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Ancient History of the Stearns Family

(Taken from the Andover News Aug. 4, 1933)

Submitted by William A. Greene

Prices of land and commodities, way back in 1630, when the first settlers landed.

The following bit of family history of the Stearns family will be of much interest to Andover people, as it truthfully portrays the prices of commodities and some of the customs of that period, away back in 1630, when the Stearns family came to this country from England.

The data in this article is taken from that compiled by the historian of the Stearns family and may be considered very accurate inasmuch as it is compiled from private correspondence and information held by members of the family.

The history follows:

Early in the morning of April 8, 1630, Isaac Stearns and family, with others, embarked at Yarmout, England, in the “Arrabella” and arrived at Salina, Mass., on the 12th of June. They, not satisfied with Salem, went on to Charleston and were among the first settlers of Watertown near Mount Auburn, Mass.

In 1642 the homestead of Isaac Stearns was bounded on the north by the land of John Warren, west by the highway, south by the land of John Bescoo, east by Pequesett Meadow, a part of which meadow he owned. A true inventory of the lands, goods and chattels of Isaac Stearns, taken the 28th of 4th, 1671 who deceased the 16th of 4th 1671, prized and taken whose names are here underwritten houses and homestead of 12 acres of land, $100; 4 acres of upland and 2 acres of meadow, $18; 8 acres of upland $26; 6 acres of meadow, $30; 3 acres of meadow, $15; 4 score acres of upland, $60; 12 acres of upland, $12; 9 acres of upland, $5; 60 acres of upland, $15; 15 acres of upland, $8; 4 acres of meadow land, $8; 25 acres of meadow land $60; 190 acres of meadow land, $40; 105 acres of upland, $10; 2 horses, $10; four oxen, $16; 6 cows, $18; 2 heifers, $4; 3 yearlings, $3; 7 sheep and 5 lambs, $4; wearing cloths, linens and wooling, $4.10; new cloth, $4.10; swine to the value of $4; bedding and bedstead in the parlor, $4.10; cupboard, stools and table, $3; bedding and bedstead in the hall, $3.

One moose skin $10; one old bed and other lumber in the old chamber $1.00; sheeps wool 8 cents; two old chests, 2 spinning wheels, a cheese press and other lumber in yellow chamber, $1.00; beam and scales, weights and measures, $1.00; one pair of quarnes and other lumber in the quarne house, 10 cents; brass putter and iron and other utensils in the chinne $6.10; beer barrels, pondering tubs and other small utensils, $1; corn and meal, $1; malt and pease, $2.10; lumber in the parlor chamber, 10 cents; 2 bags of hops, $3; cart, plow, chains and other husbandry instruments, $3; salt, meal, cheese and other provisions, $3; corn growing in the ground, $6; tobacco in the rowe and leafe, 6 to 8 cents.

Two muskrets, 1 fowling piece, 1 sword, $2; 2-1 cart rope, 5 cents; two sacks and hay in the barns, 15 cents.

Not footed in original, I make 524.04; 08.

Isaac Stearns, 1600 – 1671

Samuel Stearns, Corporal, 1638 – 1683

John Stearns 1677 – 1729

John Stearns Jr., 1702 – 1775

Aaron Stearns, 1746 – 1807

John Stearns, 1777 – 1850

Sophrania Stearns Farrell, 1803 – 1885

Helen Farrell Crandall, 1839 – 1885

William S. Crandall, 1878