The history of the town of Dorchester, Massachusetts, By a committee of the Dorchester antiquarian and historical society ...

602 HISTORY OF DORCHESTER.
was manufacturing powder upon the other end of
the same dam, by which Belcher was to draw all the
water in a dry time for the benefit of the corn-mill
on the north side of the river, to the injury of Everden's powder-mill on the south side, Belcher payv
ing for the same by relinquishing to Everden all his
one-eighth part of the powder-works. About this
time Mr. Belcher erected a fulling-mill near his corn.
mill. In 1723, Mr. Belcher died, and the property
descended to his children.
In 1741, Gill Belcher, Mary Richards, Rebecca,
Walter and Abigail Bradford, heirs of Joseph Belcher, sold to Thomas Harris of Watertown, clothier,
ten acres of land, with the dwelling-house, barn,
grist and fulling-mill on Neponset river.
In 1761, Thomas Harris sold to Andrew McKen.
zie, of Boston, merchant, a piece of land on which
he (McKenzie) had lately erected a snuff-mill and
mill-house, below the fulling-mill in Dorchester
(where the paper-mill now stands), with a privilege
of enough of the stream to carry the snuff-mill,
Harris still retaining the grist and fulling-mill. Andrew Gillispie carried on the snuff-mill for McKenzie until the death of the latter.
In May, 1765, Harris sold the corn and fulling
mills, house and barn, to Mr. Daniel Leeds, a native
of Dorchester, and for many years a teacher of both
the town and private schools. The fulling-mill was
let by Master Leeds to Mr. Benjamin Pierce, who
carried on the business of clothier as long as Master
Leeds lived. The grist-mill was tended either by
one of Master Leeds's sons or a hired man during
Mr. Leeds's life.