1790: Judith visits New York, and observes an unruly session of the First Congress

29 May 1790:
Judith Sargent Murray to Winthrop Sargent
and Judith Saunders Sargent

 

Letter 747  To my Father and Mother  Brunswick  
May 29th  1790  Saturday Evening

On Tuesday morning we quitted New Rochelle, coming on through East Chester, crossing Knight Bridge, and passing over Harlem Plains, to New York — The country round New York is mountainous, and the traveller is amused with all the charms of variety [—] a few elegant seats are scattered near the City, and we entered through a fine airy space, known by the name of the Bowery, and bordered by neatly finished, and convenient dwellings — The ground upon which New York is built, was originally very unequal, but, with incesant labour, and industry, the hills have been thrown in to the Vallies, and it is now a fine extensive tract, nearly level —

Everything in the City of New York, seems upon a larger scale, than in the Town of Boston — and I am told it covers a full third more ground — The streets are longer and more capacious, and [there] is an air of thriftyness, as well as elegance about the buildings far surpassing any thing I have ever yet seen — The streets of New York are paved with more exactness than those of Boston, many of them are arched and to obviate the inconvenience of pavements, to the stranger, they are generally raised on each side, several inches above the surface, and smoothly laid with brick over which you may pursue your way, with much ease — The houses are principally of Brick and Broadway presents a pile of buildings, in the centre of which, the President resides, which are in deed truly magnificent — The Citizens of New York have erected many public buildings, no less than twenty Churches, among which are Episcopalians, presbyterians, Quakers, dutch institutions, Roman Catholics, and Jews [—] The Columbian University is a spacious structure, presenting in Front no less than sixty windows — The Hospital, Bridewell and Work house, figure respectably, and I am told are under excellent regulations — St Paul’s Church towers with mingling elegance, and grandeur, and is fronted by a Monument, sacred to the memory of General Montgomery, adorned with military insignia etc etc — 

 But my attention was principally attracted by the federal edifice — Its very air majestically descriptive, seems to designate it consecrated to National purposes, and it is of course interesting to every genuine American — Almost entirely unacquainted with the terms of Art, the attempt to delineate, may draw upon me an accusation of arrogance yet I will nevertheless hazard a slight sketch [—] Its situation is pronounced ill judged — It is however erected at the head of broad street, of which it commands a complete view — an elegant church is nearby finished upon its right, and upon its left, a good street of a thrifty appearance winds its way — The Federal structure is magnificently pleasing and sufficiently spacious — Four large pillars in front, support an equal number of columns, with their pediment — A large gallery also, presents, in which in the presence of Almighty God, and in view of a numerous Concourse of people, the illustrious, and immortal Washington, took his oath of office, being thus solemnly inaugurated, and cloathed with powers, which we doubt not he will continue to exercise, with augmenting celebrity to himself, as well as for the public weal — Thirteen Stars, the American Arms, crested with the spread eagle, with other insignia in the pediment, tablets over each window, which tablets are filled with the thirteen arrows, surrounded with an olive branch, are among the principal ornaments which emblematically adorn, and beautify the front of the Federal Edifice —

The entrance introduces into a square room, which is paved with stone, from which we pass on to the Vestibule in the centre of the pile — This Vestibule is lofty, it is floored with marble, and highly finished, with a handsome iron Gallery, and a sky light richly adorned — From this Vestibule we proceed to the floor of the Representatives’ Room, and through arches on either side, by a public staircase on the left, and a private one on the right, to the senate Chamber, and other apartments —

The room appropriated to the Representatives is spacious, and elegant — It is worthy the respectable assembly now convened there — It is sixty one feet deep — fifty eight feet wide, and thirty six feet high [—] its ceiling is arched and I should have called its form Oval, but I believe the technical term is octangular — four of its sides are rounded in the manner of arches which adds much to its beauty, and gracefulness — the windows are large, and wainscoted below, interrupted only by stoves, which I think are four in number — above are columns, and pilasters, with entablatures variously disposed, and in the pannels between the windows, trophies are carved, and the letters U.S. surrounded with laurel — The Chair of the Speaker is opposite the principal door — and it is elevated three steps, the chairs of the members form around it a semicircle — a writing stand properly furnished, is placed before every chair.  In one piece a number of these stands are connected, which piece forms a segment of a circle — upon the right and left of the speaker, are semicircular compartments, in which are tables for the accommodation of the Clerks — Over the great door, and fronting the Speaker two Galleries are erected — The lower Gallery projects considerably — This is commonly, during the Sessions of the Assembly, filled by gentlemen, and the upper Gallery is appropriated to Ladies — Besides these galleries, a space upon the floor, separated by a bar, may be occasionally occupied by visiting individuals — This apartment is furnished with three doors, exclusive of the principal entrance, all of which are conveniently disposed — The chairs, curtains, and hangings in this room, are of light blue harateen, fringed and tasselled, and the floor is elegantly carpeted —

We have received many civilities from Mr Goodhue, who introduced us into the upper Gallery, where we attended the debates of Congress, for near four hours — the scene was truly august, and as I threw my eyes around, taking a view of the delegates of America thus convened, a solemn air pervaded my bosom — a new, and undefinable sensation originated a hand of enraptured veneration, and I prepared to listen with most profound attention — But I shall own a truth — Let it be better said in a whisper — my reverential feelings considerably abated, as I observed the apparent negligence, of many of the members — a question of much importance was agitated, and investigated by several speakers — and that with a warmth, and energy, which would have done honour to a Demasthenes, or a Cicero, while, with all imaginable sang froid, gentlemen were walking to, and fro — their hats occasionally on, or off — Reading the News papers — lolling upon their writing stands — picking their nails, biting the heads of their canes, examining the beauty of their shoe Buckles, ogling the Gallery etc etc [—] yet we were fortunate enough to hear some of the best Speakers, among them Mr Maddison, Mr Ames, Mr Sedgwick, Mr Jackson, and Mr Vinning —

