THE TOWN CLOCK.

SUBSCRIBERS TO THE CLOCK ON THE MAPLE STREET CHURCH.

The idea of raising money for a town clock is said to have originated in 1852 in the grocery store of Gould & Emerson, in a building which stood where Beal & Abbott later engaged in the same kind of business, now occupied by the so-called Spalding factory, corner Locust and Maple streets. Charles H. Gould and Daniel Emerson were the owners of the store. The Danvers Mirror of 1887, in recounting the history of the clock, says: "To Mr. Gould more than any other one man seems to be due the credit of having pushed the matter to a successful issue. In this he was heartily seconded by others, but especially by William L. Weston. So much button-holing was done in the grocery store that customers became rather shy of it." It was decided to circulate a subscription paper, and accordingly Mr. Weston wrote the heading on a sheet of blue foolscap and Mr. Gould circulated it.

"The undersigned hereby agree to pay the sums set against their respective names, for the purpose of defraying the expense of placing a clock upon the meeting-house (Rev. Mr. Fletcher's) at the Plains, the money to be expended under the direction of a committee to be hereafter appointed by the undersigned.

NORTH DANVERS, Dec. 24th, 1852. "Alfred Trask, Daniel Richards, S. W. Spalding, A. P. Perley & Co., Andrew M. Putnam, Ira P. Pope, James Fletcher, Emerson & Gould, J. C. Butler, Calvin Putnam, Geo. A. Putnam, Jos. S. Black, Stimpson, per J. C. B., Samuel Preston, H. & James M. Perry, Albert Spalding, John R. Langley, Eunice & M. A. Putnam, A. F. Danforth, Elias B. Waitt, Wm. L. Weston, T. Woodbury, Amos Lane, James P. Felton, Samuel Flint, T. A.

Townes, Daniel Berry, Joseph W. Ropes, G. F. Bailey, Levi Merrill, Alfred W. Putnam, Horace C. Straw, Daniel Gould, Enos E. Homan, Henry A. Putnam, Joseph Leavitt, Wm. A. Lander, N. Tapley, John Page, Wm. H. Walcott, N. H. Boardman, I. P. Boardman, Aaron Putnam, Curtis C. Munsey, Francis Noyes, Dea. Fred Howe, Browne & Osgood, Joseph C. Shaw, Chas. H. Learoyd, D. L. Goodwin, G. L. Pew, Joel Putnam, Alfred Fellows, A. G. Allen, Moses Putnam, A. P. Black, Ezra Batchelder, Samuel Putnam, Elbridge Trask, Nathaniel Boardman, I. H. Putnam, Franklin Batchelder, F. P. Putnam, Allen Knights, Thos. M. Putnam, John A. Learoyd, Simeon Putnam, John Hood, C. H. Adams, Adrian Putnam, David Grosvenor, Edward A. Lord, Winthrop Andrews, Richard Flint, W. Herrick, George Naylor, Warren Sheldon, C. H. Beach, Daniel Pope, Levi Fish, Darlin Shackley, Benj. W. Perry, James H. Sleeper, Mark Glidden, E. A. Perry, W. B. Peart, Eben Putnam, Henry Perry, N. S. Batchelder, Col. Jesse Putnam, Perkins & Cressy, Fred'k Howes, Edwin Perry, John Dummer, Mr. Phelps, A. M. Spofford, J. Q. A. Batchelder, J. S. Learoyd, J. S. Pratt, Eri Hayward, E. W. Woodman, S. S. Knight.

"Neither Mr. Gould nor Mr. Weston can remember who acted as the committee' spoken of in the heading, though both were quite sure that Alfred Fellows was one. There is this summary at the end of the list, in Mr. Gould's handwriting: Paid Perkins & Cressy, bill for clock, $83.73; Paid Putnam & Kenney's bill, freight, $3.37; Nov. 19, Paid Howard & Davis, case, $175; Eben Putnam's bill, $2; Paid balance to H. & Davis, $150; total, $414.10. As will be noticed, a great majority of the subscribers were members of the Society. The clock was made the property of the Society, which has ever since maintained it. A few years ago a weight fell, and the occasion was taken to give the clock a thorough overhauling. A sum was raised by another public subscription to defray the expenses of repairs, and with its new lease of life, our Town Clock promises to give us good time for years to come."

