Essex  Co.  This  was  formerly  a
part  of  Ipswich,  and  called  Ipswich
Hamlet.  Ipswich  river  passes  its
western  and  northern  borders,  and
Miles'  river,  running  north,  passes
into  it.  The  town  was  named  in
honor  of  Alexander  Hamilton,  who
died  July  11,  1804,  aged  forty-seven.
The  people  of  this  town  are  mostly
agriculturalists ;  and  they  cultivate
an  excellent  soil,  with  a  pleasant  sur-
face, with  much  judgment.
Hamilton  lies,  by  the  eastern  rail-
road, twenty  miles  north  by  east  from
Boston,  and  fourteen  south  from  New-
buryport.
The  first  minister  in  this  place  was
the  Rev.  Samuel  Wigglesworth,  in
1714.  The  second,  the  Rev.  Ma-
tt asseh  Cutler,  in    1771.     The  third,


GAZETTEER   OF    MASSACHUSETTS.
165


the  Rev,  Joseph  B.  Felt,  installed  ia
1824,  and  resigned  in  1633.  Mr.
Felt  is  a  highly  respected  historian
and  antiquarian.  From  his  history
of  this  town,  we  extract  the  foUow-


"  There  ate  four  families  in  this
town  called  bleeders;  three  of  them
are  immediately  and  the  other  medi-
ately related.  The  number  of  indi-
viduals so  denominated  are  five.
They  are  thus  named  from  an  unu-
sual propensity  in  their  arteries  and
veins  to  bleed"  profusely,  even  from
slight  wounds.  A  cat  or  other  hurt
upon  them  assumes  at  first  the  com-
mon appearance ;  but  after  a  week
or  fortnight  the  injured  part  begins
and  continues,  for  several  days,  to
send  forth  almost  a  steady  stream  of
blood,  until  this  disappears,  and  it
becomes  nearly  as  colorless  as  water.