From the stairs upon the left hand of the Vestibule, we reach a Lobby that communicates with the Iron Gallery, which leads on one hand to the door of the representatives Room, and on the other to the senate Chamber — The senate Chambers is pleasingly decorated — the pilasters etc are highly ornamented, and amid the foliage of the Capitals, a splendid star makes its appearance, surrounded with rays, while a small medallion is suspended by a piece of drapery, with the interesting letters U.S. in a cypher — The ceiling presents a sun, and thirteen Stars, which appear in its centre — The Chimnies are finished with American Marble, said to be equal for the beauty of its shades, and high polish, to any found in Europe — The Presidential chair is, of course, stationary in the upper end of the senate chamber — It is elevated several steps from the floor, and placed under a superb canopy of crimson damask — The chairs arranged semicircularly, as in the room of the Representatives, with the window curtains, and hangings are also of crimson damask, and the floor is richly carpeted — From the throne, or chair of state, his highness, the Protector of the Union, delivers a speech at the opening, and close of a Session which doth not much vary either in form, or manner, from those delivered by a british Sovereign, we differ essentially in nothing, but in name, and it is possible the time is not far distant which may invest us with royal dignities —

There are in the Federal edifice, many other apartments, besides those of which I have attempted a sketch, guard rooms, Committee Rooms, and a handsome library — In the room of audience, we were shown portraits of the reigning King, and Queen of France, which are very fine Paintings — One side of the Federal edifice is furnished with a Platform railed in with iron, which affords an agreeable Walk, and the cupola is in good taste, highly ornamental, producing a very pleasing effect, and summing to give a finishing to the whole — An elegant statue of Lord Chatham once distinguished a principal street in New York, and in a spacious square, majestically towered an equestrian figure of George the third King of Great Britain — But alas! such hath been the ascendancy, shall I say of Gothic animocity, as to procure their destruction –

New York exhibits no promenade, equal to the mall in Boston — But we intend visiting the orangery, and the seats on the north river, on our way home, and we already know this River abounds with beautiful imagery [—] The North or Hudson’s River, rolls its waters along its Banks — the sound divides it from Long Island — Staten Island is in view with many other less considerable Islands — Thus variously are the Land, and water prospects displayed — New York, however suffers in the lack of good water — Every family not residing in the Bowery, being obliged to purchase tea water etc etc [—] New York is undoubtedly a populace, and opulent City; many of the streets remind me of the picturesque views, which we have so often admired upon paper, at present the seat of Government, it may be considered as the Metropolis of America, but it is probable it will not retain this distinction — During our attendance in the federal Edifice, a removal was proposed, seconded, and laid upon the table [—] Philadelphia, and New York are rival Cities — the Southern chambers are for convening in Philadelphia, the question hath been frequently agitated, until it has become annexed to the most important National concerns — I am told there is an agreement between the Southern, and Eastern Members — If the Eastern delegates give their voices in favour of one question, the Southern Gentlemen, will aid them in another! If this information be correct, will not that august Body depart (while engaged in this kind of dangerous, and unbecoming traffic, much from their dignity?[)]   Is it not bartering for public weal? — Yet Members of Congress are but Men —

General Washington hath consecrated one day in the week his levee day upon which gentlemen visit him without ceremony, passing in and out at pleasure — Mrs Washington’s Levee is upon friday — the General is always present — Ladies then pay their Compliments, and strangers, having an acquaintance with any of Mrs Washington’s familiar friends, are properly introduced — Had we tarried long enough in New York, we should have been presented — We have that honour in prospect, upon our return — Lady Temple hath also her Levee days — The whispers of malevolence and ingratitude against our illustrious Chief, are already afloat!  He is accused of favouritism if I may so express myself, and the name of Colonel Humphrys is repeated, with a jealous kind of Acrimony — But enough of dignities —

_________
Notes:
- Paragraph breaks are mine
- "We" means Judith and her husband, Rev. John Murray

 

ESSAY in defense of her Loyalist Uncle Epes Sargent and Aunt Catherine Osborne Sargent

 The Repository.  No. XVII.

(Written at a period of our late contest with Great Britain, replete with apprehension and distress)

It is a delightful morning—a few clouds seemed to chase each other athwart the sky—but the rising sun hath dispersed them, and it hath spread the firmament with the brightest azure:—So, just so, may we not suppose that the great, the glorious Son of righteousness will, on the auspicious day of the restitution of all things, dispel the clouds, clear up every doubt, and wipe away every tear, from the faces of the then not sorrowing family of man.  

 

The feathered songsters have been hours since hymning their great Creator—their sweet and harmonizing melody charms me as I write. Etherial airs breathe on me their chaste and salutary influence, and soft is the breath of gentle zephyr.  Order, at this present, seems constituted regent of the natural world; but all man, savage man—who, as if the day was too short for their hostile triumph, are already parading our streets, proudly exulting with their instruments of death towering in the air.  How have we exchanged the delightful scenes of peace and security, for all the horrors of war, and of civil war too!  Parents draw the sword to sheathe it in the bosom of their enraged children!  And children are aiming at the hoary heads of those who are the authors of their being!—O my Country, how art thou deluged in blood!—how art thou torn by intestine tumults!—Who but must wish for some Days-Man to step between, and reconcile the contending parties—heal, heal these disorders, Oh our God, we humbly beseech thee—save our political world for thy great mercies’ sake, and say unto this our nation, Learn war no more.

