Book Description

Candlewood: An Ancient Neighborhood in Ipswich was originally published in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1909 as Parts XVI and XVII of the Proceedings of the Ipswich Historical Society. The book is divided into two sections. The first portion of the book gives detailed descriptions of numbered lots which can be located on the map which precedes this section. These entries vary considerably in length, but generally provide the location of the property and a detailed history of its ownership, including any gifts or sale of any portion of the land, and some provide other interesting and more personal information such as the reason for a sale. "This long series of wills, inventories and conveyances reveals many interesting secrets of the life of this little community." The remainder of the book is devoted to three lengthy genealogical records: Robert Kinsman, "the immigrant, a glazier by trade, ...[who] probably built his house here in the year 1635, though the record of the grant was not made until 1637;" William Fellows, who first appeared in the town records in 1639 as a cow herd and later resided in Candlewood; and John Brown "Senior, the earliest settler in the Candlewood region bearing the family name, is first mentioned in the Town Records in 1640." A map of Ipswich, a map of Candlewood, a few photographs and a full-name index add to the value of this work.