks to the economic policies of
Alexander Hamilton, Salem vessels were able to transport foreign cargoes
tax-free and essentially to serve as the neutral carrying fleet for both Britain and
France, which were at war with each other.
In 1793-4 there was a quasi-war at sea with Britain; and in the late 1790s, there
was agitation in Congress to go to war with France, which was at war with
England. After President Adams' negotiators were rebuffed by the French leaders
in 1797, a quasi-war with France began in summer, 1798, much to the horror of
Salem's George Crowninshield family (father and five shipmaster sons), which
had an extensive trade with France, and whose ships and cargos in French ports
were susceptible to seizure. The quasi-war brought about a political split within the
Salem population. Those who favored war with France (and detente with England)
aligned themselves with the national Federalist party, led by Hamilton and Salem's
Timothy Pickering (the U.S. Secretary of State). These included most of the
merchants, led locally by the Derby family. Those who favored peace with
republican France were the Anti-Federalists, who later became aligned with
Jefferson and his Democratic-Republican party; they were led locally by the
Crowninshields and Whites. For the first few years of this rivalry, the Federalists
prevailed; but after the death of Hasket "King" Derby in 1799 his family's power
flagged.
In 1800, Adams negotiated peace with France and fired Pickering, his
oppositional Secretary of State. Salem's Federalists merchants erupted in anger,
expressed through their newspaper, the Salem Gazette. At the same time, British
vessels began to harass American shipping. Salem owners bought more cannon
and shot, and kept pushing their trade to the farthest ports of the rich East, while
also maintaining trade with the Caribbean and Europe. Salem cargoes were
exceedingly valuable, and Salem was a major center for distribution of
merchandise throughout New England: "the streets about the wharves were alive
with teams loaded with goods for all parts of the country. It was a busy scene with
the coming and going of vehicles, some from long distances, for railroads were
then unknown and all transportation must be carried on in wagons and drays. In
the taverns could be seen
2
�teamsters from all quarters sitting around the open fire in the chilly evenings,
discussing the news of the day or making merry over potations of New England
rum, which Salem manufactured in abundance" (from Hurd's History of Essex
County, 1888, p.65).
The Crowninshields, led by brother Jacob, were especially successful, as their
holdings rose from three vessels in 1800 to several in 1803. Their bailiwick, lower
Derby Street, seemed almost to be a foreign country: in the stores, parrots
chattered and monkeys cavorted, and from the warehouses wafted the exotic
aromas of Sumatran spices and Arabian coffee beans. From the wharves were
carted all manner of strange fruits and blue and red patterned china and piles of
gorgeous silks and figured cloths.
By this time, John Waters Jr. had been apprenticed, evidently to a carpenter; but
he would earn his living as a mariner for many years.
The greatest of the Salem merchants at this time was William "Billy" Gray, who
owned 36 large vessels-15 ships, 7 barks, 13 brigs, 1 schooner-by 1808. Salem
was then still a town, and a small one by our standards, with a total population of
about 9,500 in 1800.
Its fierce politics polarized everything. The two factions attended separate
churches, held separate parades, and supported separate schools, military
companies, and newspapers. Salem's merchants resided mainly on two streets:
Washington (which ended in a wharf on the Inner Harbor, and, above Essex, had
the Town House in the middle) and Essex (particularly between what are now
Hawthorne Boulevard and North Street). The East Parish (Derby Street area) was
for the seafaring families, shipmasters, sailors, and fishermen. In the 1790s,
Federal Street, known as New Street, had more empty lots than fine houses.
Chestnut Street did not exist: its site was a meadow. The Common was not yet
Washington Square, and was covered with hillocks, small ponds and swamps,
utility buildings, and the alms-house. As the 19th century advanced, Salem's
prosperity would sweep almost all of the great downtown houses away (the brick
Joshua Ward house, built 1784, is a notable exception).
The town's merchants, among the wealthiest in the country, had, in Samuel
McIntire, a local architect who could help them realize their desires for large and
beautiful homes in the latest style. While a few of the many new houses went up
in the old Essex-Washington Street axis, most were erected on or near
Washington Square or in the Federalist "west end" (Chestnut, Federal, and upper
Essex Streets). The architectural style (called "Federal" today) had been
developed by the Adam brothers in England and featured fanlight doorways,
palladian windows, elongated pilasters and columns, and large
3
�windows. It was introduced to New England by Charles Bulfinch in 1790. The
State House in Boston was h'is first institutional composition; and soon Beacon
Hill was being built up with handsome residences in the Bulfinch manner.
Samuel McIntire (1757-1811), who was self-educated and who made his living
primarily as a wood-carver and carpenter, was quick to adapt the Bulfinch style to
Salem's larger lots. Mclntire's first local composition, the Jerathmeel Peirce house
(Federal Street), contrasts with his later Adamesque designs. In place of walls of
wood paneling, there now appeared plastered expanses painted in bright colors
or covered in bold wallpapers. The Adam style put a premium on handsome
casings and carvings of central interior features such door-caps and
chimney-pieces (Mclntire's specialty). On the exterior, the Adam style included
elegant fences; and the houses were often built of brick, with attenuated porticoes
and, in the high style, string courses, swagged panels, and even two-story
pilasters. The best example of the new style was the Elias Hasket Derby house,
co-designed by Bulfinch and
McIntire, and built on Essex Street in 1797-8 (demolished in 1815), on the site
of today's Town House Square.
A new bank, the Salem Bank, was formed in 1803, and there were two
insurance companies and several societies and associations. The fierce
politics and commercial rivalries continued.
On Union Street, not far from Bentley's church, on the fourth of July, 1804, was
born a boy who would grow up to eclipse all sons of Salem in the eyes of the
world: Nathaniel Hawthorne, whose father would die of fever while on a voyage to
the Caribbean in 1808. Untimely death was all too typical of Salem's young
seafarers, who fell prey to malaria and other diseases of the Caribbean and
Pacific tropics.
In 1806 the Derbys extended their wharf far out into the harbor, tripling its previous
length. This they did to create more space for warehouses and shipberths in the
deeper water, at just about the time that the Crowninshields had built their great
India Wharf at the foot of now-Webb Street. The other important wharves were
Forrester's (now Central, just west of Derby Wharf), and Union Wharf at the foot of
Union Street; and then, father to the west, a number of smaller wharves extended
into the South River (filled in during the late 1800s), all the way to the foot of
Washington Street. Each had a warehouse or two, and shops for artisans
(coopers, blockmakers, joiners, etc.). The waterfront between Union Street and
Washington Street also had lumber yards and several ship chandleries and
distilleries, with a Market House at the foot of Central Street, below the Custom
House. The wharves and streets were crowded with shoppers, gawkers, hawkers,
sailors, artisans
4
�("mechanics"), storekeepers, and teamsters; and just across the way, on Stage
Point along the south bank of the South River, wooden barks and brigs and ships
were being built.
The ferment of the times is captured in the diary of Rev. William Bentley
(1760-1819), bachelor minister of Salem's East Church and editor ofthe Register
newspaper. His diary is full of references to the civic and commercial doings of the
town, and to the lives and behaviors of all classes of society. By the end of 1806,
when Rev. William Bentley reflected in his diary that (Dec. 2 entry), "while Salem
was under the greatest aristocracy in New England, few men thought, and the few
directed the many. Now the aristocracy is gone and the many govern. It is plain it
must require considerable time to give common knowledge to the people."
Salem's boom came to an end with a crash in January, 1808, when Jefferson and
the Congress imposed an embargo on all shipping in hopes of forestalling war with
Britain. The Embargo, which was widely opposed in New England, proved futile
and nearly ruinous in Salem, where commerce ceased. As a hotbed of
Democratic-Republicanism, Salem's East Parish and its seafarers, led by the
Crowninshields, loyally supported the Embargo until it was lifted in spring, 1809.