 

Great is the anarchy and confusion which prevails: Lawless power hath exalted itself, and sitting as supreme judge, it wantonly tries, and condemns all whom ignorance and prejudice audaciously arraign.  I tremble for myself, I tremble for my friends, tenderly attached to many persons warmly engaged in opposite parties, by consequence my spirit must be greatly agitated.  This Massachusetts test act, arbitrary in its designation, encroaching even upon the liberty of reflection, and, if carried into execution, destructive of the most upright among us.  Two persons I know, of unblemished integrity; they are among the dearest of my friends; they have not been active in the present contest; much have they contributed to the public weal; yet their sentiments correspond not with the popular measures; but they presume not to oppose, they wish only to preserve unbroken silence; in the decline of life they are only solicitous to pass the remainder of their days amid the sweets of calm retirement and of friendship.  They wish not to embark on the troubled ocean of politics; hitherto they have persevered in the path of rectitude; their moral characters are irreproachable—amiable pair, how have they been admired at the head of their family—as parents, as master, as mistress, as most bountiful benefactors to the sons and daughters of adversity:  Full often have they dried the swoln eye of sorrow, and soothed the heart that was well near bursting with anguish:  Their hospitable mansion was well known to the stranger and the captive, and with them amity hath taken up her abode, yet they have already suffered many indignities, the gothic mob have assaulted and insulted them, and this arbitrary act, unprecedented in civilized annals, and summoning the secrets of the soul, will compel them to wander in a state of exile far from their peaceful home.  Well assured of their unyielding veracity, that they will never stoop to a public avowal of sentiments foreign to their hearts; already their children, and their friends, croud around them, as if the moment to bid them a last, solemn adieu, was even now arrived.  To banish the man of virtue is surely impolitic—at an advanced time of life too, and for no one crime.  Thought, merely opinion, ought never to be subject to human jurisdiction—for the freeborn soul will still assert her right.

 

Yet if they must be exiled, they would consider it as mitigation, might they be permitted to retire to some part of America, for Europe, they mildly observe, will be distancing them too far from those who are very, very dear to their hearts.  Surely the face of this once peaceful village, is already sufficiently changed.  The habitations where heretofore Friendship, and her sister Peace, with smiling competency, went hand in hand, are now desolate, forsaken and forlorn—how dreary towers the deserted mansions—once indeed they were famed for hospitality—but now—Can this be the cheerful village?  are these the happy dwellings?  Where, alas! are the banished inhabitants?—if they were lodged in the silent tomb, reason, by degrees, would cease to lament them, and we should hail them happy upon the shore of immortality—but they are driven hence by hostile terror, they have fled to preserve their persons from the calamities of war—they are wretched dependents upon a false, and an ungrateful world.  Cease thou sovereign of the British world—cease thy proclamations, lend a compassionate ear to thy still petitioning subjects—see, we are harrassed, feattered, and suffering—final destruction probably awaits.

 

Oh Britain!  Oh America!  adopt, for your bleeding countries’ sake, adopt conciliating measures, if ye would not that impending ruin should speedily fall upon your wretched son, your wretched daughters—confusion, we repeat, prevails:  No energetic Legislature—the barriers of the law are thrown down—licentiousness, with baleful influence, becomes triumphant, and every neighbour may safely purloin each other!  The good are tired of this bad world, and, for me, my coward soul shrinks from, and trembles at, the prospect which is opening.  What a dreary wilderness this globe!  My full heart joins issue with the Poet, and, adopting his language, can experimentally say—I have indeed grasped the shadows, and I have found them air, lighter than air, altogether vanity; if I had weighed them ere my fond embraces what darts of agony had missed my soul.

 

CONSTANTIA.

 

Notes:

Published by Judith Sargent Murray, using the pen name “Constantia,” in the February 1794 edition of the Massachusetts Magazine. As Murray states in her first sentence, she wrote the essay many years earlier – probably in March of 1775, after a special meeting of Gloucester voters on March 6. Epes Sargent had been summoned before the town to “show that he was a harmless citizen” due to his loyalty to the “mother country.” Sargent refused to obey the summons. On March 6, the town cited Sargent and “forbade the inhabitants of Gloucester to hold further commerce with Epes Sargent in order to force him to leave the town through fear of starvation.

This measure had the desired effect, and he moved to Boston where the torrents of hatred and abuse which overwhelmed all who were of his political faith were heaped upon him. He decided to leave Massachusetts and prepared to sail for Halifax, but, on assembling his family for leave-taking the evening before his departure, his spirits were so depressed by the dread of this separation that he determined to return to Gloucester and endure what might await him.”

In 1775, Epes Sargent III was 54. His wife Catherine Osborne Sargent was 53. Their children, two adult sons, were 27 (Epes Sargent IV) and 25 (John Osborne Sargent).

Epes IV was married, and he and his wife, Dorcas Babson Sargent, had lost their first child – Epes V (b. Nov. 1772, d. May 1773). Their daughter Catherine was born on Apr. 26, 1774.

So in March of 1775, Epes Sargent III had an infant grandchild and lots more family and Universalist friends he would have to leave behind.

**************************************************************************

Quotes from Epes Sargent of Gloucester and His Descendants, Emma Worcester Sargent arr., biographical notes by Charles Sprague Sargent (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1923).

 

 

Epes Sargent III

(1721-1779)

Portrait by John Singleton Copley

 

Below:

Catherine Osborne Sargent

(1722-1788)

Portrait by John Singleton Copley

JSM Timeline

 Judith Sargent Stevens Murray Timeline

ca. 1640 — Thomas Saunders of England, Judith’s maternal ancestor, settles at Cape Ann, Gloucester, Massachusetts.

1678 — Earliest record of JSM's paternal ancestor, William Sargent of England, in Gloucester.

1727 — JSM's father, Winthrop Sargent, is born in Gloucester.

1731 — JSM's mother, Judith Saunders, is born in Gloucester.

1750 — JSM's parents marry in Gloucester.

1741 — JSM's first husband, John Stevens Jr., is born in Gloucester.
1741 — JSM's second husband, John Murray, is born in Alton, England.

1751 — May 1: Judith Sargent is born in Gloucester.

1753 — JSM's brother, Winthrop, is born in Gloucester.

1755 — JSM's sister, Esther, is born in Gloucester.

1757–8 — JSM's sister, Catherine, is born and dies in Gloucester.

1758–9 — Another sister named Catherine is born and dies in Gloucester. 

1759 — (The Rev. James Relly of Wales publishes Union: or a Treatise on the Consanguinity and Affinity between Christ and His Church, the founding document of Universalism.) JSM writes poetry and letters to family.

