Portrait Mary Davenport and Charles Coffin by John Brewster JR

Mary Davenport (1783-1852) and Charles Coffin (1779-1851) painted by John Brewster JR (1766-1854) Mary was daughter of Anthony Davenport (1752-1836) and Elizabeth Woodburn (1755-1785). Charles son of Paul Coffin (1736-1821) and Mary Gorham (1739-1803)

A Deaf Artist in Early America: The Worlds of John Brewster, J  Harlan L. Lane, John Brewster Beacon Press, 2004

Norman C Greenbough Newburyport

BRYAN EATON/ Staff Photo. A nineteenth century chronometer made of walnut wood and brass by watchmaker Norman C. Greenough. He moved to Newburyport in 1851 and set up shop off Market Square. His photo is pictured at left.

Presentation--Complimentary Date: Thursday, December 6, 1855 Paper: Salem Register (Salem, MA) Page: 2 

Norman Greenough (1820-1886) was son of Brackett L Greenough and Abigail Cummings. He married Francis Davenport DeFord (1816-1887) daughter  Samuel Tibbett DeFord and Catherine Greenleaf Davenport daughter of Anthony Davenport and Catherine Greenleaf. The Davenport family owned the Wolfe Tavern.

First Fire Society Newburyport Articles 1746

Firemen Of Old Saturday, July 6, 1872 Colombian Register (New Haven, CT)  Page: 3

Photos From History of Newburyport, Mass 1764-1905, Volume 2 By John James Currier
Some history on Fire Societies
FIRE SOCIETIES AND FIRE ENGINES.
Dr. John Spraguc, who came to Newbury previous to 1738, was a member of one of the societies organized for the purpose of preventing, if possible, the destruction of property by fire. A leather bucket, formerly in his possession, bearing his name and the date of 1746, is shown in the half-tone print on this page. The bucket is now in the possession of Miss Jane R. Wood of Newburyport. Another bucket, an exact duplicate, is in the possession of Mrs. Margaret (Andrews) Allen of Madison, Wisconsin.
The Dernier Resort Fire Society, consisting of thirty members, was organized as early as 1760. Ralph Cross, Caleb Cross, Lemuel Collin, Nathaniel Knapp, Isaac Knapp, John Mycall, Timothy Palmer, Leonard Smith, Abraham Williams, Robert Williams and others were members of the society. According to the rules and regulations adopted at that date, and afterwards revised and printed, each member was required to keep at his residence two leather buckets and a knapsack containing two canvas bags ready for use at all times. Two of these leather buckets, formerly the property of Ralph Cross, are now in the possession of the Newburyport Marine Society.
In December, 1775, the Marine Fire Society was organized. One of the articles of association adopted provided that no person shall be elected a member of the society
"unless he be a member of the Marine Society of Newburyport."
The second article reads as follows :—
Each of us will also keep in good order, hanging up in some convenient place in our respective dwellings, two leather buckets, in which shall be two bags, each bag measuring one yard and a half in length, and three-quarters of a yard in breadth, being hemmed at the mouths, and having strong strings to draw them close; the buckets and bags shall be marked with the first letter of the owner's Christian name and with his surname at length, under a penalty of three shillings for each deficiency.'
Moses Brown, Jonathan Parsons, Peter LeBreton, William Farris, John O'Brien, Benjamin Rogers, Henry Lunt,Nicholas Johnson, Charles Hodge, David Coats, William Coombs, Joseph Newman, Michael Hodge, William P. Johnson, Edward Wigglesworth, Ebenezer Stocker, William Nichols and others were members of this society. It was not dissolved until the close of the year 1833, and perhaps later. Two leather buckets, formerly the property of William Nichols, captain and part-owner of the privateer Independence in the Revolutionary war, are now in the possession of his grandson, George E. Hale of Newburyport. A photograph of these buckets, taken for the illustration of this sketch, is reproduced in the half-tone print on this page.
The Union Fire Society was organized February 28, 1783. Benjamin Frothingham, Edward Toppan, William Cross, Daniel Balch, jr., Abraham Jackson, Daniel Coffin, Richard Pike and other well-known citizens of Newburyport were members of this association. Meetings were held usually at Wolfe Tavern. The half-tone print on the next page is reproduced from an engraving in the possession of the Essex Institute, Salem, Mass.
The Federal Fire Society was organized in 1791. At that date the prominent members of the society were James Hodge, Nathaniel Knap, jr., Isaac Knap, jr., Edward Sweat, jr., Abraham Perkins, William Wyer, jr., David Wood, Joseph Swasey, jr., and John Greenough.

