To town meetings at Rumney Marsh the settlers at the landing had to tramp to vote on questions affecting the town. Right bravely would they attend to their duties as citizens, to find their efforts of no avail on account of the sharp practices of their neighbors of the Marsh and Point, who would reverse their action at an adjourned meeting. At length, in overwhelming numbers, they assembled once upon a time, and voted a new Town House, near the site of the present Catholic church. As a consequence, North Chelsea was set off in 1846, and Chelsea shrank to its present boundaries. In 1850, notwithstanding the loss of so large an extent of territory, Chelsea numbered sixty-seven hundred and one inhabitants. Seven years later, in 1857, the town was granted a city charter; it was divided into four wards, and Colonel Francis B. Fay was inaugurated the first mayor.
From that time the growth of the city has been rapid. In 1860, there were 13,395 inhabitants; in 1870, 18,547; in 1880, 21,785; to-day there are probably 24,000. The Honorable Hosea Ilsley was the second mayor; he was succeeded by the Honorable Frank B. Fay, in 1861; by the Honorable Eustace C. Fitz, in 1864; by the Honorable Rufus S. Frost, in 1867; by the Honorable James B. Forsyth, M.D., in 1869; by the Honorable John W. Fletcher, in 1871; by the Honorable Charles H. Ferson, in 1873; by the Honorable Thomas Green, in 1876; by the Honorable Isaac Stebbins, in 1877; by the Honorable Andrew J. Bacon, in 1879; by the Honorable Samuel P. Tenney, in 1881; by the Honorable Thomas Strahan, the present mayor, in 1883.
In 1849, the railway connected Chelsea with Boston, and in 1857 the horse-cars commenced running.
During the Rebellion, Chelsea responded loyally for troops. In the Union army there were sixteen hundred and fifty-one soldiers from Chelsea. Of that number, forty-two were killed in battle; sixteen died of wounds; seventy-five died in hospitals; nine died in Rebel prisons; besides one hundred and four who were more or less seriously wounded. The city also furnished one hundred and thirty-seven recruits for the navy during the war. The city has commemorated those heroes who died for their country, by a very appropriate monument in Union Park.
The conservative character of the political fathers of the city may be judged by the fact that Samuel Bassett, who was first elected town clerk in 1849, has served the town and city continuously in that capacity to the present time. For the half-century before his election there had been only three incumbents of the office.