DIARY OF ARCHELAUS PUTNAM OF NEW MILLS.

The following diary was kept by Archelaus Putnam of New Mills, now Danversport, from 1805-1817. It is entitled, "A Journey & Diary of Foreign and Domestic Intelligence, or Remembrancer of Remarkable Days, Weather, etc., Commenced, Danvers, Massachusetts, January 1st, 1805." Archelaus was the youngest son of Nathaniel and Mary (Ober) Putnam, and was born June 19, 1787. His mother died when he was but a few months old and his father married, December 20, 1788, Ruth Butler, a native of Chebacco parish of Ipswich, now Essex. Nathaniel, the father, died November 15, 1800. This diary was begun when Archelaus was eighteen years of age, at which time he was employed by his brother Nathaniel, his senior by twelve years, in his general store, in the brick building on Water street, later known as Warren's store, and now owned by Samuel Goldman. He also had five own sisters, Mary, who married Levi Carr; Mehitable, married Samuel Pinder; Lydia, married Joseph Coffrain; Phebe, married Moses Black, and Priscilla, married Edward Stone; and five half-sisters, Betsey, Sally, Rebecca, Pamelia, who married Thomas Symonds, and Lois, who married George West. They lived in the house now standing on Water street, next east of the old Warren store, a portion of which is probably the old house built by Archelaus Putnam, the diarist's grandfather, who was the first settler of New Mills, about 1754.

As a diarist, Archelaus was a success, and his records of events of local interest are valuable, covering a variety of subjects. He tells much of the life at New Mills in those early days and fixes the dates of many locally important happenings. He was unsettled at first as to what occupation to follow, whether the sea, the printer's trade or that of a shopkeeper. He was ambitious, and feeling the need of an education, he spent a term or more at Andover Academy. Later he engaged in the apothecary business, in which he had had some experience with his brother, first in Lynn, and then in the South Parish, Peabody. He met with indifferent success. He was handicapped from the first by ill-health, which was aggrevated by an over-sensitive and somewhat morbid nature. He had little business capacity and chafed under the confinement of

"keeping shop" and waiting for the patronage of customers. He had aspirations toward a literary or professional career, in which he might have been a success had his health and means permitted. He encouraged the subscribing to newspapers in New Mills and succeeded in establishing the first social library there. During the latter years of his short life, he became intensely religious, almost to the verge of fanaticism. His intention of marriage to Miss Sarah Ward Noyes of Andover was published, May 31, 1817, but he died before marriage on March 31, 1818, at the age of thirty-one years.

Jan. 1, 1805. This day the Directors to D[anvers] & B[everly] I[ron] Factory1 meets & settles up their business the year past. Sold Mr. Conant sundry stores.

2. Mr. Crooker not very well.

3. Rollers for Factory comes from Salem. 6 barrels flour at 12$.

2

6. To meeting today. Mr. Chaplin, the priest.

7. Evening school begins tonight for 1 quarter at 9/ per scholar.

9. This evening Engine company No. 2 meets at this store & consults on matters relative thereto. Vote passed to have a supper procured by N. Putnam on Wednesday night next. 10. Benj. Goodridge come down from the country.

11. Put up Cherry cask today, bought cheese.

13. Went to meeting at Mr. Wadsworth's, a sermon delivered to young people. Spent the evening at Sam Pinder's.* 14. Directors gone on a tour to Boston. Did not go to school tonight.

15. Mr. [John] Hines moves at Pinder's.

16. Twenty partake of the supper, broke up at 11 o'clock. 17. Mrs. Goodridge comes down out the country in order to sell her part of her mother's estate.

19. Mr. Samuel] Dutch, Mr. Fairfild & Capt. [Samuel] Page were chosen & did apprize the pasture 50 dollars per

acre.

20. Went to meeting at Mr. Chaplin's. Visited grandsir⭑ with Mr. [Moses] Black.

21. Heard of the death of Francis Phillips, 'twas put upon

1 Where the Danversport Rubber Factory now stands, Liberty street.

2 Rev. Jeremiah Chaplin of the Baptist church.

8 Second dwelling house now standing on the right side of Endicott street, from Water street.

4 Col. Israel Hutchinson.