Sources:
See Newburyport Town Records @ PEM
Articles and regulations of the Relief Fire Society, in Newburyport : formed the twenty-first of March, 1775.

Newburyport Fire 1811 Historical Accounts

On May 31, 1811 Newburyport was devastated with "The Great Fire" which broke out shortly after 9PM.    Here are some historical references and accounts.  See Article 

Another Great Source:  Jonathan Plummer "Great and Dreadful Fire at Newburyport. Fire, Fire, Fire: An Ode and a Sermon, Concerning a Tremendous Fire at Newburyport, which Commenced on the Evening of the Thirty First of May, 1811" Check out this great site with more on on Plummer and Timothy Dexter 

Independent Chronicle 
June 3, 1811

From History of Newburyport : from the earliest settlement of the country to the present time : with a biographical appendix Euphemia Vale Blake:

Nearly two hundred and fifty buildings were thus totally and suddenly consumed, including almost every dry goods store, four printing offices, the Custom House, surveyors' office, post office, two insurance offices, the "Union"  and the " Phoenix," the Baptist meeting-house, four attorneys' offices, four book stores, (the loss of one of these was $30,000,) and also the Town Library. Blunt's building, a massive structure four stories high, and the Phoenix building, for awhile seemed to present an effectual barrier to the farther progress of the flames ; but by a sudden change of the wind they were carried directly upon these immense piles, which were soon involved in the general calamity. " State street at this time presented a spectacle most terribly sublime! The wind, soon after it changed, blew with increased violence, and these buildings, which were much the highest in the street, threw the fire in awful columns high into the air, the flames extending in one continued sheet of fire across the spacious area!

From Savannah Republican (Savannah, GA)  Date: June 22, 1811 Volume: IX  Issue: 75 

From Caleb Cushing's History of Newburyport:

But in addition to the evils arising to us from the cupidity of the European belligerents, and the restrictive and retaliatory measures into which this country was consequently driven, Newburyport was doomed to suffer by a peculiar misfortune. This was the great fire of 1811, which desolated the busiest portion of the town, by its destructive ravages; and whose effects still meet the eye, in the depopulation of streets formerly filled with dwelling-houses and shops.

This conflagration commenced in a stable in Mechanic Row, near the Market Square, and of course in the center of the portion of the town devoted to trade and business. The stable was at the time unoccupied, and when the fire was discovered was found to be completely enveloped in flames. This was at half past nine o'clock in the evening of the thirty-first day of May, 1811. The fire quickly extended to Market Square on the one hand, and to State street on the other, and soon spread in various directions, with a degree of celerity and fury which baffled all exertions to stop its progress. The fire continued to rage until about two o'clock in the morning, soon after which its violence diminished; and by sunrise it had in a great measure subsided, after having swept away everything on a tract of land of sixteen and a half acres, leaving there only a mass of deplorable ruins. No part of the town was more compactly built than this; none contained so large a proportion of valuable buildings, merchandise, and other property. Indeed, the compactness of the buildings, which were chiefly constructed of wood, served constantly to feed the flames with combustible materials, so that for a time the destruction of the whole town was seriously apprehended. It was estimated that nearly 250 buildings were consumed, most of which were stores and dwelling-houses. This number included nearly all the shops in town for the sale of dry goods; four printing-offices; the custom-house; the post-office; two insurance offices;four bookstores; and one meeting-house; and the dwellings of more than ninety families.

From An account of the great fire, which destroyed about 250 buildings in Newburyport, on the night of the 31st of May, 1811. Taken principally from the statements which have appeared in the public newspapers:

Newburyport, July 30, 1811. The Selectmen of Newburyport acknowledge the receipt of twenty four thousand three hundred and five dollars and. fifty-five cents from the citizens of Boston, to be appropriated to the relief of the sufferers by the late fire. At a time when a spirit of Charity, as large as our exigencies were imperious, seems to have pervaded our sister States ; whilst the benevolence of every part of the country has been most liberally displayed towards us, your bounty has been most liberally displayed towards us, your bounty has been eminently distinguished...from Newburyport Herald July 18, 1811
  

from The Panoplist, and Missionary Magazine United, Volume 4; Volume

FIRE AT NEWBURYPORT,

Thanks correspondent, who furnished the list of donations to the sufferers by the fire at Newburyport, has transmitted some corrections of that list, and several additions, which we here subjoin: Becket $12 99 Blandford 31 00 Belchertown 16 00 Boylston 40 U0 Berkshire \Vash. Ben. Society 80 00 Berwick, Rev. N. Lord’s Soc. 6 69 Carried forward 186 68