1765 — (British Parliament issues the Stamp Act; colonists in Boston form Sons of Liberty in protest.)

1765 — JSM’s sister, Sarah, is born in Gloucester, and dies within the year. JSM begins to use the Sargent family library at about the age of fourteen.

1766 — (The Stamp Act is repealed.)

1767 — (Townshend Acts are levied by Parliament to tax colonial imports.)

1768 — JSM's brother, Fitz William, is born in Gloucester.

1769 — Judith Sargent marries John Stevens Jr., at age eighteen.

ca. 1769-70 — JSM's father, Winthrop Sargent, reads James Relly’s book, Union, and begins to gather “adherents” to Universalism in his Gloucester home.

1770— (In Boston, British troops and colonists clash in an episode that was dubbed “The Boston Massacre.”)

John Murray sails from England to America.

1770–2 — Judith Sargent Stevens sits for her portrait by John Singleton Copley; it is titled "Portrait of Mrs. John Stevens."

1771 — Another sister named Sarah is born in Gloucester; she dies four years later.

1772 — JSM's sister, Esther, marries John Stevens Ellery of Gloucester.

1773 — (Many Townshend Act duties are repealed, but Parliament passes the Tea Act  granting exclusive profit to the East India Company; “Indians” dump tea into Boston Harbor.)

1773-5 — (An "arms race" is on; colonists make every effort to secure and hide what they might need to defend themselves against the British.) 

1774 — (The British close Boston’s port and pass more “intolerable acts” as punishment; representatives from the twelve colonies meet in Philadelphia and support Massachusetts’ resistance to the intolerable acts [this group is considered the first Continental Congress]; calls for limits to Parliament’s authority grow; General Thomas Gage, the military English governor in Massachusetts, calls for 10,000 British troops to quell anticipated rebellion; George III sends 3,500 troops; African Americans in Boston sign Negro Petition for Freedom.)

1774 — John Murray arrives in Gloucester. JSM probably begins to create her first letter book this year, at age twenty-three.

1775 — (February 25: In an incident now known as "Leslie's Retreat," British troops arrive  in Salem in search of canon and gun powder; April 19: Still searching for arms and powder, British troops march to Lexington and Concord and engage in the first battles of the war; June 17: Battle of Bunker Hill; second Continental Congress assembles at Philadelphia where George Washington is named Commander in Chief of the Continental Army; he takes command of the New England militia units at Cambridge; war commences.) 

British vessels off the coast of Gloucester. General Washington appoints John Murray as chaplain of the Rhode Island Brigade despite objections by the established clergy. JSM's brother, Winthrop, enlists in the Massachusetts Artillery at Cambridge; he serves as a lieutenant in Gridley’s Regiment, then as captain-lieutenant under General Henry Knox; Judith’s father serves on Gloucester’s Committee of Safety, as a government agent, and co-owner of privateeringv vessels; her uncle Paul Dudley Sargent enlists in the patriotic cause and earns the rank of colonel; her uncle Epes Sargent and aunt Catherine Osborne Sargent are forced to leave Gloucester for their Loyalist beliefs; they eventually return; her Loyalist uncle John Sargent moves his family to Halifax. Judith’s sister, Sarah, dies; Judith pens an essay defending Loyalists and    decrying mob rule although it is not published until 1794.

1776 — (July 4: Declaration of Independence is signed at Philadelphia; it is soon published and read publicly throughout the colonies; Thomas Paine publishes Common Sense; Washington’s army drives the British from Boston; war activities move west and south.)

John Murray’s health fails; he returns to Gloucester where he raises money for the relief of the poor; JSM has herself inoculated against the small pox.

1777 — (French supplies help Americans win the Battle of Saratoga; the two countries form an alliance that will be pivotal to victory over England.)

JSM's brother, Winthrop, is captain of the 3rd Continental Artillery; he is appointed aide-de-camp to General Robert Howe until the close of the war; he takes part in the New Jersey campaign and spends the winter at Valley Forge.

1778 — (France enters the war.)

Brother Winthrop Sargent in Battle of Monmouth. Judith Stevens, Winthrop Sargent (JSM's father), Judith Saunders Sargent (JSM's mother), Epes Sargent III (JSM's uncle), Catharine Osborne Sargent (JSM's aunt), and ten other Universalists are suspended from First Parish in Gloucester for not attending.

1779 — (Spain enters the war.)

Universalists sign Articles of Association in defiance of First Parish creating their own organization, the Independent Church of Christ; Judith’s name is included in the document. JSM writes “On the Equality of the Sexes” but publishes it in 1790.

1780 — The first American Universalist meeting house is built in Gloucester and dedicated on Christmas Day. JSM agrees to adopt Anna and Mary Plummer, her husband’s orphaned nieces; Anna lives with her for several years; JSM also takes in Polly Odell, a young orphaned Saunders cousin.

1781 — (Americans win the Battle of Yorktown; the colonies agree to sign Articles of Confederation.)    

1782 — First Parish seizes goods from the Universalists in lieu of the church taxes they refused to pay, including silver plate and a ship’s anchor from the Sargents. JSM publishes her Universalist catechism in Norwich, Connecticut, and Portsmouth, New Hampshire; she moves into her new house in Gloucester (today, the Sargent House Museum).

1783 — (September 3: Britain, France, Spain, and the Americans sign treaties ending the war; as a result of two law suits, slavery is now illegal in Massachusetts.)

John Murray and the Universalists bring a case against First Parish before the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court for their right to support their own minister and their own church—not First Parish. Winthrop Sargent commissioned brevet major before he musters out; he joins the Society of the Cincinnati.        

1784 — As Constantia, JSM publishes poetry in the Gentleman and Lady’s Town and Country Magazine; October: she publishes “Desultory Thoughts Upon the Utility of Encouraging a Degree of Self-Complacency, especially in Female Bosoms” in the same magazine.  