Shunned by the other Salem merchants for his support of the Embargo, the
eminent Billy Gray took his large fleet of ships-fully one-third of Salem's
tonnage-and moved to Boston, whose commerce was thereby much augmented.
He removed a large amount of Salem wealth, shipping, import-export cargos, and
local employment. Gray soon switched from the Federalist party, and was elected
Lt. Governor under Gov. Elbridge Gerry, a native of Marblehead. Salem resumed
its seafaring commerce for three years. We see John Waters at sea in 1811, aged
twenty. He had probably completed an apprenticeship as a carpenter, and had
chosen to try the life of a mariner.
John was 5' 5" tall, light-complected and fair-haired, when a seaman on board
the Salem 240-ton ship "Mary Ann," departing for Russia on May 6, 1811
(SCL). He was home by early 1812: on Jan. 31, 1812, the 220-ton brig
"Diomede" cleared for Madras, India, with John among the crewmen.
The British preyed on American shipping; and in June, 1812, war was declared.
Although the merchants had tried to prevent the war, when it came, Salem
swiftly fitted out 40 privateers manned by Marblehead and Salem crews, who
also served on U.S. Navy vessels, including the frigate "Constitution." Many
more local vessels could have been sent against the British, but some of the
Federalist merchants held them back. In addition, Salem fielded companies of
infantry and artillery. Salem and Marblehead privateers were largely successful
in making prizes of British supply vessels.
5
�While many ofthe town's men were wounded in engagements, and some were
killed, the possible riches of privateering kept the men returning to sea as often as
possible. The first prizes were captured by a 30-ton converted fishing schooner,
the "Fame," and by a 14-ton luxury yacht fitted with one gun, the "Jefferson." Of all
Salem privateers, the Crowninshields' 350-ton ship "America" was most
successful: she captured 30-plus prizes worth more than $1,100,000.
Salem erected forts and batteries on its Neck, to discourage the British warships
that cruised these waters. On land, the war went poorly for the United States, as
the British captured Washington, DC, and burned the Capitol and the White
House. Along the western frontier, U.S. forces were successful against their
weaker opponents; and, as predicted by many, the western expansionists had
their day. At sea, over time, Salem vessels were captured, and its men imprisoned
or killed. After almost three years, the war was bleeding the town dry. Hundreds of
Salem men and boys were in British prison-ships and at Dartmoor Prison in
England. Perhaps one was John Waters.
At the Hartford Convention in 1814, New England Federalist delegates met to
consider what they could do to bring the war to a close and to restore the region's
commerce. Sen. Timothy Pickering of Salem led the extreme Federalists in
proposing a series of demands which, if not met by the federal government, could
lead to New England's seceding from the United States; but Harrison G. Otis of
Boston and the Federalist moderates prevailed in sending a mild message to
Congress.
At last, in February, 1815, peace was restored.
Post-war, the Salem merchants rebuilt their fleet and resumed their worldwide
trade, slowly at first, and then to great effect. Many new partnerships were formed.
The pre-war partisan politics of the town were not resumed, as the newly powerful
middle-class "mechanics" (artisans) brought about civic harmony, largely through
the Salem Charitable Mechanic Association (founded 1817) ..
John Waters resumed his seafaring as a merchant mariner on board the brig
"Mercator," which departed for South America on Aug. 30, 1816. John would have
a berth on this vessel, commanded by Samuel B. Graves, for the next several
years, during which he rose to the rank of Second Mate (1817) and then First Mate
(in November, 1818). In the years 1816-1823 he made ten voyages on board the
"Mercator," usually to Brazil, but finally to Antwerp (departing May 21, 1823)
(SCL).
6
�During this period, too, he purchased (in 1820, from Joseph Waters) a
homestead at then-19 Daniels Street (ED 225:30). John, 25, had married a
widow, Mary (Felt) Kinsman, 31, in August, 1816; and they may have had
children by 1820.
Rev. William Bentley, keen observer and active citizen during Salem's time of
greatest prosperity and fiercest political divisions, died at the end of 1819, the year
in which a new U.S. Custom House was built on the site of the George
Crowninshield mansion, at the head of Derby Wharf. Into the 1820s foreign trade
continued prosperous; and new markets were opened with Madagascar (1820),
which supplied tallow and ivory, and Zanzibar (1825), whence came coffee, ivory,
hides, and gum copal, used to make varnish. This opened a huge and lucrative
trade with East Africa in which Salem dominated.
John Waters found a new berth on board the Salem brig "Mercator," commanded
by his brother-in-law Nathaniel Weston (1793-1868). From 1826 to 1830 he made
nine overseas voyages on board this vessel, always as First Mate, and always
under Captain Weston except for the last voyage, to Havana, departing Sept. 15,
1830, under Capt. Seth Rogers. Usually there were 5-8 crewmen on board. Most
of these voyages were to ports in Brazil, to get cargoes of hides for the leather
trade; some were described as having the West Indies (Caribbean) as the
destination.
Salem's general maritime foreign commerce fell off sharply in the late 1820s.
Imports in Salem ships were supplanted by the goods now being produced in
great quantities in America. The interior of the country was being opened for
settlement, and some Sale mites moved away. To the north, the falls of the
Merrimack River powered large new textile mills (Lowell was founded in 1823),
whose cotton cloth, sold at home and overseas, created great wealth for their
investors; and it seemed that the tide of opportunity was ebbing away from Salem.
Salem's merchants and capitalists were already prospering from ownership of an
iron-products factory in Amesbury and from a textile factory they had built in
Newmarket, NH, so they saw the potential of manufacturing in Salem. In 1826, in
an ingenious attempt to stem the flow of talent from the town and to harness its
potential water power, they formed a corporation to dam the North River for
industrial power; but the attempt was abandoned in 1827, which further
demoralized the town, and caused several leading citizens to move to Boston, the
hub of investment in the new economy.
In 1830 occurred a horrifying crime that brought disgrace to Salem. Old Capt.
Joseph White, a wealthy merchant, resided in the house now called the
Gardner-Pingree house, on Essex Street. One night, someone broke into his
7
�mansion and killed him in his bed. All of Salem buzzed with the news of murderous
thugs; but the killer was a Crowninshield (a fallen son of one of the five brothers; he
killed himself in jail). He had been hired by Capt. White's own relatives, Capt.
Joseph Knapp and his brother Frank (they would be executed). The results of the
investigation and trial having uncovered much that was lurid, and several
respectable families quit the now-notorious town.
John Waters "swallowed the anchor" and came ashore in early 1831, aged about
forty, old for a mariner. Thereafter, he evidently worked in Salem as a carpenter.
He and his wife Mary had two children by then, Eliza and Edward.
As the decade wore on, Salem's remaining merchants took their equity out of
wharves and warehouses and ships and put it into manufacturing and
transportation, as the advent of railroads and canals diverted both capital and trade
away from the coast. Some merchants did not make the transition, and were
ruined. Old-line areas of work, like rope-making, sail-making, and ship chandleries,
gradually declined and disappeared. Salem slumped badly, but in 1836 the voters
decided to charter their town as the third city to be formed in the state, behind
Boston and Lowell. City Hall was built 1837-8 and the city seal was adopted with an
already-anachronistic Latin motto of "to the farthest port of the rich East" -a far cry
from "Go West, young man!"
The Panic of 1837, a brief, sharp, nationwide economic depression, brought
economic disaster to many younger businessmen, and caused even more
Salem families to depart in search of fortune and a better future.
Salem had not prepared for the industrial age, and had few natural
advantages. The North River served not to power factories but mainly to
flush the waste from the 25 tanneries that had set up along its banks.
Throughout the 1830s, the leaders of Salem scrambled to re-invent an
economy for their fellow citizens, many of whom were mariners without much
sea-faring to do. Ingenuity, ambition, and hard work would have to carry the
day.
One inspiration was the Salem Laboratory, Salem's first science-based
manufacturing enterprise, founded in 1813 to produce chemicals. At the plant
built in 1818 in North Salem, the production of alum and blue vitriol was a
specialty; and it proved a very successful business.
