17th and 18th Century Pond People
European settlers from Plymouth, known as the Purchasers, began to claim Native American land in Wellfleet in the mid-17th century. Early land grants in Billingsgate/Wellfleet typically were of meadow lands, valuable for producing hay as fodder for animals. Other sought-after territory included uplands, areas like Bound Brook Island, and bay-side coastal lands. A real estate market developed, and property often changed hands, making detailed reconstruction of land ownership difficult. Many of Wellfleet’s ponds were located in the top one-third of Billingsgate, known in the 17th century as “Yonder Billingsgate.” This included the area bordering Herring Brook between Black Pond and Williams Pond. Echeverria’s History of Billingsgate studies early land grants. It gives no indication that any settlers specifically sought title to land adjacent to ponds. It is not until the 19th century that we can find names of families owning land adjacent to ponds.
(This account is based on some of the available historical sources. The Friends of Wellfleet Ponds welcomes additional information, comments and corrections.)
Some 19th Century Pond People
NEWCOMB FAMILY
Probably 19th century pond resident now best-known is John Newcomb, whose house stills stands near Williams Pond. He is the oysterman described by Thoreau in his book Cape Cod and in a brief biography in the National Register of Historic Places.
“John Young Newcomb (1762-1856) built his house on a portion of land inherited from his father, William Newcomb, a farmer. The Newcomb family appears to have lived in the area at least since the early decades of the 18th century. John Newcomb’s grandfather, Simon Newcomb, lived in nearby Truro and his land holdings straddled the Wellfleet-Truro boundary. John Newcomb, a life-long resident of Wellfleet, was in his sixties when his house was built, and he is believed to have lived on the family’s farm—undoubtedly in a Cape Cod house-before building his new house ca. 1829.”
Newcomb worked as an oyster fisherman and farmer. Newcomb’s neighborhood, according to the National Register, was served by King’s Highway which was “the primary regional road through Cape Cod and the major north-south route from Eastham to Provincetown through the end of the 18th century.” Gull Pond Road, off of King’s Highway, provided the pond area’s main access. Small subsistence farms, like Newcomb’s, characterized the holdings in the area. The land around the pond also functioned as woodlots owned by residents living in the center of town. The woodlot typically provided timber for construction or firewood, but not sites for residences. The early settlement in the Gull Pond area included a tavern, a village store, as well as the earliest schoolhouse in Wellfleet.
GIBBS FAMILY
According to Everett I. Nye, at least two generations of an African-American/Native American family lived on the land between Higgins and Herring ponds. The 1820 census describes the family as headed by Samuel Gibbs, a free colored male at least 45 years of age, and two colored females of at least 45 years of age living with him. This census does not tabulate residents of Native American heritage, but the Provincial Census of 1765 counted 11 Native Americans and 14 African-Americans in Wellfleet. Samuel (c.1750-1823) married Patience Cuffee (c.1750-1828), a Yarmouth resident, in 1778 in Wellfleet. Samuel’s parents are not yet known, but Patience’s family is well documented. Patience’s father, David (b.1747 -1820), was the older brother of Paul Cuffe, noted African-American/Wampanoag Massachusetts shipbuilder, abolitionist, and entrepreneur. David’s parents were Cuff and Ruth Slocum. Cuff, born in Africa, enslaved by the Slocum family, bought his freedom in 1745. Ruth was a member of the Wampanoag Nation. David married Hope Page in Dartmouth in 1771 and they had at least six children, including Patience. Samuel and Patience had at least two sons. George Washington Gibbs (1793-1864), whose death certificate identifies his parents as Samuel and Patience, and George’s occupation as a farmer in Sandwich. Samuel and Patience’s other son, Samuel, Jr., married Delilah Sampson in 1801. Delilah, who died sometime after 1838, is said to be the last Native American resident of Wellfleet. A memorial to her can be found on Great Island. Although no pond is named after the Gibbs family, Patience Brook, named for Patience Gibbs, connects Higgins and Herring Ponds.
KINNECUM FAMILY
Kinnecum pond was probably named after the Thomas Kinnecum family. (Spellings of Kinnecum vary.) Thomas was born in 1799 in Provincetown, to parents not yet known. Echeverria speculates the Kinnecums were of “mixed blood,” meaning part Native American, but he does not provide evidence. Thomas married Mercy Swett Young (1804-1882) in 1823. Thomas is identified as a laborer in the census every decade from 1840 to 1880. He died in Wellfleet in 1882. Thomas and Mercy had six children. While Mercy’s family ties to Wellfleet can be traced to the 17th century, her people were not among the elite. Mercy’s great-great-grandfather John squatted on the Billingsgate land where he built his house in the 17th century. The Kinnecum family’s probable association with the pond may be evidence that the pond land was not viewed as particularly valuable in the 19th century.
HOPKINS/DYER FAMILIES
The 1858 map labels a Hopkins Pond. It is likely that Hopkins is Giles Hopkins, the father of Betsey M. Hopkins Dyer. Betsey is the mother of Elijah Dyer (1822-1909) who married Mercy Swett Kinnicum (1827-1907) in 1846. Giles was unusual among the pond people, since he left a will. This is probably a sign that he had a more substantial estate than many of the others.
The 1858 map shows an S. Dyer living next to Hopkins Pond. This is probably Elijah’s father Sylvanus Collins Dyer (1787-1870), listed as a laborer and farmer in the census.
Elijah is a mariner in the 1860 census, a seaman in the 1870 census, and a fisherman in the 1880 census. After the publication of the 1880 Atlas, Hopkins Pond has been known as Dyer Pond.
SWETT FAMILY
The pond later called Williams was known as Swett Pond in the mid-19th century. This suggests Mercy’s family (see Kinnicum family) lived near the pond. Who the members of the Williams family might be remains to be discovered.
Conclusion
Unlike earlier centuries, by the 19th century it is possible to connect ponds to individual families, giving us a better idea of the role of the ponds in the life of Wellfleet. In the small sample of families discussed above we can see a diverse group which included Native Americans, African-Americans, and descendants of Europeans, who worked as laborers, seamen, and farmers. This profile of pond residents will shift dramatically in the 20th century, as the ponds increasingly shift to sites of seasonal housing occupied by more affluent people.