1785 — Universalists publish An Appeal to the Impartial Public by the Society of the Christian Independents, Congregating in Gloucester to explain their legal position; JSM’s name is among the signers; An Answer to the appeal follows; John Murray responds with a strongly-worded broadside. Universalists meet in Oxford, Massachusetts, to draft a Charter of Compact to serve as a model of legal rights and duties for other Universalist societies to follow. JSM spends the winter barricaded in her Gloucester home with John Stevens to avoid his arrest and incarceration in debtors’ prison.

1786 — (Shay’s Rebellion in western Massachusetts threatens law and order in the new nation; Benjamin Rush publishes Thoughts Upon Female Education.)
    
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court rules in favor of the Universalists and in favor of freedom of religion. JSM's brother, Winthrop Sargent, is appointed by Congress as a land surveyor in Ohio; clashes with Native Americans ensue.

1786 — That winter, JSM's husband, John Stevens, escapes Gloucester for St. Eustacia in the West Indies. In the spring, she receives word from Captain Webber of a ship recently arrived in Gloucester Harbor from the West Indies that "on thursday night eleven o'clock eighth of March 1786 Mr Stevens expired!!"     

1787 — (The Convention in Philadelphia begins the process of drafting and ratifying the Constitution.)

Winthrop Sargent, Manasseh Cutler, and others form the Ohio Company to open up the Northwest Territory; Winthrop appointed secretary of the Company and the Territory, acting as governor in Arthur St. Clair’s absence.

1788 — (February 6: Massachusetts ratifies the Constitution and formally joins the Union as a state.)

Winthrop Sargent in the Northwest Territory; he marries Rebecca/Rowena Tupper; she dies in childbirth within a year. January: The legality of marriages performed by John Murray is challenged; he sails to England for his safety; July: the Massachusetts legislature rules in favor of John Murray; he returns to Gloucester; October 6: Judith marries John Murray in Salem, Massachusetts, at age thirty-seven; on their honeymoon journey, she meets John and Abigail Adams in Braintree. Christmas Day: John Murray is ordained as pastor of the Independent Christian Church of Christ in Gloucester.

1789 — (The new American government is launched from New York; George Washington is inaugurated as the first President of the United States on April 30.)
    
JSM's brother, Fitz William, marries Anna Parsons. August: Judith’s son, Fitz Winthrop Murray, is born but dies at birth; Judith nearly dies; using the pen name "Constantia," she publishes poetry in the Massachusetts Magazine until 1794.

1790 — (Congress votes to make Philadelphia the capital city for ten years while the construction of a new capital city begins on the Potomac River.)
    
March and April: As "Constantia," JSM publishes “On the Equality of the Sexes” in the Massachusetts Magazine; May: Constantia publishes “On the Domestic Education of Children” in the Massachusetts Magazine; May: JSM journeys to Philadelphia with John Murray for the first national Universalist convention; in New York, she meets President George Washington, Martha Washington, and their granddaughter, Eleanor (“Nellie”) Custis, and renews her acquaintance with Vice President John Adams and Abigail Adams.    

1791— (The Bill of Rights is ratified; rise of Jefferson’s republican party.)

Massachusetts Magazine declares "Constantia" one of its ablest writers. August 22: Judith gives birth to Julia Maria Murray.    
    
1792 — (Mary Wollstonecraft of England publishes Vindication of the Rights of Woman.)
    
February: JSM assumes a male persona to publish “The Gleaner” column series in the Massachusetts Magazine through December 1794; September: "Constantia" publishes “The Repository” column series in the Massachusetts Magazine through December 1794.

1793 — (The British seize American ships trading in the French West Indies; the “Reign of Terror” begins in France; in America, a Fugitive Slave Act is passed; the ban on theatrical entertainment in Boston is lifted.)
    
John Murray is called to serve the Universalist church in Boston; he divides his time between the Gloucester and Boston congregations. June: JSM's mother dies; December: Her father dies.

1794 — John Murray decides to serve the Boston church exclusively; the Murray family moves to Franklin Place, Boston (also known as the Tontine Crescent), a new townhouse development designed by Charles Bulfinch in the European style.

1794 — JSM develops “The Reaper,” a column for the newspaper the Federal Orrery; only five installments appear.

1795 — (Jay’s Treaty is signed, clarifying trade regulations with Britain and providing free travel along the Spanish-held Mississippi River but causing conflict with France; the Treaty of Grenville is signed, opening up land in Ohio; Pinckney’s Treaty is signed, further solidifying American sovereignty over lands won from Britain in 1783.)

March 2: JSM's first play, "The Medium: or, Happy Tea-Party" (later renamed "The Medium, or, Virtue Triumphant") is performed at the Federal Street Theatre in Boston; her daughter, Julia Maria, almost dies from a recurring “throat  disorder.”

1796 — (John Adams is elected president; angered by America’s favoritism of England in trade, France seizes American ships and breaks off diplomatic relations.)
    
JSM meets the Marquis de Lafayette in Boston; she hopes to adopt Caroline Augusta, her brother Winthrop’s illegitimate daughter, but Winthrop is unable to gain custody; March: JSM's second play, "The Traveller Returned," is performed at the Federal Street Theatre; she decides to self-publish a book, The Gleaner, and begins to solicit subscribers.

1797 — (French corruption is exposed in the XYZ Affair; American and French vessels fight an undeclared war at sea for the next two years; real war is imminent.)
    
JSM continues to solicit subscribers to The Gleaner.  
 
1798 — (American negotiations with France are failing; there is public clamor for war with France.)
    
Winthrop Sargent is appointed the first governor of the Mississippi Territory; he moves to Natchez, marries Mary McIntosh Williams of Natchez, and begins to send his step-children and then children to Massachusetts and New Hampshire for their schooling; JSM oversees, corresponds with, or boards her nieces and nephews. Julia Maria, age seven, begins to study with Francis Nichols.

1798 — JSM publishes The Gleaner, in three volumes, and dedicates the book to John Adams.