Some Salem merchants turned to whaling in the 1830s, which led to the building
of two small steam-powered factories producing high-quality candles and
machine oils at Stage Point. The manufacturing of white lead began in the
1820s, and grew large after 1830, when Wyman's gristmills on the Forest River
were retooled for making high-quality white lead and sheet
8
�lead (the approach to Marblehead is still called Lead Mills Hill, although the
empty mill buildings burned down in 1960s).
These enterprises started Salem in a new direction. In 1838 the Eastern Rail
Road, headquartered in Salem, began operating between Boston and Salem,
which gave the local people a direct route to the region's largest market. The new
railroad tracks ran right over the middle of the Mill Pond; the tunnel under
Washington Street was built in 1839; and the line was extended to Newburyport
in 1840.
The 1840s proved to be a decade of explosive growth in Salem's leather industry,
still conducted largely as a mass-production handicraft, and its new textile
manufacturing, applylng leading edge machine technology.
John Waters, of 19 Daniels Street, appears in the Salem Directory in 1837 as a
laborer, and thereafter, through the 1840s, as a carpenter. Perhaps he had
become a building contractor, or perhaps a specialist in some aspect of carpentry
such as stair-building.
The tanning of animal hides and curing of leather, a filthy and smelly enterprise,
took place on and near Boston Street, along the upper North River. In 1844, there
were 41 tanneries; a few years later, that number had doubled and in 1850 they
employed 550 workers. Salem had become one of the largest leather-producers
in America; and it would continue to grow in importance throughout the 1800s.
In 1847, along the inner-harbor shoreline of the large peninsula known as Stage
Point, the Naumkeag Steam Cotton Company completed the construction of the
largest steam cotton factory building in the world, four stories high, 60' wide, 400'
long, running 1700 looms and 31,000 spindles to produce millions of yards of
.first-quality cotton sheeting and shirting. It was immediately profitable, and 600
people found employment there, many of them living in new houses on The Point.
The cotton sheeting of The Point found a ready market in East Africa, and
brought about a revival of shipping, led by the merchants David Pingree
(president of the Naumkeag company) and John Bertram.
In Lynn, the factory system was perfected, and that city became the nation's
leading shoe producer. Salem had shoe factories too, and attracted shoe workers
from outlying towns and the countryside. Even the population changed, as
hundreds of Irish families, fleeing the famine in Ireland, settled in Salem and gave
the industrialists a big pool of cheap labor.
9
�The Gothic symbol of Salem's new industrial economy was the outsized twintowered granite-and-brick train station-the "stone depot"-smoking and growling
with idling locomotives, standing on filled-in land at the foot of Washington Street,
on the site of shipyards and the merchants' wharves.
In general, foreign commerce waned: in the late 1840s, giant clipper ships sailing
from Boston and New York replaced the smaller vessels that Salem men had
sailed around the world. The town's shipping consisted of vessels carrying coal
and importing hides from Africa and Brazil, and Down East coasters with cargoes
of fuel wood and lumber. A picture of Salem's waterfront is given by Hawthorne in
his mean-spirited "Introduction" to The Scarlet Letter, which he began while
working in the Custom House.
In September, 1850, John Waters, identified as a mariner, for $1225 sold the
Daniels Street homestead to Dennis Lynch, trader (ED 434:1). It would seem that
this house {2½ Essex) had been built by then, as we find in the 1850 valuation
("new house"). It is unknown if the old house, once John's grandfather English's,
was still standing by then.
John Waters (1791-1868), born May, 1791, son of John Waters & Christiana
English, died on May 17, 1868, aged 77 years, paralysis. Hem. 19 Aug. 1816
Mary Felt {1785-1859}, dtr. of John Felt & Susannah Ropes, died 30 June 1859,
paralysis, 74th year. She had m/11806 Jacob Lakeman (died 1814). Known
issue, surname Waters:
1. Edward, 1819, died 2 Jan. 1821, 17 mos.,consumption.
2. Elizabeth, 1823, died 2 Feb. 1882.
3. Edward, 1826-1911, m. Elizabeth Ellen Mullen {1833-1906}, dtr. of John
Mullen (b. Scotland) and Sarah Trefry of Marblehead; she died 12 Nov.
1906, Chelsea.
In 1850, still residing at Daniels Street, the Waters family (census, h. 113)
consisted of John, 59, carpenter, $800 in r.e., Mary, 63, and offspring Eliza, 27,
and Edward, 24, a mariner.
The family moved that year, into the new house here.
Edward Waters was a diligent young mariner, starting at the age of fifteen, on
board the bark "Brenda," Capt. Andrew Ward, departing Oct. 13, 1841, for Ceylon
and Bombay. Edward was then 4' 9", light complected and fair-haired (SCL). Sor
the next few years he shipped out as a seaman on eight more voyages, one to
India, two to Zanzibar, four to South American ports, and
one to Cayenne. In 1849, at 22, he had a growth spurt and went from 4' 11" to 5'
4". He sailed as Second Mate of the brig "Gambia", Capt. George E. Bailey, for
South America, departing June 6, 1849. He then rose to First Mate,
10
�sailing in April 1851 on board the brig "Garland," Capt. Richard Savory, for
Paramaraibo, Surinam, and in August, 1851, on board the brig "Elizabeth
Felton," Capt. Henry B. Manring, for the same port.
After that, he probably sailed out of Boston
In 1855 (per census, h. 274), this was the home of John Waters, 64, carpenter,
Mary, 69, Eliza, 32, and Edward, 29, mariner. At that time, John was making $1
a day as a carpenter (see ED 461:82).
In the late 1850s Edward Waters married Elizabeth Ellen Mullen, the
daughter of a Scotsman, John Mullen, who had married a Marbleheader,
Sarah Trefry. They would live elsewhere.
Salem's industrial growth continued through the 1850s, as business expanded,
the population swelled, new churches were built, new workingclass
neighborhoods were developed (especially at The Point, South Salem along
Lafayette Street, in North Salem, off Boston Street, and along the Mill Pond
behind the Broad Street graveyard); and new schools, factories, and stores were
erected. A second, even-larger factory building for the Naumkeag Steam Cotton
Company was added in 1859, down at Stage Point, where a new Methodist Church
went up in 1852; and many neat new homes, boarding-houses, and stores lined
the streets between Lafayette and Congress. The tanning business continued to
boom, as better and larger tanneries were built along Boston Street and Mason
Street; and subsidiary industries sprang up as well, most notably the J.M.
Anderson glue-works on the Turnpike (Highland Avenue).
As it re-established itself as an economic powerhouse, Salem took a strong
interest in national politics. It was primarily Republican, and strongly antislavery,
with its share of outspoken abolitionists, led by Charles Remond, a passionate
speaker who came from one of the city's leading black families. At its Lyceum (on
Church Street) and in other venues, plays and shows were put on, but cultural
lectures and political speeches were given too.
On June 30, 1859, Mrs. Mary (Felt) Waters died, of paralysis, aged 73 years.
She was survived by her husband and two offspring.
With the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860, it was clear that the Southern
states would secede from tile union; and Salem, which had done so much to win
the independence of the nation, was ready to go to war to force others to remain
a part of it.
1
1
�In that year, this house (per census, h. 2016) was the home of John Waters, 69,
carpenter, with r.e. worth $2000, his daughter Eliza, 37, and his son Edward,
mariner, 34, and Edward's wife Elizabeth, 26.
The Civil War began in April, 1861, and went on for four years, during which
hundreds of Salem men served in the army and navy, and many were killed or
died of disease or abusive treatment while imprisoned. Hundreds more suffered
wounds, or broken health. The people of Salem contributed greatly to efforts to
alleviate the suffering of the soldiers, sailors, and their families; and there was
great celebration when the war finally ended in the spring of 1865.
At that time this house was occupied by John Waters, 74, carpenter, and his
daughter Eliza, 42 (per census, h. 584).
