Dedham, Massachusetts

Also referred to as Tiot

Much of the following is from A history of Dedham, Massachusetts, by Frank Smith, The History of Dedham by Erastus Worthington and Early Records of the Town of Dedham by Don Gleason Hill

The Algonquians who lived in the area that is now Dedham called the place Tiot,⁵ which means "land surrounded by water."

Dedham legend says that “the first landing” at Dedham was by men from Watertown, including Edward Alleyne, John Everard, John Gay and John Ellis (a Johnson ancestor), who, responding to a desire for more land, explored up the Charles River in rough canoes carved from felled trees.³ “These pioneers, "paddled up the narrow, deeply flowing stream impatiently turning curve after curve around Nonantum until, emerging from the tall forest into the open, they saw in the sunset glow a golden river twisting back and forth through broad, rich meadows."³ In search of the best land available to them they continued on but there were so many bends that they made little progress… They finally landed where the river makes its 'great bend,'³ near what is today Ames Street, and close by the Dedham Community House and the Allin Congregational Church in Dedham Square.”

In 1635 there were rumors in the Massachusetts Bay Colony that a war with the local Indians was impending and a fear arose that the few, small, coastal communities that existed were in danger of attack. This, in addition to the belief that the few towns that did exist were too close together, prompted the Massachusetts General Court to establish two new inland communities. The towns of Dedham and Concord, Massachusetts were thus established to relieve the growing population pressure and to place communities between the larger, more established coastal towns and the Indians further west.¹September, 3, 1635, the Court ordered “that there shall be a plantation settled, about two myles above the falls of the Charles Ryver, on the north side thereof, to have ground lyeing to it on both sides the river, both uplands & meadowe, to be laid out hereafter, as the Council shall appoint.” Mass. Col. Rec., Vol. 1, page 156.

The following year, a little company gathered at Watertown, eager to make the settlement. This was to be a holy community and at the first public meeting on August 15, 1636, eighteen men signed the town covenant. They swore that they would "in the fear and reverence of our Almighty God, mutually and severally promise amongst ourselves and each to profess and practice one truth according to that most perfect rule, the foundation whereof is ever lasting love."

They also agreed that "we shall by all means labor to keep off from us all such as are contrary minded, and receive only such unto us as may be probably of one heart with us, and such as that we either know or may well and truly be informed to walk in a peaceable conversation with all meekness of spirit, this for the edification of each other in the knowledge and faith of the Lord Jesus…" The covenant also stipulated that if differences were to arise between townsmen, they would seek arbitration for resolution and each would pay his fair share for the common good.

Over the next twenty years, 151 men would sign the Dedham Covenant, and the people of the town were known for their unwavering faith. For a list of the signers of the Dedham Covenant, go to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_signers_of_the_Dedham_Covenant

At the third recorded meeting, Sept. 5, 1636, the hopeful group, "all ye names of them wch are admitted into our Society are subscribed" (twenty-five in all), petitioned the Court to incorporate the plantation into a town, with an additional grant of land, and to free the town from all "Countrey Charges" for four years and from all military exercises unless "extraordinary occasion require it."⁹ They also asked to "distinguish our town by the name of Contentment."⁹ The Court granted all the requests in their petition, except the name of the town; and the “tax-exempt” period was reduced from four years to three. On September 7, 1636 the Court decreed that the "Towne shall beare the name of Dedham."¹⁰ ¹¹ after Dedham, Essex, England where some of the original inhabitants, including John Dwight, John Page and John Rogers had been born.³ "Contentment" eventually became the motto of the town.

Preparations for the settlement were made, houses were constructed, and fields planted, and in March of 1637, "about thirty families from Watertown and Roxbury made the move to the new settlement.”

Many of the other yeomen settling the new Dedham in the Massachusetts Bay Colony came from Suffolk, in eastern England. This group included elders Nathan Aldis, George Barber, Henry Brock, Eleazor Lusher, Samuel Morse, Robert Ware, John Thurston, Francis and Henry Chickering and Anthony, Corneileus and Joshua Fisher.⁸

Some of the settlers came to Dedham directly from England, including John Huntington and Michael Metcalf.

The original Dedham land grant encompassed over 200 square miles, stretching from Wellesley and Mendon to the Rhode Island border. As the population increased, over a dozen new towns were incorporated from this territory.

http://dedhamhistorical.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Historic-Dedham-Village.pdf

The land was granted to the first settlers, subject to the Indian titles. They were bound by a law of the colony, as well as by their own sense of right, to extinguish that title by equitable contract. The first settlers obtained title to the land from the Wampanoag people in the area, and began parceling out tracts of land.¹⁴ They did so sparingly, however, and gave no family more land than they could currently improve.¹⁴ Married men received 12 acres for a house lot, amd four acres of swamp land, while single men received eight acres for a house lot, and three acres of swamp.³⁹ Twenty years after it was founded, only 3% of the land had been distributed, with the rest being retained by the Town.¹⁴ In 1657 there was still 125,000 acres remaining to be distributed to settlers.¹⁶

Forming a Church

While it was of the utmost importance, "founding a church was more difficult than founding a town."³¹ Meetings were held late in 1637 and were open to "all the inhabitants who affected church communion... lovingly to discourse and consult together on such questions as might further tend to establish a peaceable and comfortable civil society ad prepare for spiritual communion."³² On the fifth day of every week they would meet in a different home and would discuss any issues "as he felt the need, all 'humbly and with a teachable heart not with any mind of cavilling or contradicting.'"³² ¹⁴

