He says "Grover street was laid out March 18, 1678-9, and described as follows :- a drift way begininge between John Dodges senior and Rice Edwards through, the said dodges pasture and soe Southerly into the Common and soe through the Land of Tho: Baker into the high way by bald hill and soe through the Land of Georg Hull into the Common... called the town highway in 1698;"
From Perley's map, we deduce a frontage of 200 yards and 100 yards deep, for a subtotal of 20,000 square yards. Add a diagonal half that again and that's about 30,000 square yards or the 6 acres of the deed shown in red.
Here is the home that Philip and Martha found in a New World, now safe from the danger in France. With a fellow Hugenot friend such as Philip English close by, and together with the enterprising John stone, and the beneficent Thomas and Benjamin Edwards they might indeed, find refuge in New England.
Luther Cody was guided here in the 1920s by Sidney Perley himself! Hiram and Stanley Cody also discovered Perley's excellent book! Hiram's letter looking for more information appears in "Family Letters." Stanley kept Vol. 1, a legacy from his dad, on the shelf in his studio and recommended it highly.
The Cody Family toured this area during the 1998 Reunion. Grover Street was still rustic and overgrown so the busses lurched to and fro. As you can see, today a housing development occupies the Thaxton St.-Cummock St.-Old Planter's Road-Windham Lane area of North Beverly. Old Planter's Road refers to the five landholders already present when Salem was initially settled in 1628.
Perley's essay goes on to say... "Relative to the northern portion of this part of Beverly, the following letter, published in the Salem Register, in its issue of April 30, 1846, is interesting:-
Messrs. Editors...
"Grover street," leading from "Hull street" to "Dodge’s Row," although it now contains but two dwelling houses, formerly had several upon its line. Old people will tell you of the "Codie," "Larcom," "Cole," and other houses now among the missing. The Grover family, from which this street takes its name, were among the earliest settlers; and altho’ the name is extinct here, yet there are many descendants in other parts of Beverly. Tradition, says that one of the last of the name, for some deed of darkness he had done, was doomed to be haunted by troops of black cats, whom he was obliged to exorcise by spending most of his nights in psalm singing, which his peculiar style enabled him to employ to such advantage as to silence and subdue all the caterwauling of his sable tormentors. The last that was seen of these supposed agents of the other world was upon the night of his decease, when they completely covered his coffin; and upon being disturbed, all made their exit up the chimney, bearing, as was supposed, the spirit of their victim with them, but leaving his corpse unharmed behind. There was also an eccentric genius by the name of Fairfield, formerly residing on this street. who believed in all kinds of witchcraft and superstition, and practised various arts of that character himself. Among other things, he kept by him the hand taken from the corpse of a first born male child, in which he contended he could place a light of the most brilliant character and carry it anywhere, unperceived by any one except himself. There were also several Indian and part Indian families that formerly lived in this vicinity, of whom some marvellous stories are told."
Below is a satellite photo of area of Beverly depicted in Perely's map "Beverly in the 1700s No. 5" measuring 2.5 miles by 3.5 miles. All the landmarks are evident; Bald Hill and Long Hill still stand. Grover, Essex, Standley and Hull Streets still radiate from the same crossroads. The blue area by Dodge's Row in the upper left is Longham Reservation, an artificial pond created from Longham Brook.