Through the 1860s, Salem pursued manufacturing, especially of leather and
shoes and textiles. The managers and capitalists tended to build their new, grand
houses along Lafayette Street (these houses may still be seen, south of Holly
Street; many are in the French Second Empire style, with mansard roofs). Factory
workers, living in smaller houses and tenements, wanted something better for
themselves: in 1864 they went on strike for higher wages and fewer hours of work.
On May 17, 1868, John Waters died in his 77th year. The property descended to
Elizabeth and Edward.
In 1870 Salem received its last cargo from Zanzibar. By then, a new Salem & New
York freight steamboat line was in operation. Seven years later, with the arrival of
a vessel from Cayenne, Salem's foreign trade came to an end. After that, "the
merchandise warehouses on the wharves no longer contained silks from India, tea
from China, pepper from Sumatra, coffee from Arabia, spices from Batavia,
gum-copal from Zanzibar, hides from Africa, and the various other products of
far-away countries. The boys have ceased to watch on the Neck for the incoming
vessels, hoping to earn a reward by being the first to announce to the expectant
merchant the safe return of his looked-for vessel. The foreign commerce of Salem,
once her pride and glory, has spread its white wings and sailed away forever"
(Rev. George Bachelder in History of Essex County, II: 65).
Edward Waters and wife Elizabeth moved to Boston. He added the middle
initial S., for Stanley.
1
2
�In 1870 (per census, h.161) Eliza Waters, 47, resided here, as did tenants
Albert Cummings, a Maine-born merchant with $4000 in property, and his son
William, 21, born in New Hampshire.
In April, 1872, Edward Waters, of Boston, for $1000 sold his half-interest in the
homestead to his sister Eliza, who lived there and owned the other half (ED
853:132). The lot was bounded south on Essex Street and west on the Saul
heirs.
Salem continued to prosper in the 1870s, carried forward by the leathermaking
business. In 1874 the city was visited by a tornado and shaken by a minor
earthquake. In the following year, the large Pennsylvania Pier (site of the present
coal-fired harborside electrical generating plant) was completed to begin
receiving large shipments of coal, most of it shipped by rail to the factories on the
Merrimack. In the neck of land beyond the Pier, a new owner began subdividing
the old Allen farmlands into a development called Salem Willows and Juniper
Point. In the U. S. centennial year, 1876, A. G. Bell of Salem announced that he
had discovered a way to transmit voices over telegraph wires.
In this decade, large numbers of French-Canadian families came to work in
Salem's mills and factories, and more houses and tenements were built. The
better-off workers bought portions of older houses or built small homes for their
families in the outlying sections of the city; and by 1879 the Naumkeag Steam
Cotton mills would employ 1500 people (including hundreds of children) and
produce annually nearly 15 million yards of cloth. Shoemanufacturing businesses
expanded in the 1870s, and 40 shoe factories were employing 600-plus
operatives. Tanning, in both Salem and Peabody, remained a very important
industry, and employed hundreds of breadwinners. On Boston Street in 1879, the
Arnold tannery caught fire and burned down.
In 1880 (per census, h. 234), this was the home of Eliza Waters, 57, in one unit,
and in the other Charles Converse, 44, a railroad engineer, wife Olive, 41, and
son Frederick W., 20, a brass finisher.
Eliza Waters died on February 2, 1882, aged 59 years. She was survived by her
brother, Edward S. Waters of Chelsea. Evidently she willed some or all of her
property to Lakeman relatives of her mother's first marriage. In May, 1882, these
heirs sold their interest in the homestead here to Edward S. Waters of Boston (ED
1083:117). He would lease it out for 13 years.
In the 1880s and 1890s, Salem kept building infrastructure; and new
businesses arose, and established businesses expanded. Retail stores
1
3
�prospered; horse-drawn trolleys ran every which-way; and machinists,
carpenters, millwrights, and other specialists all thrived. In 1880, Salem's
manufactured goods were valued at about $8.4 million, of which leather
accounted for nearly half.
In the summer of 1886, the Knights of Labor brought a strike against the
manufacturers for a ten-hour day and other concessions; but the manufacturers
imported labor from Maine and Canada, and kept going. The strikers held out,
and there was violence in the streets, and even rioting; but the owners prevailed,
and many of the defeated workers lost their jobs and suffered, with their families,
through a bitter winter.
By the mid-1880s, Salem's cotton-cloth mills at the Point employed 1400 people
who produced about 19 million yards annually, worth about $1.5 million. The city's
large shoe factories stood downtown behind the stone depot and on Dodge and
Lafayette Streets. A jute bagging company prospered with plants on Skerry
Street and English Street; its products were sent south to be used in
cotton-baling. Salem factories also produced lead, paint, and oil. At the Eastern
Railroad yard on Bridge Street, cars were repaired and even built new. In 1887
the streets were first lit with electricity, replacing gas-light. The gas works, which
had stood on Northey Street since 1850, was moved to a larger site on Bridge
Street in 1888, opposite the Beverly Shore.
In December, 1895, Edward S. Waters, of Chelsea, for $2400 sold the
homestead to John I. Comstock of Salem (ED 1465:102). The lot, which had
not previously been described in dimensions, was recorded as fronting on
Essex Street 76.5' and running back about 47' in depth.
Thus after 45 years the house passed out of the name of Waters. The land
here had been in the family since 1784.
John I. Comstock was a native of Lewiston, Maine. In 1900 (per census, h. 249,
2½ Essex) he, 40, resided here, working as the chief stationary engineer at the
Pennsylvania Pier (large coal and railroad facility on Salem Harbor), with wife
Anna/Annie (nee Henningsen), 39, and son George, 17, a piano tuner. Also
residing here were Charles Kent, 38, a baker from Woburn, wife Rebecca (nee
Liebsch), 30, and Charles' daughter by a first marriage, Josephine L., 13. Anna
and Rebecca were perhaps cousins; the parents of both were born in Denmark,
as was Annie.
John I. Comstock died of heart disease on January 10, 1904. His remains were
interred at Greenlawn Cemetery. In March, 1904, his son George J.
1
4
�Comstock, having moved to Washington, DC, conveyed the premises to his
mother, Annie E. (Henningsen) Comstock, Salem widow (ED 1737:247).
More factories and more people required more space for buildings, more roads,
and more storage areas. This space was created by filling in rivers, harbors, and
ponds. The once-broad North River was filled from both shores, and became a
canal along Bridge Street above the North Bridge. The large and beautiful Mill
Pond, which occupied the whole area between the present Jefferson Avenue,
Canal Street, and Loring Avenue, finally vanished beneath streets, storage areas,
junk-yards, rail-yards, and parking lots. The South River, too, with its epicenter at
Central Street (the Custom House had
opened there in 1805) disappeared under the pavement of Riley Plaza and
New Derby Street, and some of its old wharves were joined together with much
in-fill and turned into coal-yards and lumber-yards. Only a canal was left,
running in from Derby and Central Wharves to Lafayette Street.
Salem kept growing. The Canadians were followed in the early 20th century by
large numbers of Polish and Ukrainian families, who settled primarily in the Derby
Street neighborhood, and by Sicilians, in the High Street neighborhood. By the
eve of World War One, the bustling, polyglot city supported large department
stores and factories of every description. People from the surrounding towns, and
Marblehead in particular, came to Salem to do their shopping; and its handsome
government buildings, as befit the county seat, were busy with conveyances of
land, lawsuits, and probate proceedings. The city's politics were lively, and its
economy was strong.
In September, 1912, the Comstocks sold the homestead to Helen Zaborowski,
whose husband was named lgnecy (ED 2167:458). For almost 50 years they
owned the premises.