After they became acquainted with one another, they asked if "they, as a collection of Christian strangers in the wilderness, have any right to assemble with the intention of establishing a church?"³³ Their understanding of the Bible led them to believe that they did, and so they continued to establish a church based on Christian love, but also one that had requirements for membership. In order to achieve a "further union", they determined the church must "convey unto us all the ordinances of Christ's instituted worship, both because it is the command of God... and because the spiritual condition of every Christian is such as stand in need of all instituted ordinances for the repair of the spirit."³³

Only 'visible saints' were pure enough to become members.¹⁴ A public confession of faith was required, as was a life of holiness.³⁴ ¹⁴ A group of the most pious men (the Group of Eight) were chosen to interview all who sought admission to the church.¹⁴ All others would be required to attend the sermons at the meeting house, but could not join the church, nor receive communion, be baptized or become an officer of the church.³⁴

Finally, on November 8, 1638, two years after the incorporation of the town and one year after the first church meetings were held, the covenant was signed and the church was gathered.³⁵ ¹⁴ Guests from other towns were invited for the event as they sought the "advice and counsel of the churches" and the "countenance and encouragement of the magistrates."³⁵ ¹⁴ A "tender" search for a minister took an additional several months, and finally John Allin was ordained as pastor and John Hunting as Ruling Elder.¹ ³⁶ Both men had been among the 8 found worthy enough to be the first members of the church and to first sign the covenant.³⁵ As in England, Puritan ministers in the American colonies were usually appointed to the pulpits for life³⁷ and Allin served for 32 years.³

By 1648, 70% of the men and many of their wives, and in some cases the wives only, had become members of the Church.³⁸ ¹⁴ Between the years of 1644 and 1653, 80% of children born in town were baptized, indicating that at least one parent was a member of the church. Servants and masters, young and old, rich and poor alike all joined the church. ³⁸

Selectmen

The whole town would gather regularly to conduct public affairs, but it was "found by long experience that the general meeting of so many men…has wasted much time to no small damage and business is thereby nothing furthered."¹⁷ In response, on May 3, 1639, seven selectmen were chosen "by general consent" and given "full power to contrive, execute and perform all the business and affairs of this whole town"¹⁷ The leaders they chose "were men of proven ability who were known to hold the same values and to be seeking the same goals as their neighbors" and they were "invested with great authority."²² The empowering of several selectmen to administer the affairs of the town was soon seen by the whole colony to have great value, and after the General Court approved of it, nearly all towns began choosing selectmen of their own.¹⁷

The First Canal in New England

In 1654, Town Meeting voted to dig a 4000' ditch connecting the Charles River at either end of its great loop.⁴ Doing so created an island, today the neighborhood of Riverdale, and allowed the "Broad meadow" that was then there to more easily drain away the flood waters that gathered every spring.⁴

Town Records

Of towns founded during the colonial era, Dedham is one of the few towns "that has preserved extensive records of its earliest years."⁷ They have been described as "very full and perfect."⁵

A history of Dedham, Massachusetts, by Frank Smith found at

https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uva.x000508275;view=1up;seq=43

Lockridge, Kenneth (1985). A New England Town. New York: W.W. Norton & Company

Don Gleason Hill – Early Records of the Town of Dedham Massachusetts 1636 - 1659

A Capsule History of Dedham". Dedham Historical Society.

Abbott, Katharine M. (1903). Old Paths And Legends Of New England

https://www.geni.com/projects/Original-Settlers-of-Dedham-Massachusetts/18450

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dedham,_Massachusetts

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Dedham,_Massachusetts,_1635

A close up of a map
Description generated with high confidence

Direct Line Johnson Ancestors who lived in Dedham

Places to visit in Dedham

House of ancestors Jonathan Fairbanks and Grace Smith - 511 East St, Dedham, MA 02026 - the oldest timber frame home in the US.
Land grants of other ancestors:

Property of the Michael Metcalf' and Sarah Elwyn family - East St. and Autumn Ln./Puritan Ln.
Thomas Fisher – Lowder St. between Highland St. and Lowder Brook
- John Allin – Lowder St between Lowder Brook and South Wampatuck Rd.
Property of Anthony and Alice Fisher – Lowder St. and North Wampatuck Rd.
Henry and Elizabeth Smith - Highland St and Richards St. – Burned out.
Old Village Cemetery – Village Ave. at Bullard St. – many ancestors’ graves.
Dedham Historical Society 612 High St., Dedham, MA 02026 to see the Metcalf Great Chair (1652) and chest.
The Green in front of the First Unitarian Church - 680 High St. – was the site of the first school of Dedham, established in 1648. Dedham claims to have had the first free public school in the U.S. supported by public taxation. Michael Metcalf Sr. was the schoolmaster in his 70s.
Allin Congregational Church - 683 High St. - Built in 1818 on land granted in 1637 to John Allin, Dedham’s first minister.
Site of the “First Landing” of the Dedham Colonists at Ames Street, and close by the Dedham Community House and the Allin Congregational Church in Dedham Square.”
The Common at High St, and Common St. was the training ground for the original militia.