Cellar Holes

Apparently there are 40-45 cellar holes from the Commons Settlement, now known as Dogtown.  This is the Full Cellar Holes Registry From the City of Gloucester website http://gloucester-ma.gov/index.aspx?NID=715

Cellar Holes Full Registry

1. Nathaniel Day
2. Becky Rich
3. Nolly Millett
4. Emmons Family
5. Mussey
6. Smith
7. Ben Stanwood
8. Jeremiah Millett
9. Clark Family
10. Arthur Wharf
11. Phillip Priestly
12. William Wilson
13. Joseph Winslow
14. Hannah Stevens
15. Easter Carter
16.  James Dermerit
17.  Dorcas Foster
18.  Isaac Dade
19. Joseph Ingersoll
20. Widow Day
21. Stephen Robinson
22. Joseph Riggs
23. Col. Pearce
24. Abram Wharf
25.  Peter Lurvey
26. Stanwood house
27. The Castle
28.  Bennett Farm
29. Hilton Place
30. Joseph Hunter/cobbler
31. Jim White
32.  Ann Davis
33. Esther Wharf
34.  Unknow
35. James Wharf
36. Whipple Family
37. Wither family
38. White family
39. Ben Allen
40. Unknown

T.     Liz Tucker
R.    Judy Rhines
W.  James Wharf, Jr.
S.     Nehemiah Stanwood
X.     Unknown
Notable People

1.       Anthony Day married Mary Davis and the two had seventeen children. One son, Isaac, was a gunner on the USS constitution. All children also bore many offspring.

2.       Becky Rich was a woman who told fortunes from coffee grinds. She was a nice old lady, and mainly made her business in young people. She would tell teenagers who they were or weren’t to marry, among other relationship-related business.

14.     Hannah Stevens’ father was Joseph Stevens. Joseph Stevens owned a large amount of land, and in spite of his wealth was still a nice person.

15.     Easter Carter was very well known around Gloucester. She could often be found dressed as a man, under the pseudonym John Woodman. With this persona, Carter did a lot of outdoor work, primarily in building stone walls.

17.     Dorcas Foster was seen as a very brave girl, as she was independent at a young age. Her father was not around very much. She married three times. Her last marriage was to Captain Joseph Smith, who commanded a brigantine in the War of 1812.

18.     Isaac Dade led a very eventful life. After serving aboard an English man-of-war during the Revolutionary War, Dade became impressed by the area and deserted the British Army. He sailed to Virginia on a cargo ship and joined the Continental Army. He rowed across the Delaware River with George Washington. After fighting in many major battles, he became badly wounded and later left the Army to marry Fanny Brundel. Dade was well acquainted with the George Washington family. With his health deteriorating, he resolved to move back to Gloucester. It was here in Dogtown that he built a house, now known by its cellar hole, Cellar Hole 18.

19.     Molly Jacobs was a friend of Judy Rhines and Liz Tucker. These three are known for bringing infamy to Dogtown in later years, as it began to be viewed as the “red light district” of Gloucester.

22.     Joseph Riggs’s father was Sam Riggs. Sam Riggs owned a sizeable amount of land, and was town clerk and schoolmaster in 1661.

23.     Pearce’s large sheep flock attracted the attention of British raiders during the War of 1812.

24.     Abram Wharf was a very successful sheep farmer. In 1814, all his children had left him. This prompted him to crawl under a large boulder and ultimately commit suicide. This came as a shock to many people, as he was very smart and had many friends.

25.     Peter Lurvey was married to a sister of Abram Wharf. He is well known for his leadership during Captain Lindsay’s attack on Gloucester. Lindsay planned to attack the Commons and take the sheep for food. The skirmish resulted in a few cannonballs causing damage in Gloucester. The militia lured the Falcon to a cargo ship which looked deceptively loaded. When in range, the men fired on the Falcon, driving it out of the harbor. Before it left, it killed two men, one being Lurvey. He was the first Dogtown man to be killed in war.

27.     The builder of the structure known as the Castle is unknown. Becky Rich’s daughter Rachel Smith is believed to have lived there. Aunt Rachel, as Rachel Smith was known, was famous for brewing herbs and making medicines

Random Tidbits:

In 1814, 6 of the original 80 houses remained in Dogtown. The last resident left in 1830, and all were gone by 1845.

Judy Rhines and Tammy Younger are known as the “witches of Dogtown” for their power to control people and manipulate situations in their favor. While this may have led them to achieve the title of “witch,” these characteristics are also apparent in many politicians.

The sheep of the commons were subject to stealing. During the War of 1812, British sailors would see them as prizes of war and steal them from their owners in Dogtown.

I’d be curious to know if anyone has found them all, or how many people have been able to find.  I have only found a few of them – the boulders are much easier to find than the cellar holes.

E.J. Lefavour