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separating it from New London
and Newbury, S. by Goshen, W.
by Newport and Croydon. It is 35
miles N. W. from Concord, and 7
E. from Newport. A considerable
part of lake Sunapee, a noble sheet
of water, lies in this town. The
surface of this lake is said to con-
tain 4,095 acres, of which 2,720
-acres are in Wendell. Here is the
principal source of Sugar river,
which flows from the lake near its
centre from north to south : passes
through the centre of the town into
Newport, from thence into Clare-
mont, where it unites with the Con-
necticut. There are three small
ponds, containing an area of about
300 acres. This town was granted
by the name of Saville in 1768. It
was settled in 1772, and was incor-
porated in 1781, when it received its
name from John Wendell, one of
the principal proprietors. Popula-
tion, 1830, 637.
Wendell, Mass.
Franklin, co. The surface of
Wendell is uneven, and in some
parts hilly ; but the soil is strong
and productive. Miller’s river
passes through the north part of the
town, giving mill privileges, fertil-
ity and beauty in its course. There
is a curious kind of stooe found
here, embedded with mica slate;
and Chalk pond furnishes a sub-
stance from which chalk is made by
burning it.
The manufactures of this pleas-
ant town consist of palm-leaf hats,
boots, shoes, leather, cabinet ware,
chairs. &c.
Wendell was incorporated in
1781, and named in honor of Oliver
Wendell, Esq., a very worthy man,
for many years president of Union
Bank, in Boston, the second insti-
tution of the kind in Massachusetts.
Mr. Wendell was a great patron of
this town, and frequently visited it.
Wendell is bounded north by
Erving, cast by Phillipston, south
by Salem, and west by Montague. |
The mill privileges on Millers
river in this town are very valua-
ble ; many of which remain unim-
proved.
Wendell lies 80 miles W. by N.
from Boston, and 14 E. from Green-
field. Population, 1837,847
Wcnham, Mass
Essex co. This town is 20 miles
N. bj7- E. from Boston, 6 N. from
Salem, and 16 S. from Newbury-
port. First settled, 1639. Incor-
porated, 1643. Population, 1837,
698.
Wenham or JSnon pond is a beau-
tiful sheet of water, about a mile
square, and affords an abundance
of excellent fish. It is mucb visi-
ted. The first sermon preached in
tbis place was on the border of thi3
pond, by the celebrated Hugh Pe-
ters, minister of Salem, about the
year 1636. His text was, “At
Enon near Salem, because there
was much water there.”
Mr. Peters went to England, as
agent for the colony, 1641; en-
gaged in the civil wars on the side
of the parliament, and was execu-
ted after tbe restoration of Charles
II.
The surface of the town is pleas-
ant: the soil is generally of a good
quality, and well cultivated by in-
dustrious and independent farmers.
John Duntan, an Englishman who
travelled in this country in 1636,
and on his return to England pub-
lished a journal of his travels, gives
the following account of Wenham,
and of its minister, Joseph Gerrish,
who was ordained Feb. 13, 1675,
and died Jan. 6, 1719.
“Wenham is a delicious para-
dise, it abounds with rural pleas-
ures, and I would choose it above
all other towns in America to dwell
in ; the lofty trees on each side of
it are a sufficient shelter from the
winds, and the warm sun so kindly
ripens both the fruits and flowers,
as if the spring, the summer, and
the autumn had agreed together to
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