On June 25, 1914, in the morning, in Blubber Hollow (Boston Street at Proctor), a
fire started in small wooden shoe factory. This fire soon raced out of control, for
the west wind was high and the season had been dry. Out of Blubber Hollow the
fire roared easterly, a monstrous front of flame and smoke, wiping out the houses
of Boston Street, Essex Street, and upper Broad Street, and then sweeping
through Hathorne, Winthrop, Endicott, and other residential streets. Men and
machines could not stop it: the enormous fire crossed over into South Salem and
destroyed the neighborhoods west of Lafayette Street, then devoured the
mansions of Lafayette Street itself, and raged onward into the tenement district of
The Point. Despite the combined efforts of heroic fire crews from many towns and
cities, the fire overwhelmed everything in its path: the Naumkeag Steam Cotton
Company factory complex exploded in an inferno. At Derby Street, just beyond
Union, after a 13-hour rampage, the monster died, having consumed 250 acres,
1
5
�1600 houses, and 41 factories, and leaving three dead and thousands homeless.
Some people had insurance, some did not; all received much support and
generous donations from all over the country and the world. It was one of the
greatest urban disasters in the history of the United States, and the people of
Salem would take years to recover from it. Eventually, they did, and many of the
former houses and businesses were rebuilt; and several urban-renewal projects
(including Hawthorne Boulevard, which involved removing old houses and
widening old streets) were put into effect.
By 1920 Salem was once again a thriving city; and its tercentenary in 1926 was
a time of great celebration. The Depression hit in 1929, and continued through
the 1930s. Salem, the county seat and regional retail center, gradually
rebounded.
Salem prospered after Worlc'.:I War II through the 1950s and into the 1960s.
General Electric, Sylvania, Parker Brothers, Pequot Mills (formerly Naumkeag
Steam Cotton Co.), Almy's and Newmark's and Webber's department stores,
various other retailers, and Beverly's United Shoe Machinery Company were all
major local employers.
Eventually the Salem Savings Bank foreclosed on its mortgage and in 1961
conveyed the property Lauren R. L'ltalien (ED 4754:160). That same year the
premises were sold to Mary E. Carr & Mary E. Grocki (ED 4826:288). In 1994 the
Grocki Family Realty trust sold to the Opie & Pelletier (ED 14006:147). In 2004
the Pelletiers sold to Sanprasert & Phongrong (ED 22741:381). The homestead
has been sold several times since then.
1
6
�Glossary & Sources
A figure like (ED 123:45) refers to book 123, page 45, Essex South Registry of
Deeds.
A figure like (#12345) refers to Essex Probate case 12345, on file at the Essex
Probate Court, or on microfilm at Mass. Archives, Boston, or at the Peabody
Essex Museum's Phillips Library, Rowley.
MSSRW refers to the multi-volume compendium, Mass. Soldiers & Sailors in the
Revolutionary War, at the Salem Public Library among other places.
MSSCRW refers to the multi-volume compendium, Mass. Soldiers, Sailors, &
Marines in the Civil War, at the Salem Public Library among other places.
EIHC refers to the Essex Institute Historical Collections (discontinued), a
multi-volume set (first volume published in 1859) of data and articles about
Essex County. The indices of the EIHC have been consulted regarding many
of the people associated with this house.
Salem Crew Lists (SCL), online at Mystic Seaport website.
The six-volume published S~lem Vital Records (marriages, births, and deaths
through 1849) have been consulted, and the Salem Directory and later
Naumkeag Directory, with data about residents and their addresses, etc.
Sidney Perley's three-volume History of Salem, 1626-1716, has been
consulted, as has the four-volume William Bentley's Diary, J. Duncan
Phillips' books, some newspapers, and other sources.
Salem real estate valuations, and, where applicable, Salem Street Books,
have also been consulted, as have genealogies.
There is much more material available about Salem and its history; and the
reader is encouraged to make his or her own discoveries.
-Public History Services
1
3
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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Essex Street
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
2 1/2 Essex Street, Salem, MA 01970
Subject
The topic of the resource
House Histories
Description
An account of the resource
Built for
John Waters
Carpenter & Mariner
And wife
Mary Felt
1850
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Historic Salem, Inc.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Historic Salem, Inc. house histories
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Historic Salem, Inc.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
Built: 1850
House History Written: Dec. 2019
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Amy Kellett & Robert Booth
Language
A language of the resource
English
1850
2.5/Essex Street
2019
Carpenter
Felt
Mariner
Massachusetts
Salem
Waters
-
https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/28828/archive/files/b8ba7e189589fcb0bb974e1775f172d4.pdf?Expires=1712793600&Signature=Y3Yy9UwxJOcxg1fBT%7EWc-JCd0gATxGCmXUa-1NWCX8wCrq4rDkUSw-ps89sw%7EdUUJ3RcdAMOGp8Y%7EoBKdev0R4m-Tvs0vpWiwHgq4UPZU4ioXXlAK-zvQL9DfBMaEnRjJi%7E%7EkM0eh09X49Ctd5Z6cKw54gwOnTOhWAgRc1DwR6gh%7EkWj0yR8uHhy1eCIK3rLvbfacuLcCUo0oiimUvhk-LSkTXjQGN5y59AsLxQHG%7ElndrkjX-PqKsCfSqi7E89-6f6Dxt9j1W6kbPgA0O2JN%7EIW5mfOYLAuuD4jksYUs1I-R8kSyE42Mq-W4PyQwbo4Yda7QtO5l9yN4KuIQdJo6Q__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM
befef166477fd16ba42502256f1826e7
PDF Text
Text
I ~antoe
Property of &
11.3 Federal St., Salem, Maaeachusetta
Gran tor
Description
Fsoex County Regiatry of Deeds
Laurence Dailey
North~rly by Federal Street
John &:'cymann
u.x, Perol
we, Janette
N F. and E on two or more c ours• by land.a
now or late of w. A. Chisholm, \{. t.
f.shton, First &otiet Church and Willia 11
conveyed 6/16/1964.
Penn Hose Cor-pany
S by lands now or late of L. A. Russell
Recorded in Book $180, page 740
and A. s. Rorero and
two or more oourl!les by land nOW'
or late of J. T. Upton.
W on
"*
I-
l~
i~
It
\I
it- ·.'.·
·•
't
)c
·•.
E"1!!& H. Gallnp.;her
Laurence Dailey
ux, Janette
same
wldow
conveyed 1/31/1961
Recorded in Book if4740, page 597
*
#
"
I~
* "·
George B. Gallagher
>~
1<
;l·
or
Norman E. Borden
ux, &mu
~·
ri-
we, .Freda M.
conv~yed
2/27/1948.
Recorded in Book 3$89, page 401
• *
Norman E. Borden
ux, Freda M.
i.
;,
*
it
* " :r
!~
;; 1t
ri-
Donald J. l!iJ}l'iun
we, Frieda P.
same
conveyed 9/7/191+5.
Reoorded in . ook
#3422, pnp:e 69
Donald J. Pnricn
ux' Frif)da p.
**
it ::
l~
II-
~
* I~
:1-
ll·
I}
snme
Salem Snvinf'.S Bank
(foreclosure)
convoyed 9/16/1941.
Hecorded in Book 3271 1 pai;e 47
Salerr Savinr:s Bllllk
Salem Savings Bank
(holder of mtge frc~r· Anna J. Co:in
of Salem __.:. to said Savings Bank
dtd. 8/7/1919 recorded in l:asex
So. Dist. Deeds Book 2)42) par,e 33
for $J,5('0 17,ro.nt to Salem S 11 vinr,a
Bank the premises conveyed in eaid
mtge.)
co:wcyed 5/J/1938.
llecorded in fuok 113144, page 2·12
>i
><
,;-
;\
it
ll
.
I~
·;<
1·
i
l
same
�' 11.3 Federal St., Salem, Massachuaetta continued
Grantee
Salem Svgs. Dank
rage 2
Oran tor
Anna J. Coan, singlawoman
Description
(To secure pnyment of $J, 500
in one year -- int. 5 1/2% per
annum, payable qtrl.y.)
