1778-06-30Essex, ss. To Mr. Jonathan Dodge, one of the Constables of the Town of Beverly, Greeting
in the name of the government and people of the State of the Massachusetts Bay you are hereby
required forthwith verbally to notify and warn the Freeholders and other Inhabitants in the Ferry Ward
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qualified by law to vote in Town affairs to assemble and meet together on Tuesday the 30 day of
June instant at five o’clock in the afternoon at the usual place for holding of Town Meetings in said
Town.
There to receive a petition from Col. Larkin Thorndike & others relative to the small pox and act any
thing relative thereto that the Town then shall think most for the safety and benefit of said Town.
Hereof fail not but make due return of this warrant with your doings thereon to the Selectmen at or
before said meeting.
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Beverly June 29 1778.
True copyJohn Conant
William LangdellSelectmen
Thomas Stevens
Isaac Thorndike
Attest. Joseph Wood, T. Clerk
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At a meeting of the Inhabitants of the Town of Beverly legally assembled on Tuesday the 30 day of
June 1778.
Col. Henry Herrick was chosen Moderator.
Whereas a small pox is in several houses in that part of Mackeral Cove, called Woodberry’s Point,
in this Town and it is represented to this meeting that many persons have been inoculated or
inoculated themselves without liberty for doing so –
Voted. That there be a Committee to acquaint the owners and masters or mistresses of all such
houses as are infected with the small pox that they are hereby forbid to suffer any person
whatever to come into any said house or houses to be inoculated or in a way whenever to go
through that distemper there and that whoever, after this notice, should presume to suffer any
person to come into their house to have that distemper contrary to the sense and meaning of
this vote will not only incur the highest displeasure of this Town but depend on suffering the
severity of the law.
Voted. That Capt. Jonathan Hart, Mr. Joshua Ellingwood, Capt. Isaac Chapman, Mr. William Dike,
Capt. Henry Phelps, Capt. Benjamin Lovett, Col. Larkin Thorndike be the aforesaid
Committee and for to inspect all such houses as are infected as often as they shall think proper
until they shall be properly cleansed and take care that they have proper smoke houses and
a suitable person appointed to see that every person who may come from any such infected
house be properly fumigated and shifted and cleansed as the case may require.
Voted. That whoever shall presume to be inoculated in any way whatever from and after the first day
of July next will incur the resentment of this Town and may depend on suffering the severity
of the Law and further Voted that all the doctors belonging to this Town are hereby forbid
to inoculate any person whatever in this Town or that belong to this Town or tend any person
that may be inoculated after the first day of July next as they will incur the displeasure of this
Town and suffer the severity of the law.
Voted. That it is the opinion of the Town that the expense of this Committee and smoking and all
charges by and of the small pox should be paid by those persons under the operation of the
small pox.