66 66 Mitchel Sewall, 4. Deliverance Majory, wife of Benjamin Majory, named 66 7. Infants of Samuel Sibley, 28. A young woman, dau. of Richard Bryant, deceased, baptized Joanna. 66 S Eunice, Priscilla. 66 Epes Sergent, 28. A negro servant of Mr. Samuel Gardner, whose name was Cato, changed upon his baptism into Isaac. Infant of Joua. Orne, 66 Mary. June 18. named Joseph. SAMUEL HALL was born in Medford, Mass., Nov. 2, 1740, and was the son of Jonathan and Anna (Fowle) Hall: was a printer, and for a time in partnership, at Newport, R. I., with Anna, the widow of James Franklin, brother of Dr. Benj. Franklin. He, in the fall of 1768, was persuaded by Capt. Richard Derby to remove to Salem. Richard Derby was then the principal merchant of the place, engaged in foreign trade, and had suffered severely by the arbitrary seizure of his merchandise and vessels by the English custom-house officers for alleged violations of the Sugar Act. He (as appears from a copy of a letter in my possession) writes to his foreign correspondent, that "The late Act of Parliament has put it out of the people's power to pay money for the necessaries of life, because the duties, arising by the late act, have almost deprived us of our silver and gold currency already; for all the money that is paid for duties is sent home and will finally put a stop, if not entirely ruin the trade of the country and the people in it. His ship "Patty," Capt. Michael Driver, sailed from Salem loaded with molasses, and he states that if the duties which had to be paid before exportation were not taken off, it would be the last cargo from this way; and he orders the house of Chambers, Hiccox & Denyer, of Madeira, not to load his ship with wine, but to obtain good bills of exchange payable in London or Lisbon, and that if they were obliged to load her with wine, it must be at a price one-fourth less than last year, or it would not pay the cost. Mr. Hall, under the patronage of the Derbys, and other patriotic men, commenced printing at Salem a newspaper entitled the "Essex Gazette," the first number of which was issued Aug. 2, 1768, it being also the first paper published in Salem. It was ably edited, and fearlessly supported the Whig cause from its commencement to the close of the Revolution. The next year, he was the editor and proprietor of an Almanac issued from his press, by the name of "The Essex Almanack. For the Year of our Lord Christ, 1769." Printed and Sold by Sam. Hall in the Main St., Salem, price 2s. 8d. per doz., and 4d. single. The headings of the calendar months are verses entitled, "An Address to Liberty," "Oppression in the Reign of Charles I," "Oppression in Italy," "The Patriot King," "Magna Charta," "Good Government,' "Discontent," "Luxury," "Corruption," "Colonies," "British Empire in America," and also devotes a page to "An account of the Court of Star Chamber or Seat of Oppression" established in the reign of Henry VII., with other miscellaneous pieces. The astronomical calculations of this Almanack were made by Nathaniel Ward, who was born in Salem, July 29, 1746, was for a short time, in 1768, Librarian of Harvard Univer |