"fuine; san'e premises conveyed to
me by North '·~eeting House
11/13/1906" - - - grantor, heirs
exec1i., adm., or assir,nn shall nay
same
all taxes •••••·•••• on said pram:Lsee
Ptc. etc.
oonvnyed R/7/1919
Recorded in Book #2423, page JJ.
Posseeeiona
(Anna J. Coan to Sa.lorn Savings Bank)
.
" ••••• certify on 25th of !.larch, 1938~ Holund A.
Stanley, Salem SVgs. Bank Treasurer •••••••
made open peacable and unopnosed entrance
tor the purpose of foreclosing •••••• "
Recorded 1n Book
Anna J. Coan
for $4,700.00
#3141,
page 166.
* * * * * it
11·
.,, ·:1- .:-
*
c
Proprietors of North
Meeting House in Salem
sometimes known as :forth
Society Coneregational,
Unitarian
}
same
I. 'd 113 F'ederal Street in
Salem
"bein~ the estate devised by w/o Catharim Felt to
Charles Hoffman and by him devised to hie wife Eliza
A.. Hoffman and by her devised to the above Society".
conveyed 11/13/1906.
Recordf>d in Book #18$1, page 272
( air,nod on side - mtr:e paid in full
2/141 1918)
Fsaex County Probate Records1
Probate /!;/Jfl72
Cnthnrina Felt, einr:l(>"ffooan
fuok 4.3J, page 92 her will is recorded - "••• ren-Vcstnte 0tc.r:tc.to rrry frl('nd Charles
Hoffmnn •••·•"
(see below)
Josenh Felt (fathPr) di~d intestate
Book 138 page 115 his inventory· is recordod -"/.'7 - House in Federal St. valuation iJ, 500.
Book 43 page 448, Ephraim, his son, pctitirna to be appointed adm. S/1/1845 "Joseph 1'~elt who died within last 12 years".
Book 135 page 176, cphraim petition r,ranted. 5/20/1845.
Book 129 page 7oll, appraisers of E.statc appointed.
*
Ephrnirn 1''elt died intestate
(He was a. fo.r:l](lr)
fuok 246 page 3 records anpt of Administrators - . mos Prime, JosEYJh Symonds 2/5/1867.
Book 248 page 96, appraisers of Latate appointed - Chas. E.. Symonds, Dan 'l St.a'lifard
bphrnim F'. \'.ill er, 2/5/186 7.
*
The na!r:e of Ruth A. Hoffman, sister deceased is Mentioned in her will also.
The names of ncices .i:.lizabeth Ann and Sarah Jane ~tft/we.re given sums of money •
mentioned also :in wi
and
�113 Federal St., Snlem,
Oran tee
Joserih Felt
nssachusetts continued
11
Ora!1tor
Fnsox County
William Pickman
Rer,ist~\'
housewri.~ht
Description
of r,reds
A L'>T n, L/lim aitunto in Sl!lcm containing
t5 poles and 1/2 of a. oole bounded
Jl:!if?THJ •)LY BY rn· ro\L STHl<FT 61 '• Westerly
from aald street 3J' Sou the ,·ly to a st.ake
by land aold be rne this day to Jacob
Saunderson (115 Fvderal Street - Jaod:>
Sanderson 'Nork Shop) running S from eaid
atake and bounding W tr; tho last mentioned
land 96' 6" to l3u.ffington 1e 1 S by the
last mentic.,nod land 4J' 9", E b/ land ·
of Wm. Stearns 40 ' partly and partly by
land sold by me this day to Drown and
~odhue 98' 9" and rnrtly by land sold by
me this day to Ooodhuo 26' 9"•
conveyed 4/17/179).
Reoort.leu in ik>ok k156, pa~e 123
Tax heoorda - City Ba.11 1 0alcm, •,t.aasachusotts
Ward
Ward
4-
1793•
Joseph fi'elt, eon of Jonathan
4,
-
listed ln \'1ard
howevc:r, no real estate de•crfue.i
-
pt house and houso lot
4 - 17941
Joseph Felt, son of Jona.than
and
4
Valuatk>n
200
1/2 aorcf in 'forth
Fields
Ward
4 - 179Sr
Joseph Felt, eon of Jonathan --
pt houso :rnd h(.'1.lse lot
and I~ 1/2 acres in North
700
Fields
alao lioted are oth r
Felts - l\:1thnrine, llathaniel felt, Will.lam Felt, and Joseph,
son of tioseoh Folt paying ta.XE·s on the same described
properties for the above years.
In the Vitnl llccorda I found that Catharine Felt was born 9/1/1800. No name of FathEI".
Ho Ruth Felt was rocorcled. No Ephraim, son of Joseph was recorded.
till) .Federal St. is a l.:i.r~e house - a double house - no doubt the "Felt Fanily"
and their children occupied both halves - Catharine Felt bPing the last survivor.
She then willed it to. relatives of her docoaaed sistc~·, Ruth.
Since thero is such a crcia.t increase in valuation in the year 1795, I feel that
is the date which ahould be elven to the house - 11 Juilt for Joseph Felt - 1795"·
Joun H. Bailey
120 Federal St.
Snlem, ~·ass.
December 6, 1967.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Federal Street
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
113 Federal Street, Salem, MA 01970
Subject
The topic of the resource
House history
Description
An account of the resource
Joseph Felt, 1795
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Historic Salem, Inc.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Historic Salem, Inc. house histories
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Historic Salem, Inc., Salem Historical Society
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1795, 1967
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Bailey
Language
A language of the resource
English
113
113 Federal
1795
Federal
Felt
Joseph
Joseph Felt
-
https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/28828/archive/files/e2d74633a7861e6ba2b1caed6ddc9dad.pdf?Expires=1712793600&Signature=Lz-W%7EYMZLY1l9XsxMVbpIbraRXWMI6Obcy33RjgM7clLjQSdAYIexcFrAlTNIMtFB2gbXWZE9XWDDnZwUSEHk58DEKrA022BGwe5C8APNiqJH6Yyokh7CwYcgyVee99j%7EowsTIngHBF5T2fsURrkuJ%7EwgxznzYFF8VLMgP3nbsmq3AMpLpNMaNVCbo7J0uU8cG7YzYXn5Wmsi9JSp2WcCRABSfN6redyfg4zmiJI2WqEZViGj9MAofEkcBvP5HWpZ06%7EN%7EMSLwVEGQZISKH6nM4e8Te48RGSDEd050CrTUg3eAu7%7E4POVyJKf%7E4CNuqOO34sR-yE-Jzck7gQxDvhsA__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM
42be60ef68bd6fd6c2442d0c30098b0f
PDF Text
Text
·.
Capt. John Felt House
1757
47
Federal St.
Sal"m, Maaa.
Historio
6alem
Inc.
�Cea~.
John Pelt House
47 Federal St., Salem, Mass.
1757
*******************************************
Deeds to 47 Federal Street, Salem, now Robert .B. Bowman and Frank c. Hancock.
look 115176 Page 739
John F. O'Connell and.Barbara F. o•Connell, u:x, grant to
Richard P. Keville and Virginia, uxa
land with bldgs. thereon:
northerly by Federal St. 30 1
easterly by land now or i'mrly. of Pease - 66' more or less
eout.herly by land now or fmr~ of Chamberlain; and
wester~ by land now or formerly of Towne
Beini; eame premises conveyed to us by deed from
James Georges et ux. 11/3/1960 Book 4718, page .347.
Book
114 718
Page
34 7 James
Georges and Elizabeth P. to 0 •Connell, ll/3/1960
Book 4558 Paga 181
Bartholomew R. Brennen and Hannah M. to Georges, 5/1/JfJ59
Book 4556 Page 283
turiel A. St. Pierre to Brennen, April 28, 1959 (Straw 1ale)
Book
4556
Page 282
Bartholomew F. Brennen to St. Pierre, April 28, 1959
loo k 3054 Page 197
E. Barker (widew) and Jennie P. Arvedson {singlewoman)
to Bartholomew F. Brennen and Elizabeth G. oat. 24, 1935
$2800.00 Sale!ll Five 1"'ortgage {Elizabeth r.Jrennsn di"d ll/14/.57
•Being the same premises conveyed to our mother, Ellen L.