1799 — (George Washington dies; President Adams negotiates a peaceful settlement with France and avoids war.)

John Murray is close to death from a “tumor” in his side; her own health failing, JSM makes plans for Julia Maria to live with her cousin Epes Sargent IV of Hampstead, New Hampshire.

1800 — (Thomas Jefferson is elected president; many of Judith’s friends and relatives are removed from political office; the seat of American government moves to the new capital Washington.)  

American novelists Henry Sherbourne and Sally Sayward Barrell Keating Wood praise The Gleaner and predict its timeless importance.

1801 — Under the Jefferson administration, Winthrop Sargent is replaced as governor of the Mississippi Territory; he retires in Natchez, and sends his step-daughter, Anna Williams, to live with JSM and pursue her education in Boston.

1802–3 — JSM helps Clementine Beach and Judith F. Saunders (a cousin) open a female academy in Dorchester, Massachusetts; she publishes poetry in the Boston Weekly Magazine as "Honora Martesia" until 1805.

1803 — (President Jefferson doubles the size of the United States by “purchasing” Louisiana; Meriwether Lewis and William Clark explore the western part of the country; resumption of hostilities between Great Britain and France begins.)

Julia Maria attends Bury (or Berry) Street Academy.

1804 — (Napoleon is proclaimed Emperor of France; Alexander Hamilton is killed in a duel with Aaron Burr.) 

1805 — (Napoleon is victorious in Austria and Russia; the British begin to interfere with American vessels in the French West Indies; Mercy Otis Warren publishes History of theRise, Progress and Termination of the American Revolution, Interspersed with Biographical, Political and Moral Observations.)

JSM writes her third play, The African; the manuscript has not been found.    

1806 — Judith’s nephews enroll at Harvard College one by one; she gives permission to the Rev. Robert Redding of England to reissue The Gleaner in that country; it is not clear if he did.

1807 — (The American frigate USS Chesapeake is seized and boarded by the British; Jefferson calls on Congress to pass an Embargo Act banning American ships from foreign ports; the port of Boston is deeply affected; federalists hope to oust Jefferson.) 

JSM’s widowed sister, Esther, moves to Franklin Place; JSM makes a second trip to Philadelphia with John Murray and Julia Maria.

1808 — (James Madison is elected president.)
    
Judith’s future son-in-law, Adam Lewis Bingaman of Natchez, arrives at Franklin Place to board there briefly before commencing his studies at Harvard College.

1809 — (Congress repeals the Embargo Act; diplomacy with Britain fails.)
    
At age sixty-eight, John Murray suffers a paralyzing stroke.
   
ca. 1810 — JSM sits for her portrait by Gilbert Stuart; she is one of very few women to be painted by both Copley and Stuart.

1811 — (President Madison reestablishes “non-intercourse” with Britain.)
    
JSM’s sister, Esther, dies in Boston.

1812 — (America declares war against Great Britain.)
    
JSM's nephew, George Washington Sargent, is living at Franklin Place; Julia Maria Murray and Adam Lewis Bingaman marry secretly; Adam returns to Natchez. JSM publishes Letters and Sketches of Sermons with John Murray.    

1813 — June 10: JSM's granddaughter, Charlotte Bingaman, is born in Boston.

1814 — (Napoleon is defeated; the British send more troops to America to burn down the city of Washington; American troops arrive in Boston to protect the city; in December, Britain and the United States sign a treaty to end the war.)

1815 — (With improved internal transportation, westward expansion increases; so does the confiscation of Native American land and the systematic "removal" the people.)
    
JSM's nephew, William Fitz Winthrop Sargent, is living at Franklin Place. John Murray dies and is buried at Granary Burying Ground in Boston; his body is moved in 1837 to Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts. JSM completes and publishes John’s autobiography, Records of the Life of the Rev. John Murray.

1816 — (James Monroe is elected president.)

1817 — Winthrop Sargent journeys to Cambridge to have his son William reinstated at Harvard; JSM's young cousins David Urquhart and Winthrop Sargent Harding arrive at Franklin Place to board while attending Harvard.

1818 — Adam Lewis Bingaman sends for his wife (Julia Maria) to join him in Natchez. JSM pens the last letter included in her letter books; she moves with Julia Maria and Charlotte to the Natchez plantation called "Fatherland."

1820 — Winthrop Sargent dies in New Orleans. June 9: JSM dies at the Natchez plantation "Oak Point" but is buried at "Fatherland;" Charlotte Bingaman dies and is buried at Fatherland.

1821 — Nov. 7: Judith’s grandson, Adam Lewis Bingaman Jr., is born.

1822 — JSM's brother, Fitz William, dies in Newton, Massachusetts. Julia Maria Murray Bingaman dies and is buried at Fatherland, next to her mother and daughter.

1865 — The only child of Adam Lewis Bingaman Jr. dies, leaving no direct descendants of Judith Sargent Murray and John Murray.

1881 — Richard Eddy, in a biographical sketch of JSM written for The Universalist Quarterly and General Review, first reports the incorrect information that JSM's papers were, after her death, “utterly rotted and spoiled by the mildew"; this oft-repeated statement discouraged further research on her. 

1917 — JSM's final home in Gloucester opens as a museum—the Sargent-Murray-Gilman House; later, the name “Hough” is added making it the Sargent-Murray-Gilman-Hough House; eventually, the name is shortened to the Sargent House Museum.

1931 — The University Press of Orono, Maine, publishes Vena Bernadette Field’s master’s thesis, “Constantia: A Study of the Life and Works of Judith Sargent Murray, 1751–1820” in the Maine Bulletin.

1974 — Alice Rossi includes JSM's essay “On the Equality of the Sexes” in the landmark women’s studies book The Feminist Papers.

1984 — The Rev. Gordon Gibson, a Unitarian Universalist minister, discovers JSM's letter books in Natchez at the antebellum mansion "Arlington"; he persuades the owner to donate them to the Mississippi Department of Archives and History at Jackson; he also locates the Bingaman family Bible, which remains in private hands.

