Historic Homes of New England

by Mary Harrod Northend

Plate XV.—Fireplace with Scriptural Tiles, Pickering House; The Old Pickering Sideboard.

His brother Timothy, who inherited the estate, was deacon of the Tabernacle Church in Salem at his father's death. He was the father of nine children. During his lifetime he added three more rooms on the northern side, raising the roof, which sloped almost to the ground after the fashion of buildings of that period. At the time of these improvements, the eastern part of the house was one hundred years old and the western part eighty. When the weather boards were ripped off, the sills of white oak were so sound that it was decided they would last longer than new ones. One of the peaks was removed at this time because of leaks but was replaced in 1840 by John, the son of Colonel Pickering.

When Timothy inherited the estate, he was the first to break the line of Johns. He is described as a gentleman of great piety, firmness of character, and decided convictions. He died at the age of seventy-five and left the estate to his son John, the fifth of the line, who was a bachelor and lived in the old home with his sister, Mrs. Gool, as housekeeper. His occupation was agricultural, but he held several public positions. He represented the town in the General Court for many years, and was town treasurer in 1782. His brother Timothy, who was Clerk of Register of Deeds, entered the Continental Army, and at that time John took his place with the intention of returning the office to him on his return from the war, but he became so accustomed to the work that he kept the position until 1806, when he was compelled to resign through the infirmities of age. It is related of him that at one time he was supposedly fatally ill, and the question of his successor in office coming up, it was proposed to canvass for a candidate. This so enraged John that he recovered from his illness. He was one of the original members of the Academy of Arts and Sciences and was noted for his honesty, industry, and the careful management of his affairs. At his death, the ancestral estate passed to his nephew John (the fifth), the only break in the transmission of the property from father to son.

John's father, Colonel Timothy, the brother of John (fourth), although never owning the estate, spent his early boyhood upon it, and much of its fame comes from his connection with it. Colonel Timothy was born in the old house July 17, 1745. Upon his graduation from college, he entered the office of the Register of Deeds as clerk and was appointed head of this department a few years later. In 1768, he was admitted to the Bar, and became the leader and champion of the patriots of Essex County; he wrote the famous address from the citizens of Salem to General Gage, relative to the Boston Port Bill. He held the office of Judge of the Court of Common Pleas for Essex County, being sole Judge of the Maritime Court of the Middle District. This was an office involving great responsibility and decisions concerning large amounts of property, as that was the day of privateers. His military service began in 1766, when he was commissioned lieutenant of the Fourth Military Company of Salem.

Three years later he was promoted to the rank of captain and by his interest and careful training raised appreciably the standard of discipline. He was commissioned by the Royal Government colonel of the First Regiment, Essex County Militia. He led the troops who marched out to oppose the entry of Leslie and his Redcoats into Salem on February 26, 1775, when the famous colloquy on North Bridge took place, and the munitions of war concealed in the town were saved to the colonists.

In the fall of 1776, he joined Washington in New Jersey with a regiment of seven hundred men, and the next year he was made Adjutant-general of the Continental Army, commencing his service July 17, 1777. When Congress decided to change the personnel of the Continental Board of War from members of Congress to three men not congressmen, Colonel Pickering was chosen to serve on the Board, whose powers and duties were many and important. He was made Quartermaster-general of the Army, also, holding this position until its abolishment, July 25, 1785. He was a member of the committee which wrote the farewell address delivered to Washington, November 15, 1783. With the close of the war, Colonel Pickering withdrew from public life to devote himself to agriculture. He settled in Philadelphia, but his private life was of short duration, as his services were needed for the adjustment of claims made by Wyoming settlers. He had a thrilling experience in the West, being captured by a band of masked men who carried him off and subjected him to horrible torture.

Colonel Pickering was a most charming host and though apparently stern and forbidding, delightful in the midst of his family. He retained his inherited fondness for agriculture, at seventy-five still filling the position of President of the Agricultural Societies of Essex County and bearing off the first prize for plowing, in competition with the farmers of the vicinity. It was his habit to preserve letters and documents of every description, the most important of which were published after his death in 1829, and which, owing to his prominence in national affairs, are very interesting reading.

Colonel Pickering is an example of one of the best types of a New Englander of his time: a brave, patriotic soldier, a talented writer, an impartial, able, and energetic public official, a leader of the Federal party, occupying four Cabinet positions, serving his country whenever he was needed, but content to return to his simple life when the need for him in public life was over.

At the death of Colonel Pickering's brother, John, the ancestral estate descended to the colonel's son, John (fifth). He inherited his father's public spirit and served in the General Court, three times as representative from Essex and twice from Norfolk and Suffolk counties. He was Secretary of the Legation at Lisbon and later under Rufus King in London, and finally became United States Minister to England. He was a member of many learned societies in Europe, received several diplomas, and brought home a fine library collected on the continent. He was a profound scholar, a writer in law, and especially interested in philology, understanding twenty-two different languages.