Arvedson in deed of E.c. Battis, dtd. 3/18/1880
(Book 1035, page 286) and deed of Andrew Jackson dtd
11/17/1862 (Book 644, page 81). See also probate #67994.
Book 10.35 Page 286
Ecbrud
c.
lo<* 1035
George
Arvid~on
Page 286
Book 732 Page 247
look
508
Page 104
Mary'
Battis to Arvedson, March
a,
1880
to .Battis, March 8, 1880
Andrew Jackson to George Arvidson, Sept. 28, 1867
(Andrew Jackson was mariner and aon
Nathaniel Jackson.) *
lnoo.oo mortgage.
or
Ellen L. Jackson to Andrew Jackson, Feb. 27, la.55
$1.hOO.OQ.;tale prioe. (Ellen Jackson was daughter of
Nathaniel Jaekson).
Premises described as being formerly
17 tbrlborough Street.
Book 508 Page 103
Book
355
Page 133
Andrew Jackson to Ellen L. Jackson, Feb. 23, 1855
(trader) and Catherine Symonds (widow)
both of Salem and Sarah H. Brown, grandchild of Sarah s.
and Edward B. ~own. minor children of Benjamin Brawn convey to
lathaniel Jackson {stone cutter) for ~895.00, property
at 17 Marlborough Streat, April 10, 1845~
Samu~l &-own Jr.
**
* descriptions
lot of land with the huilrlings thereon N. JO' on Federal St.
E. 6o• on estate now or former~ #'d 45J S. on the Est. ntM or
formerly of Bartlett; if~ or.. Est. now or formerly of David Perkins
Which estate my late father Nathaniel Jackson died siezed.
______________________
ff desoription:
,_
dwelling ho1.1se and land #17 Marlborough Stree\ bounded N. 30' on
�Ca~.
John Felt House
1757
47
Page 2
hderal St.• Salem, Ku••
*****************************•••••• ...... ***
1aid Street, E. on Est o! 1115 about 66 teet;
land ot !avid Perkins as the fences stand."
s.
on Bartlett wtJ and •· on ·
********it*
Edward Brawn was the son-in-law
Vital Reccrda Essex County:
or Capt.
Benjamin
John Felt.
Brown, eon of Edward Brown bp. 6/7/1795
E81ex Count7 Probate #9390 John Felt, et al minors a
merptaa
Edward Brown of Salem, in said County, Gentleman, authorized by the
Bon. the Justices of the Sp. Jud. Ct. held in Sal.em October 7, 1804 to sell and convey two undivided seventh parts of Real Estate belonging to
John Felt, Porter Felt, Deborah Felt, Sa.Uy Felt and Ephraim Felt, then minors
etc. etc.
having: sold their said interest in said Real Est. nvw on oath
accounts for the proceeds thereof as follmvs:
Tiz a by the gross sales or the said i/7ths parts ot all said
Real Estate sold at auction on Feb. 25, 1804
$1,51B.h4
The said Edward prays to be allowed the following ohargess
TizJ
For cash paid to 8Ulldry creditors ot the estate
ot John Felt, deo 1d. grandfather of said
minors - to which the real estate aforesaid
was 8Ubject
pa.id on account of said minor•
178.32
tor eash paid 2/7ths of eJitp. ot
obtainin:.; order of ·court,
coiweyancing, advising etc.
15.84
For services of said Brawn
57.14
Probate Fees
. For cash paid to the said John Fel•
11ho ia now living, since he became
ot
age
1.00
2SJ.2S
For cash paid to ~;moy Felt, the
Gdn. to the said Porter, Deborah
Sally and Ephraim Felt
•an
the petition or MJJ:ry Felt or Salem etc. widow of John Felt, late of Salem~ and
guardian to all his children; viz. John Felt, Porter Felt, Feborah .Felt. Sally Felt,
and Ephraim Felt, minors under the age of 21 yrs. - smtvdng that said minors are
•eized in fee of and in two undivided seventh parts or the .following real estate
1ituate in Salem afroesaid, and here described viz. (a dewll~ house and land by
Lynde,d. Street, ther,~, and aboundin~ southerly by '. . hat Street 55 1 , westerly by land
Benjamin King 100 •; north'2rly partly on land of Katharine Felt dee 'd, and partly
on land of Edward Brcwn, 59' and one half; and easterly by land of the widow Rand
100• with the appurtenances, etc. etc. 11
lditora
prop~y
Therefore to pay debts owed .from John Felt Eatate, the house (a.nd oth<=>r
named) eomea into hands of Edward Bl"c;wn, Capt. Felt•a son-in-law.
�Capt. John Felt House.
1757
47
page
Federal st;., Salem, Ma.as.
J
*******************************************
l
Book
104 Pa.ge 81
Benjamin Lynde, ux Mary to Capt. John Felt tor $2 pounds
on February 2, 1757 conveys
House lot in Salem oontaining about 55 polea lying tront
on Izynde St. •o called bounded as followeth:
s.w. comer being the S.E. eomer of
John Holton' s lott and running along by said Holton fenc~
or line on a course North 16° 2$k JO•; East 254 • till it
comes to Owdell's or Cook Fish fence then turning and
running F,asterly 13° South 65' by said Fish Fence then
turning South and running on a course about South 19°
West along by Mr. Hunt and Mr. Orne •s land as the fences
now stand about 254 feet to said Lynde Street then turning
and running on said Street to the first menticned
bounds measurin~ in the front 55'.
Beginning at the
It is agreed that whereas Benjamin Lynde hath
~iven
in
2 feet to widen said street, Felt agrees to erect no
buildings or fence within 2 feet more of the st.reet.
i\U.l ccnsideration paid by
**
5/13/1757.
* **
Capt. John Felt, a ehoreman, or owner of vessels, trading coastw:iae, patriot
died ot eancer :in Danvers, r:ass. August 1785. Administrat'ion of' his .:..state
was granted to Capt. Richard Hanning, June 71 1786 - who gave bonds rlth John
.Felt and Edward Brown (son and son-in-law of Capt. John Felt) as su.::..~iea.
Ineluded in this tracing is a copy of a petition of Uar:r Felt, wid....-..r ot
.John Felt, and gdn. of all his children who are minors, an aocount. c~ sale of
real estate of Felt minors by order of court, and also aome interes-:..:..ng dcinga
ot thie moat interesting man which were recorded in the Felt Gene.a.l.:Q"•
men causing the
Jrr. Felt was patriot and leader of tht:i retreat at the :,iorth .Brici,,,,C"1! :,-- Col. Leslie.
Thia in.t'ormation is ;:;iven in great detail in this 5enealogy1 al.so ~'8Cific
mention of the tact that Capt. Felt purchased 5/10/1757, just preTi. ~ to hi•
second marriag~ a:mi house and lot on 1ynde Street in Salem and ~:;ment~ became
the owner of a large amount of land in the "!forth Fields".
These additicnal pa.pers mentioned above are given to the house
OW'!!:~ ..
We, therefore, state with no hesitation that the house was built i=. :_'""57.