1989 — Under a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), the Mississippi Department of Archives and History conserves and publishes JSM's letter books on microfilm — making the letter books accessible!

 

1776: While visiting Boston, Judith plans her small pox inoculation

 

2 June 1776
Judith Sargent Stevens to Esther Sargent Ellery

 

Letter 45   To my Sister   Boston   June 2d 1776

My Dear Sister

   

Perhaps you never saw a more pleasing situation than the present residence of my Uncle — Although in the midst of the Metropolis it yet in a great degree combines the beauties of the Country — It is in a retired part of the Town — the parade of military arrangements reach us not, and of the progress of hostilities we hear much less than at Gloucester.  

 

This dwelling is entered through a neat gate, shaded, on either hand, by tall trees, cloathed with the most beautiful verdure, which, uniting at top, form over the head a delightful shade — you are first introduced into a long entry, the extremity presents an avenue, leading to a garden, abounding with fruit trees, flowers, and vegetables, at the bottom of the garden you have a handsome summer house, neatly finished, and enchantingly shaded by woodbines, honey suckles, &c &c [—] 

 

The atmosphere is highly perfumed, and we are ready to fancy ourselves in one of the bowers of Elysiums so fancifully described by Swedenborg — Seats erected in various parts of the garden are highly ornamented and umbrageous.  The Parterre is in great perfection — the whole plat laid out in serpentine walks pretty little knots variously displayed, and fringed with box — 

 

The apartments of the Mansion, in which were left many valuable pieces of furniture, are very elegant. I sigh for the original Possessors, and my heart bleeds for four sweet innocents, whom the Parents have left in this Town, and who, it is too probable, will be subjected to every hardship which caprice, and ill Nature can induce.  

 

My Aunt and her sister Harriot, are in fine spirits [—] they suffered very little from the Small Pox, and are earnestly solicitous that I should submit to inoculation — Would it please heaven to carry me through this disorder, how useful might I be to my beloved parents, to my sister and many other dear friends, who might chance to receive, by accident, this cruel despoiler — you know whoever is known to have caught the small pox is dragged from his or her dwelling, without respect of persons, and rudely conveyed to some inconvenient, desolate spot, nor is the attendance of any friend, who has not passed through the small pox, permitted — how comfortless, how forlorn the idea — a Father, a Mother, suffering agonies beyond description and surrendered to strangers, to mercenaries — The idea is truly shocking [—]  

 

Say, my sister, can I be censured for wishing to purchase liberty to watch around the suffering authors of my being — should they be thus tried? — you know many persons, much less exposed, have been suddenly seized with this calamity! — Let me whisper you — but you must be silent — It shall not be my fault, if I do not quality myself to share the sorrows of my friends —

 

Notes:
• JSM had herself inoculated in Boston in complete secrecy. She wanted to be able to care for her parents in case they caught small pox. Her father, Winthrop Sargent, whose frequent travels to Boston for political work, did, in fact, catch the disease and Judith was able to nurse him back to health.

 

1776: Gloucesterians' refuge in Chebacco Parish, and British intentions

 

Jan 1776
Judith Sargent Stevens to Judith Saunders Sargent

 

Letter 28th    To my Mother    Little Village    January — 1776

My Dearest Mother

 

It was, you will not doubt, a very considerable disappointment to me, to find, upon my arrival here, both yourself, and my sister — absent — I am, however, pleased you could command health sufficient for the little excursion, which I hope will be attended with much pleasure.  My Father advises us, by all means, to take the house belonging to Mr G— — we have been to look at it, and if Mr W— will relinquish a promise, which he hath obtained of one of the apartments, we shall place our furniture there as we are under an absolute necessity of removing it — Mr G— engages to render his house tenantable and we rather conclude to deposit our goods there, indifferent as the place appears, as we indulge a hope that we shall not be under the necessity of yielding our present residence — 

 

An opinion has now become generally prevalent, that it is far from the design of the british to spread unnecessary devastation, that still regarding American Property as their own, they can have no inducement to lay our Sea Ports in Ashes — By tarrying in Town, I can be of more consequence to my Father, his business will often carry him thither and he has it in contemplation to shut up the mansion, from which you have flown, and to reside with us during those intervals which he is necessitated to be absent from this Village — 

 

Alas!  my Dear Mother what days of sorrow have arisen upon us — Gloomy is the morning of my Life, and I am ready to wish the warrant for my release, had already past the great seal of heaven —

 

Notes:
• "Little Village" refers to the Chebacco Parish of Ipswich, Mass. The Sargents, and other early Universalists (including John Murray) moved there temporarily for their safety while British war ships patrolled the coast of Gloucester.
• JSM's father, Winthrop Sargent, was a member of Gloucester's Committee of Safety in 1775. He remained a "Government agent in Gloucester throughout the war; in 1788 he was one of the delegates to the State Convention for ratifying the Federal Constitution.

1775: What is a Tory? A Whig? JSM defends her Uncle

17 June 1775
Judith Sargent Stevens to John Murray

Letter 18    to Mr Murray    Gloucester    June 17th 1775

 

You demand an account of our last week's peregrinations, and solicitous to evince my readiness to fulfil the duties of a punctual Correspondent, I hesitate not to meet your wishes — We commenced our little tour on this day, the morning was beautifully serene, and the earth was cloathed in its richest verdure — At a short distance from Gloucester, we were accosted by a person of a decent appearance.  You will conjecture his character, from the ensuing conversation — as our party consisted only of my sister, and myself, I suppose he felt authorized to address us very familiarly 

 

"Ladies your most obedient — You ha[v] it very pleasant" — Rather warm we think Sir — "Pray where are you from Ladies?" — From Gloucester Sir — "Pray are you driven from thence?"  No Sir, we drive — "Ah — Pray are not most of the people driven from that Town?" The females I believe have pretty generally left that place — "Pray is Mr S— gone, or doth he remain there?" — He remains there Sir — "Does he intend to remain there?" — I believe he does — "Perhaps he thinks himself safer than any other person" — I fancy not. — Why should he Sir? — "His principles you know."  What are they Sir? — "Why he is a Tory."  I believe it would be difficult to prove Mr S— a Tory, Sir.  True, he is a friend to peace and he is a Lover of Order — But, if an invariable attachment to the interests of America constitute a Man a Whig, then I believe that title belongs to Mr S— as much as to any of the Congressional Members. 

 

"Pray do you not suspect your self of being a Tory."  I am a Woman Sir and therefore do not pretend to constitute myself a judge of the contest so unhappily subsisting — but I may be allowed to assert a fact,  I sincerely rejoice when I hear of the prosperity, freedom, and welfare of my country — With regard to the terms Whig and Tory  I am free to own I do not understand them — I have heard they are of various signification — but I am not soli[ci]tous to define them — "If you were to talk so favourably  of Mr S— among Whigs, you would be called a Tory" — Possibly — but having the honour to be nearly allied to  Mr S— I have listened to him in the most confidential moments, and I admire his integrity, the universal benevolence of his character — Sir, Mr S— is a Citizen of the World, and it is only necessary to know him, and you will assuredly love, and honour him — 

 

Fortunately, the parting of the road, separated us from this disagreeable associate — We reached Byfield about the hour of dining, and were received by our relatives, who are sheltered there, with every possible mark of the most cordial affection — My Aunts are situated in the midst of a woody Vale, surrounded by tall oaks, and hills almost perpendicular — Early on friday morning we pursued our way to Salisbury, over a beautifully level road, and, if I held the pen of description, I would assay to sketch the fascinating views, which, as we passed along on either hand seized, and commanded our admiration — 

 

Nature is now in her prime, the vegetable, and flowering World, clad in gay variety, the air breathes perfume, and every object seems calculated to inspire the heart of the enraptured beholder, with unbounded gratitude.  At one time we were presented with a view of wide extensive Lawns skirted by venerable Woods, which seemed to reach the heavens — On either hand finely flourishing grain, in rich variety, with expressive oratory seemed to proclaim — "we will, when hoary Winter puts on all her horrors, afford you a wholesome, and plentiful repast when the storms are abroad, when the fields are white with snow, we will support, and invigorate, the sons and daughters of infant industry, and they shall experimentally know, how sweet is the bread of the Labourer["] — 

 

So variegated was the scene before us:  Hills, Vallies, woods, plains, rich meadows, flourishing fields, streams, rivulets, and all so enchantingly interspersed that our hearts could not but be attuned to pleasure[.] Thus, amid a thousand delightful sensations we reached the dwelling which affords a temporary residence to my Uncle D— where our reception corresponded with our most sanguine expectations — 

 

My Aunt is, you know, a truly amiable Woman, and their residence is uncommonly pleasant — The house is built upon an eminence, you would imagine, while seated at the parlour window, that you were upon a speck of earth in the midst of the sea, but the view from the back room exhibits a striking contrast — trees of different growth and the most refreshing verdure, thick woods interspersed as far as the eye can reach with little romantick dwellings, The prospect is sweetly rural, and, as I said beautifully contrasts the front view — There the extensive River is out spread before you — boats continually passing, and repassing, for the various purposes of business, and pleasure — Musick solemn, plaintive, or gay, according to the disposition of the passengers in the barge, is not unfrequently wafted upon the kindly breeze — 

 

Upon the whole, during this hostile period, the retreat of my Uncle is indeed a delightful refuge — The voice of war reaches it not, neither drums, nor fifes, nor instruments of death molest, or deform the calm serenity of the peaceful scene — 

 

Passing a few hours in this peaceful Elysium, we took leave of our friends, who greatly regretting our departure, justly observed, that the pain of parting, overbalanced the pleasure of meeting.  We returned to Byfield in the evening, and on saturday afternoon commenced our journey homeward, reaching Gloucester about sunset — The heat was intolerable — We called upon Mr S— and Lady, at Ipswitch, and were welcomed with marks of friendship. 

 

Notes:

In the beginning of the letter Judith is referring to the treatment of her Uncle Epes Sargent III, when he and his wife were strong-armed into leaving Gloucester for their Loyalist views.

Judith Sargent Murray published a strongly-worded essay about the incident in the February 1794 edition of the Massachusetts Magazine. (See Blog post on The Repository No. XVII.)

As Murray states in the first sentence of her essay, she wrote the piece many years earlier – probably in March of 1775, after a special meeting of Gloucester voters on March 6. 

Epes Sargent had been summoned before the town to “show that he was a harmless citizen” due to his loyalty to the “mother country.” Sargent refused to obey the summons. On March 6, the town cited Sargent and “forbade the inhabitants of Gloucester to hold further commerce with Epes Sargent in order to force him to leave the town through fear of starvation.

This measure had the desired effect, and he moved to Boston where the torrents of hatred and abuse which overwhelmed all who were of his political faith were heaped upon him. He decided to leave Massachusetts and prepared to sail for Halifax, but, on assembling his family for leave-taking the evening before his departure, his spirits were so depressed by the dread of this separation that he determined to return to Gloucester and endure what might await him.”

In 1775, Epes Sargent III was 54. His wife Catherine Osborne Sargent was 53. Their children, two adult sons, were 27 (Epes Sargent IV) and 25 (John Osborne Sargent).

Epes IV was married, and he and his wife, Dorcas Babson Sargent, had lost their first child – Epes V (b. Nov. 1772, d. May 1773). Their daughter Catherine was born on Apr. 26, 1774.

So in March of 1775, Epes Sargent III had an infant grandchild and lots more family and Universalist friends he would have to leave behind. 

• Uncle D— might be Peter Doliver of Gloucester, who married Esther Goldthwaite Rogers, a Sargent cousin.

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Quotes from Epes Sargent of Gloucester and His Descendants, Emma Worcester Sargent arr., biographical notes by Charles Sprague Sargent (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1923).