�47 FEDERAL STREET Salem Directory Research
by Jeanne Stella P.O. Box 534 Salem MA 01970
1837 Directory
Hoffman, Charles, merchant, h 47 Federal
1842 Directory
Felt, Joseph, jr. farmer, 47 Federal
1846 Directory
Felt, Joseph, jr. farmer, h 47 Federal
1850 Directory
Felt Joseph, jr. house 47 Federal
1851 Directory
Felt Joseph, jr. house 47 Federal
1864 Directory
Arvedson George, clerk, 216 Essex, house 47 Federal
1866 Directory
Arvedson George, clerk, 216 Essex, house 47 Federal
1869 Directory
Arvedson George, clerk, 216 Essex, house 47 Federal
1872 Directory
Arvedson George, boots, shoes, and rubbers, 216 Essex, house 47 Federal
1874 Directory
Arvedson George, boots, shoes, and rubbers, 216 Essex, h 47 Federal
1876 Directory
Arvedson George, boots, shoes, and rubbers, 216 Essex, h 47 Federal
1881 Directory
Arvedson George, boots, shoes, and rubbers, 216 Essex, house 47 Federal
1884 Directory
Arvedson George, boots, shoes, and rubbers, 216 Essex, house 47 Federal
�1886 Directory
Arvedson George, salesman, 206 Essex, house 47 Federal
1890-91 Directory
Arvedson George, shoe dealer, h 47 Federal
Conant Annie R. Mrs. dressmaker, 47 Federal, h. do.
1893-94 Directory
Arvedson George, shoe dealer, h 47 Federal
1895-96 Directory
Arvedson George, h. 47 Federal
Abbott Mary, widow of George A. h. 47 Federal
1897-98 Directory
Arvedson George, genealogist, h. 47 Federal
1899-1900 Directory
Arvedson George, genealogist, h. 47 Federal
1905 Directory
Arvedson George, genealogist, h. 47 Federal
1906 Directory
Arvedson George, genealogist, h. 47 Federal
1908 Di rectory
Arvedson George, genealogist, h. 47 Federal
1910 Directory
Arvedson George, genealogist, h. 47 Federal
1911 Directory
Arvedson George, genealogist, h. 47 Federal
1912 Directory
Arvedson George, genealogist, h. 47 Federal
1913 Directory
Arvedson George, genealogist, h. 47 Federal
1914 Directory
Arvedson George, genealogist, h. 47 Federal
1915 Directory
Arvedson George, genealogist, h. 47 Federal
�1916 Directory
Arvedson George, genealogist, h. 47 Federal
1917 Directory
Arvedson George, genealogist, h. 47 Federal
1918 Directory
Barker, Mary E. wid. Benjamin, h. 47 Federal
1920 Directory
Wiggin J Edward {Jennie) elect h 47 Federal
1921 Directory
Wiggin J Edward {Jennie) electrician h. 47 Federal
1922 Directory
Taylor Elizabeth Mrs h 47 Federal
1924 Directory
Taylor Elizabeth Mrs h 47 Federal
1926 Directory
47-Vacant
1929 Directory
Killam Anna W {The Nook) h 47 Federal
Nook The tea room
1930 Directory
Killam Anna W {The Nook) tea room 47 Federal h do
1933-34 Directory
Killam Anna W {The Nook) h 47 Federal
Nook The tea room
1935 Directory
Killam Anna W {The Nook) h 47 Federal
Nook The tea room
1936 Directory
Brennan Bartholomew F {Eliz G) slsmn h 47 Federal
Nook The tea room {Eliz Brennan) 47 Federal
1937 Directory
Brennan Bartholomew F {Eliz G) dept mgr Sears Roebuck & Co h 47 Federal
Nook The (Eliz Brennan) tea room 47 Federal
�1939 Directory
Brennan Bartholomew F {Eliz G) slsman h 47 Federal
Nook The {Eliz G Brennan) 47 Federal
1940 Salem Directory
Brennan, Bartholomew F (Eliz G) slsmn 47 Federal
NOTE: THE NOOK IS NO LONGER LISTED
1941 Directory
Brennan Bartholomew F (Eliz G) slsmn Parkers Farm Supply Store r 47 Federal
1942 Directory
Brennan Bartholomew F (Eliz G) mgr Parkers Farm Supply Store {D) h 47 Federal
1943 Directory
Brennan Bartholomew E {Eliz G) mgr Parker Farm Supply Store {D) h 47 Federal
Brennan Eliz M wid Bartholomew r 47 Federal
1944 Directory
Brennan Bartholomew F (Eliz G) mgr Parker Farm Supply Store {D) h 47 Federal
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Federal Street
Historic Salem, Inc. House History
A resource made available by Historic Salem, Inc. detailing the history of Salem's houses.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
47 Federal Street, Salem, Massachusetts 01970
Subject
The topic of the resource
House history
Description
An account of the resource
Captain John Felt
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Historic Salem, Inc.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Historic Salem, Inc. house histories
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Historic Salem, Inc., Salem Historical Society
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1757, 1969
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Joan Bailey
Language
A language of the resource
English
47
Bailey
Federal
Felt
Joan
John
Massachusetts
Salem
Street
-
https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/28828/archive/files/8335b4724695ed61e2a5030cfc0f7f16.pdf?Expires=1712793600&Signature=CRcKZC35lQKe7Mt%7EgC6AlvjWPKtFfGzYAp4HlV6K7fqGHC2a%7Eb6v7iURaxeBPm3k7ipy2Z5PsDR7C6x-Hn07FKX9ZlSToFftMMYJJOj-xQAT5h54qOzZASX%7EKLjKqfX0Qq2rfP2CxccjuNu2U7ZGS88gIyoJEukZImiwEOTQIOMFEchXNESLAO10XG3AZpOPHgsovDqcDYsLmalmfxa08oLVsLlGXvsBXEdfZTDjxcn2E%7ElMReQl-n3p7EqlzvuYLBhpAHOJSZggq8-LiNCojtqbK%7EnSPY1qEpHCRnLgF5wpcl8zcFSeMsM7GYdpUmPw06KOCWw3pRnYkmSDTweOzA__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM
03f70160b0ddde463518f92d6cb3a119
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Felt Street
Historic Salem, Inc. House History
A resource made available by Historic Salem, Inc. detailing the history of Salem's houses.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
40 Felt Street, Salem, Massachusetts 01970
Subject
The topic of the resource
House history
Description
An account of the resource
Built by James Brooks and John Bell
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Historic Salem, Inc.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Historic Salem, Inc. house histories
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Historic Salem, Inc., Salem Historical Society
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1807, 1973
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Sally Dee
Language
A language of the resource
English
40
Bell
Brooks
Dee
Felt
James
John
Massachusetts
Salem
Sally
Street
-
https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/28828/archive/files/f30a76b2772866233eb9d11d14188382.pdf?Expires=1712793600&Signature=Ci2gPi7LECCtXYDk6j%7EbJ9nXQRNoPz%7EEOBt5UzggmzCs9iJNYH5wzS3pQHLdk5g7oAI9iMkRllj8yOw8MPCkYAP2YbaifYpGjNGlxqWUK1orEiZn2D52teczQv%7E1%7EN7689XH1SiHeASnvgCxu%7EtFD-R84p%7En2pQOwYrJsEu0WjIjPz6SjfguulXcodgpUq7UmBhtC4jzuJapKuhW8kk5MEy4Efc7LeWXj5a-sW-rKl1MiXEp3VnSc2Aq7CDwGVSzUeRb5xjrwOPZOOscBfJoCjgjM8LIsEMNe%7E%7EIZ7LI1uPYXPuVliR5NxAn8YQf%7EuDINeF3MjsHClXEPGefP8Rk1g__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM
3ec24c23f445ff654316596e1ee1d8bd
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Aborn Street
Historic Salem, Inc. House History
A resource made available by Historic Salem, Inc. detailing the history of Salem's houses.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
23 Aborn Street, Salem, Massachusetts 01970
Subject
The topic of the resource
House history
Description
An account of the resource
Built for General William Sutton by 1839
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Historic Salem, Inc.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Historic Salem, Inc. house histories
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Historic Salem, Inc., Salem Historical Society
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1839, 1983
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Joyce King
Language
A language of the resource
English
1839
1983
23
23 Aborn
Aborn
Eben
Ephraim
Fannie
Federal
Felt
Fisher
Frank
General
Gertrude
Hanson
Harris
Holman
Lyman
Mary
Messinger
Nathan
Rose
Samuel
Scott
Street
Sutton
Warren
William
William Sutton
wood